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Wood Used in Pharaonic Coffins Cut from Egyptian Ficus, Lebanese Cedars

The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
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Wood Used in Pharaonic Coffins Cut from Egyptian Ficus, Lebanese Cedars

The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)
The sarcophagus of boy pharaoh King Tutankhamun in Luxor. (Reuters)

A new Italian study has identified the source of the wood used to make coffins in Ancient Egypt.

In the study published in the latest issue of the Italian Journal of Cultural Heritage, a research team from the Egyptian Museum in Florence analyzed two groups of coffins preserved in the museum in order to collect more information about the wood used in their construction, and possible origin.

The two groups of coffins belong to burials during the XVIII Dynasty of the New Kingdom and the XXI Dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period.

The study showed that the latter group comes from the well-known tomb of Bab el-Gasus. The analysis confirms that the most frequently utilized timber for the ancient Egyptian wooden coffins was Ficus sycomorus L. (sycamore fig) that was widely available locally at the time of construction. Although the sycamore fig wood is light and easy to process, it is resistant especially when submerged in water. It is the only local tree species suitable for making boards of sufficient length for the sides of coffins.

In contrast, the precious softwood of Cedrus cf. libani (probably Lebanon cedar) largely appears in the coffins of the New Kingdom.

According to the study, the comparison of the woods from the analysis of the two groups of coffins reveals important information on the workmanship skills, the higher social status of the deceased in more ancient periods, and the socio-economic situations in the different dynasties of Ancient Egypt.

The study suggested that the worst socio-economic situations drastically reduced the availability of fancy wood like Cedrus cf. libani during the XXI dynasty period, and increased the use of sycamore fig.

"The results of this study highlight commercial ties between Ancient Egypt and the Levant," Dr. Mohammed Fathi, professor of Egyptology at Al-Minia University, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It might also support the findings of a German study published in 2017, in the journal Nature Communications. The study analyzed the genome of Ancient Egyptians and compared it with the genome of modern Egyptians, and found that Pharaos' had Levantine origins, not African like the current Egyptians.”

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Lebanon Arrests ‘Doctor Food’ over Drug-laced Treats

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
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Lebanon Arrests ‘Doctor Food’ over Drug-laced Treats

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media

Lebanon on Sunday arrested an online influencer known for his videos about food who had been handed a life sentence in absentia for drug trafficking, a judicial source told AFP.

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food" and followed by more than eight million accounts, was apprehended at his home in the far north governorate of Akkar, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Dib, who also owns a confectionery business, would be taken to a detention center in Mount Lebanon, where he would face a new trial on further drug trafficking charges, the source added.

Two years ago, the Lebanese judiciary issued a warrant for Dib, accusing him of "manufacturing narcotics, trafficking and smuggling them abroad,” according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The NNA said at the time that authorities had seized confectionery and other food products at Beirut's international airport that contained narcotics and were manufactured in factories owned by Dib.

The products were to be shipped to a Gulf country, the news agency reported.

Despite an arrest warrant and conviction against him, Dib continued to post videos on TikTok.

Last month, after news of his conviction was made public, he denied the accusations in one of his videos, urging followers not to listen to what was being said about him.

Dib rose to prominence on social media posting content about cooking and daily life with his ex-wife, known as Shorouk, a Canadian of Palestinian origin who has more than 15 million followers.

They separated after she accused him of abuse. On Saturday night, she held a "divorce party" at a seaside resort in Lebanon attended by thousands of her followers.

Varieties

Mahatma Gandhi’s 688 Handwritten Messages to Grieving Friend Sell for Millions

Gandhi’s peti charkha, a portable box spinning wheel, along with two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning, sold for Rs 10.2m (Saffronart)
Gandhi’s peti charkha, a portable box spinning wheel, along with two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning, sold for Rs 10.2m (Saffronart)
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Mahatma Gandhi’s 688 Handwritten Messages to Grieving Friend Sell for Millions

Gandhi’s peti charkha, a portable box spinning wheel, along with two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning, sold for Rs 10.2m (Saffronart)
Gandhi’s peti charkha, a portable box spinning wheel, along with two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning, sold for Rs 10.2m (Saffronart)

A collection of 688 handwritten reflections by Mahatma Gandhi has sold for £1.2 million at an auction in India, setting a record for an Indian historical document sold at auction, according to The Independent.

