Egypt's archaeological sites are currently unguarded, and looters have been at work. Concerned Egyptologists and others have started an international petition campaign to call for the restoration of adequate security to the sites, storehouses, monuments and antiquities of Egypt. UNESCO and others have expressed willingness to help, but need an official request from the Egyptian government. Please sign the petition, and also urge the Egyptian transitional government to stop using the Museum as a jail, and to request support from UNESCO.
According to Twitter reports Thursday 3/10, the Egyptian National Museum is being used by the military to detain and almost certainly beat protesters. Now we know why the sites aren't being guarded by soldiers: in Dick Cheney's memorable phrase, they have other priorities. There's so many layers of wrong here, I'm not sure where to begin.
It's not that I'm more concerned about objects than people, but I started to write this after receiving an alert from my Egyptology group, before I read those Twitter reports. I'm not so sure now that whomever's in charge in Egypt cares sufficiently about the people or their shared cultural heritage in either abstract or practical terms (i.e. the economy).
How much has been stolen or destroyed already? Here are just a few examples:
The tomb of the royal scribe Ken Amun in Tell el-Maskhuta, near Ismailia, a beautifully-decorated and significant tomb discovered only last year, now completely destroyed.
http://news.discovery.com/...
Looters cut up and tried to remove the unfinished granite statue of Ramesses II in a quarry at Aswan which had inspired "Ozymandias." http://www.online-literature.com/...
Eloquent Peasant blog refers to today's tweets and has various lists of items reported stolen: http://www.eloquentpeasant.com/
I'm going to be interviewing Egyptologists returned from the field at the American Research Center in Egypt annual meeting in Chicago in a few weeks, and hope to post eyewitness testimony soon after.
Please sign the petition to protect the antiquities, and also urge the Egyptian transitional government to stop using the Museum as a jail, and to request support from UNESCO.
Link to the petition campaign: http://www.gopetition.com/...
Please call or fax if you can.
EGYPTIAN MISSION TO THE UN :
304 East 44th St. New York, NY 10017
TEL: 212.503.0300
FAX: 212.949.5999
EMBASSY OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
3521 International Ct. NW Washington DC 20008
TEL: 202.895.5400
FAX: 202.244.4319
202.244.5131
Email:Embassy@egyptembassy.net
CONSULATE GENERAL OF A.R.E. IN NEW YORK
1110 Second Ave. – Suite 201 New York, NY 10022
EMAIL: EGYPTEG@AOL.COM
TEL: 212.759.7120
FAX: 212.308.7643
CONSULATE GENERAL OF A.R.E IN CHICAGO
500 N. Michigan Ave. – Suite 1900 Chicago, IL 60611
TEL : 312.828.9162
FAX: 312.828.9167
HOUSTON CONSULATE OFFICE
1990 Post Oak Blvd. – Suite 2180 Houston, TX 77056
TEL: 713.961.4915
FAX: 713.961.3868
CONSULATE GENERAL OF A.R.E. IN LOS ANGELES :
4929 WILSHIRE BLVD, SUITE #300
LOS ANGELES CA 90010
EMAIL: EGYPT@EGY2000.COM
TEL: (323) 933-9700
(323) 933-9757
(323)933-1401
FAX: (323)933-9725
PRESS & INFORMATION OFFICE IN SAN FRANCISCO
1255 Post Street – Suite 1034 San Francisco, CA 94109
TEL: 415.346.3427
FAX: 415.346.3420