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Gold Compartment at Luxor’s Habu Temple Regains Luster

A wall adorned with reliefs at the Mortuary Temple of the 20th dynasty pharaoh Ramesses III (1186-1155 BC) at Medinet Habu, near Egypt's southern city of Luxor. AFP
A wall adorned with reliefs at the Mortuary Temple of the 20th dynasty pharaoh Ramesses III (1186-1155 BC) at Medinet Habu, near Egypt's southern city of Luxor. AFP
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Gold Compartment at Luxor’s Habu Temple Regains Luster

A wall adorned with reliefs at the Mortuary Temple of the 20th dynasty pharaoh Ramesses III (1186-1155 BC) at Medinet Habu, near Egypt's southern city of Luxor. AFP
A wall adorned with reliefs at the Mortuary Temple of the 20th dynasty pharaoh Ramesses III (1186-1155 BC) at Medinet Habu, near Egypt's southern city of Luxor. AFP

Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities completed the restoration of the gold compartment at Habu Temple on the western bank of Luxor Governorate.

“The restoration work was carried out by Egyptian restorers from the Supreme Council of Antiquities,” Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziry, said in a statement.

“The process included the removal of dirt, soot and damage caused by erosion factors, which returned the original colors of the compartment,” he added.

“The restoration of the gold compartment is part of the Habu temple restoration project, which began in March,” said Saady Awad, director general of Maintenance and Restoration in Upper Egypt.

He explained that “the work in the gold compartment included documentation and recording using a photographic camera before, during and after the restoration work, as well as mechanical and chemical cleansing, and replacement of old, dilapidated parts of the walls.”

The Temple of Habu is one of the most significant Egyptian temples. It was built to honor King Ramesses III, hold funerary rituals, and worship god Amun.

It consists of two courtyards, one featuring inscriptions narrating the wars fought by King Ramesses III, and another featuring inscriptions for celebrations, followed by a hall of columns on both sides.

The chapels of the temple were dedicated to some deities, and the most important of which is the gold compartment, which has been restored and returned to its original colors.

“The first four years of King Ramses III rule were so calm. He was busy strengthening his state and maintained his father’s policy in stabilizing Egypt. The King depicted the images of his wars and victories against Hittites on the walls of his funerary temple in the city of Habu,” explained Dr. Hussein Abdul Basir, director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina and author of the “Pharaohs: Warriors, Diplomats, and Martials”.

“King Ramesses III recorded half of his wars against Hittites on the external wall of the second edifice, to the northern side of the temple. This text is considered the longest known hieroglyphic text engraved in a temple so far,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

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Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
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Dog Gives Olympics Organizers Paws for Thought

A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
A dog wanders on the ski trail during the women's team cross country free sprint qualification event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme), on February 18, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

A dog decided he would bid for an unlikely Olympic medal on Wednesday as he joined the women's cross country team free sprint in the Milan-Cortina Games.

The dog ran onto the piste in Tesero in northern Italy and gamely, even without skis, ran behind two of the competitors, Greece's Konstantina Charalampidou and Tena Hadzic of Croatia.

He crossed the finishing line, his moment of glory curtailed as he was collared by the organizers and led away -- his owner no doubt will have a bone to pick with him when they are reunited.

Varieties

Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
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Olives, Opera and a Climate-Neutral Goal: How a Mural in Greece Won ‘Best in the World’ 

A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 
A building with the mural entitled “Kalamata” depicting opera legend Maria Callas by artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos is seen in Kalamata town, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP) 

Long known for its olives and seaside charm, the southern Greek city of Kalamata has found itself in the spotlight thanks to a towering mural that reimagines legendary soprano Maria Callas as an allegory for the city itself.

The massive artwork on the side of a prominent building in the city center has been named 2025’s “Best Mural of the World” by Street Art Cities, a global platform celebrating street art.

Residents of Kalamata, approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Athens, cultivate the world-renowned olives, figs and grapes that feature prominently on the mural.

That was precisely the point.

Vassilis Papaefstathiou, deputy mayor of strategic planning and climate neutrality, explained Kalamata is one of the few Greek cities with the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030. He and other city leaders wanted a way to make abstract concepts, including sustainable development, agri-food initiatives, and local economic growth, more tangible for the city’s nearly 73,000 residents.

That’s how the idea of a massive mural in a public space was born.

“We wanted it to reflect a very clear and distinct message of what sustainable development means for a regional city such as Kalamata,” Papaefstathiou said. “We wanted to create an image that combines the humble products of the land, such as olives and olive oil — which, let’s be honest, are famous all over the world and have put Kalamata on the map — with the high-level art.”

“By bringing together what is very elevated with ... the humbleness of the land, our aim was to empower the people and, in doing so, strengthen their identity. We want them to be proud to be Kalamatians.”