The handwritten messages were addressed to Anand T Hingorani, a close associate of Gandhi and a fellow participant in India’s independence movement.

They were written over almost two years, from 20 November 1944 to 10 October 1946, and were later compiled into a book called A Thought for the Day, according to auction house Saffronart.

The circumstances in which they were written were deeply personal; Hingorani’s wife Vidya had died, and he shared his loneliness and grief with Gandhi while undergoing nature-cure treatment for deafness, according to the Hingorani family.

Gandhi responded by writing him a thought each day, turning a private act of consolation into one of the most extensive surviving records of their relationship.

“Gandhi responded by setting aside time each day to write a personal thought. What began as a personal exchange soon evolved into a collaborative project,” Minal Vazirani, co-founder and president of Saffronart, told The Indian Express.

“While Gandhi authored each reflection, Hingorani became the recipient, organizer and transcriber, ultimately preparing the writings for publication,” she said.

FILED - 30 November 2002, An undated photo shows Mahatma Gandhi sitting behind his spinning wheel and reading letters. Photo: Margaret Bourke White/dpa

The 688 entries cover many of the subjects that occupied Gandhi throughout his life, including truth, ahimsa or non-violence, brahmacharya (self-control), non-possession, fearlessness, religious equality, prayer, service, labor, duty, silence, conscience and self-realization.

A group of nine letters from 1930 and 1931 concerns Anand and Vidya Hingorani’s marriage, including parental opposition, financial independence, reconciliation within the family and Gandhi’s views on self-restraint and domestic obligations.

The wider collection was preserved by the Hingorani family across generations and was offered as an 86-lot sale by Saffronart under the title Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani.

Varieties

Sydney Marathon Unveils Medal with Wrong Stadium

The two-sided medal is engraved with a Sydney skyline showing course landmarks including the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- and the Allianz Arena in Munich (Sydney Marathon)
The two-sided medal is engraved with a Sydney skyline showing course landmarks including the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- and the Allianz Arena in Munich (Sydney Marathon)
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Sydney Marathon Unveils Medal with Wrong Stadium

The two-sided medal is engraved with a Sydney skyline showing course landmarks including the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- and the Allianz Arena in Munich (Sydney Marathon)
The two-sided medal is engraved with a Sydney skyline showing course landmarks including the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- and the Allianz Arena in Munich (Sydney Marathon)

Organizers of the 2026 Sydney Marathon have sparked online mirth by unveiling a finishers' medal depicting a stadium in far-away Munich, Germany.

The two-sided medal is engraved with a Sydney skyline showing course landmarks including the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge -- and the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Marathon bosses admitted the "unfortunate error" in the medal, which displays the German arena's shape and diamond-patterned exterior instead of the flatter features of Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

"A little too much international flavor has found its way onto the back of the finishers medal, with an incorrect depiction of the stadium," AFP quoted a Sydney Marathon spokesperson as saying.

"We're not going to run from it, it was an unfortunate error, though it's certainly given everyone something to talk about this weekend, mostly in good humor."

The medal's reception on social media was light-hearted.

"Oh, dear. Oh, this is bad," said Instagram account @morningcoffeerun, speculating that someone may have mixed up the stadiums in an online search for Allianz.

Munich's Allianz Arena treated the medal muddle with good humor.

"Oh wow, we didn't have that on our bingo card!" it posted on Instagram.

"Perhaps they tried to find something else they had in common: Allianz Arena -- Sydney Opera -- Unique Architecture -- Both are worth a visit!"

Australian media also had fun with the slip.

"The medal that will put Sydney on the map. The wrong map," ran a headline in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The other side of the Sydney Marathon medal shows a widely praised blue-and-gold design by Indigenous artist Ambrose Killian, who told AFP he was not involved in the creation of the Sydney skyline.

Marathon organizers say they expect a record of more than 40,000 participants who will earn the medal as a "badge of honor" for completing the 42.2-kilometre (26.2-mile) course.

"With the event a week away, this is the medal our finishers will receive," the Sydney Marathon spokesperson said.

"Behind every one of these medals is months of early mornings, long runs and quiet determination, and having it placed around your neck at the Sydney Opera House is a moment our participants will never forget," the spokesperson added.

"It's a beautiful medal, and now a little more unique."