- Title: Egyptian geologist transforms home into fossil museum
- Date: 21st November 2016
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GEOLOGIST MOHAMED AL-GAZZAR'S HOME SIGN ON WALL READING (Arabic): VILLA AL-GAZZAR COLLECTION OF FOSSILIZED TREES IN GARDEN FOSSILIZED WOOD NEXT TO TREES IN GARDEN STAND IN GARDEN WITH GRANITE STONE MORE OF ROCKS IN GARDEN VARIOUS OF SILICA GLASS ROCKS IN GARDEN AL-GAZZAR WALKING IN GARDEN FOSSILIZED ROCKS AND TREES SEEN IN AL-GAZZAR'S GARDEN FOSSILIZED WOOD IN GARDEN VARIOUS OF FOSSILIZED ROCKS IN GARDEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GEOLOGIST, MOHAMED AL-GAZZAR, SAYING: "How were they collected? Well, honestly a lot of people helped me collect these rocks. Of course, I visited a lot of places in Egypt such as the desert oasis, I visited many places and collected rocks from Abu-Rawaash, I collected rocks from Beni Suef, and Minya. So, when in Egypt I visited a lot of places, and when I first started working in Egypt, I visited the oasis and collected a lot of rocks from there, I have been collecting rocks my whole life." AL-GAZZAR IN HIS GARDEN AL-GAZZAR INSPECTING FOSSILIZED ROCK VARIOUS OF FOSSILIZED TREES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GEOLOGIST, MOHAMED AL-GAZZAR, SAYING: "I can determine the age from the places which I gathered these rocks. The oldest fossil I have is around 570 million years old, someone sent it to me from abroad, and its called the Trilobite, this is the oldest. But the rest of the rocks I own date back around 200 million years. The fossilized wood and palm trees are around 35 million or 28 million years old." VARIOUS OF ROCKS MANGANESE STONE ON TABLE IN GARDEN VARIOUS OF ROCKS AND STONE ON TABLE IN GARDEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GEOLOGIST, MOHAMED AL-GAZZAR, SAYING: "All of the rocks that I have here are natural, there has been no interference of man in their making. But I wanted to make a comparison between the art of nature and the art of humans and this is why I put several stone statues to show the difference between the two. It is very apparent, how nature's art is much stronger than human (art)." VARIOUS OF MAN-MADE STATUES IN AL-GAZZAR'S GARDEN EXTERIOR OF AL-GAZZAR'S GARDEN
- Embargoed: 6th December 2016 10:02
- Keywords: fossils museum collector geologist Cairo Egypt
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA00159DXQAD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In the sprawling garden of Egyptian geologist Mohamed al-Gazzar's home are preserved remains of plants and animal species -- that existed millions of years ago.
The 70-year old scientist has been collecting rocks, fossils and minerals for decades and he showcases his findings in his Cairo home.
The items on show here were mostly collect by al-Gazzar on research trips.
And now his home is open to the public for all to see.
Al-Gazzar said he was inspired to transform his villa into a museum upon visiting similar sites in Mexico, Brazil and Russia.
''Well, honestly a lot of people helped me collect these rocks. Of course, I visited a lot of places in Egypt such as the desert oasis, I visited many places and collected rocks from Abu-Rawaash, I collected rocks from Beni Suef, and Minya. So, when in Egypt I visited a lot of places, and when I first started working in Egypt, I visited the oasis and collected a lot of rocks from there,'' said al-Gazzar.
Among his most prized possessions is a Trilobite, an extinct marine arthropod.
"I can determine the age from the places which I gathered these rocks. The oldest fossil I have is around 570 million years old, someone sent it to me from abroad, and its called the Trilobite, this is the oldest. But the rest of the rocks I own date back around 200 million years. The fossilized wood and palm trees are around 35 million or 28 million years old,'' said al-Gazzar.
Al-Gazzar graduated from Cairo University and furthered his geology studies in New York. He provides free tours at his villa where he educates people on his vast collection.
He says he wants his home to be an 'educational destination' and so far locals as well as foreign visitors have all attended tours here.
There are more than 500 items in the geologist's collection, and he hopes for it to continue to grow, as he studies the land and seeks out more rock samples and fossils from upcoming trips.
With the opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in 2017, the geologist hopes there will be a dedicated department for fossilized materials, that will showcase Egypt's rich heritage. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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