Southern Greece has faced heatwaves, droughts and wildfires in recent years, all of which affect the olive groves on which the region’s economy is hugely dependent.

The image chosen to represent the city was Maria Callas, widely hailed as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century and revered in Greece as a national cultural symbol. She may have been born in New York to Greek immigrant parents, but her father came from a village south of Kalamata. For locals, she is one of their own.

This connection is also reflected in practice: the alumni association at Kalamata’s music school is named for Callas, and the cultural center houses an exhibition dedicated to her, which includes letters from her personal archive.

Artist Kleomenis Kostopoulos, 52, said the mural “is not actually called ‘Maria Callas,’ but ‘Kalamata’ and my attempt was to paint Kalamata (the city) allegorically.”

Rather than portraying a stylized image of the diva, Kostopoulos said he aimed for a more grounded and human depiction. He incorporated elements that connect the people to their land: tree branches — which he considers the above-ground extension of roots — birds native to the area, and the well-known agricultural products.

“The dress I create on Maria Callas in ‘Kalamata’ is essentially all of this, all of this bloom, all of this fruition,” he said. “The blessed land that Kalamata itself has ... is where all of these elements of nature come from.”

Creating the mural was no small feat. Kostopoulos said it took around two weeks of actual work spread over a month due to bad weather. He primarily used brushes but also incorporated spray paint and a cherry-picker to reach all edges of the massive wall.

Papaefstathiou, the deputy mayor, said the mural has become a focal point.

“We believe this mural has helped us significantly in many ways, including in strengthening the city’s promotion as a tourist destination,” he said.

Beyond tourism, the mural has sparked conversations about art in public spaces. More building owners in Kalamata have already expressed interest in hosting murals.

“All of us — residents, and I personally — feel immense pride,” said tourism educator Dimitra Kourmouli.

Kostopoulos said he hopes the award will have a wider impact on the art community and make public art more visible in Greece.

“We see that such modern interventions in public space bring tremendous cultural, social, educational and economic benefits to a place,” he said. “These are good springboards to start nice conversations that I hope someday will happen in our country, as well.”

Varieties

Nine Skiers Missing, Six Rescued after California Avalanche

FILE PHOTO: The snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains are seen from the air during a Pacific Gas and Electric snowpack survey near Nevada City, California, US April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains are seen from the air during a Pacific Gas and Electric snowpack survey near Nevada City, California, US April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo
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Nine Skiers Missing, Six Rescued after California Avalanche

FILE PHOTO: The snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains are seen from the air during a Pacific Gas and Electric snowpack survey near Nevada City, California, US April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains are seen from the air during a Pacific Gas and Electric snowpack survey near Nevada City, California, US April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Bob Strong/File Photo

Nine skiers were missing after an avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada mountains on Tuesday, but six others, who had been stranded, have since been rescued, authorities said.

The avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, at about 11:30 a.m. Pacific time, engulfing a group of skiers, according to a Facebook statement posted by the Nevada County Sheriff's Office.

Those rescued have varying injuries and two were ‌sent to a hospital ‌for treatment.

The sheriff's office revised the number of ‌people ⁠in the group to ⁠15 from an earlier estimate of 16, adding that no further updates were expected on Tuesday evening.

If all nine of the missing skiers should perish, the incident would rank among the deadliest single avalanches on record in the United States. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has tallied six US avalanche fatalities so far this season.

Avalanches have claimed an average of 27 lives ⁠each winter in the United States over the past ‌decade, the center reported.

A winter storm warning ‌was in effect for much of northern California on Tuesday, with heavy snow ‌forecast in the upper elevations of the Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Avalanche Center ‌had posted an alert before dawn on Tuesday, warning of a "high avalanche danger" in the ski region, the sheriff's statement said.

"I don't think it was a wise choice," Greene said of the decision of a ski tour company to take paying ‌customers out into the backcountry under such conditions, adding, "but we don't know all the details yet." He declined to ⁠name the company involved.

Rescue ⁠ski teams were dispatched to the avalanche zone from the Boreal Mountain Ski Resort and Tahoe Donner's Alder Creek Adventure Center.

The survivors had taken refuge in a makeshift shelter, constructed partly from tarpaulin sheets and communicated with rescuers via radio beacon and text messaging.

Greene declined to say how many of the ski guides and how many of their customers were among the missing.

Weather conditions remained hazardous in the Sierra backcountry slopes, with additional avalanche activity expected through Tuesday night and into Wednesday, according to the sheriff's statement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was briefed on the avalanche, and state authorities were "coordinating an all-hands search-and-rescue effort" in conjunction with local emergency teams, his office said in a posting on X.