[MSN] Antiquity News from Egypt June 2006

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Antiquity News from Egypt June 2006
Jun 01, 06 | 12:56 pm

Restoration of Rosetta
The Supreme Council of Antiquities has begun a comprehensive project to
restore the mosques , houses and bathhouses of Rosetta and transform the
town into an open museum. Rosetta was known as "Rhyt" ( meaning the common
people) in pharaonic Egypt, "Rakhit" in Coptic , " Rashid" in Arabic and was
Europeanized to " Rosetta."

The ancient buildings include the Rosetta gate, the Abu Shahin mill , the
Azuz Bathhouse and several fine houses. The date back to the Mamluk period
and the beginning of the Ottoman period. 

Meanwhile the Rosetta National Museum and the local centre for traditional
handmade crafts will be undergoing renovations. The museum houses a replica
of the Rosetta stone, the weapons used to defend Rosetta from occupation are
displayes as well as pottery from the Islamic era.

Key archaeological finds in Sinai

An archaeological mission belonging to the Supreme Council of Antiquities
(SCA) announced the discovery of 36 tombs dating back to the pre-history
era. 

Dr. Zahi Hawwas, Secretary-General of SCA said that the mission unearthed
the tombs during an archaeological survey in Ain Hadra and Abul Rdeis,
central Sinai.

Queen's mummy arrives in Cairo

The mummy of Queen Hatshepsut, which was brought from Luxor under the
supervision of a committee from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA),
was discovered in the Valley of Kings at Luxor. The queen's mummy will be
transferred to the Egyptian Museum in down- town Cairo .

SCA to take legal action to retrieve mask
Zahi Hawwas, the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities
(SCA), said a deadline for a US museum' to turn over an ancient mask in its
collection ended Tuesday16/5/2006. 
The mask was stolen and smuggled illegally out of the country. At a press
conference, Hawwas said Egypt's Attorney General office is to take legal
action against the St. Louis Art Museum after having given the museum an
ultimatum to hand over the 19th dynasty (1307-1196 BC) mask of
ka-nefer-nefer. Egypt will also seek the Interpol's aid to help restore the
mummy mask he added. 
Egyptologist Zakaria Goneim excavated the mask in the Saqqara area some 25
Kilometers (16 miles) south of Cairo in 1952 and registered the artifact. 
It depicts a young woman with inlaid glass eyes and a gold- coated face
wearing a wig and holding a wooden amulet in each hand.

Tutankhamen Antiquities Exhibition in US harvest $20M

An exhibition for Tutankhamen monuments was held in the US city of Chicago
on May 21, after a tour by the exhibition of a number of European and
American cities including the Swiss city of Basel and the German city of
Bonn. 

The exhibition, which also moved to Los Angeles and Colorado as part of a
two-year tour ending late next year, would achieve returns estimated at $ 20
million. 

Hawwas said the exhibition returns will be used to renovate Egypt's
monuments and establish museums.

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