- Title: EGYPT: UNESCO pledges to help protect Egypt's ancient treasures
- Date: 15th June 2011
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (JUNE 13, 2011) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) VARIOUS OF EGYPTIAN MUSEUM EXTERIOR VARIOUS DIRECTOR GENERAL OF UNESCO, IRINA BOKOVA ENTERING EGYPTIAN MUSEUM BY, ESCORTED BY DIRECTOR OF EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, TAREK EL-AWADY BOKOVA TOURING ANCIENT EGYPTIAN DISPLAY AT MUSEUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, TAREK EL-AWADY, SHOWING BOKOVA DISPLAY CASE WHERE HE SAYS ROBBERS INJURED THEMSELVES WHEN TRYING TO STEAL ARTEFACTS, SAYING: "So they came and this was broken and this, you can see the blood, this is the blood, which our conservators are able to remove it but it will be removed after…" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, TAREK EL-AWADY, SPEAKING TO BOKOVA, SAYING: "So we got back, until now, the situation is the Egyptian Museum is still missing 31 objects and we were able to repatriate 23 objects of the stolen artefacts and we are preparing now for an exhibition." BOKOVA BEING SHOWN DISPLAY CASE TARGETED BY ROBBERS BOKOVA TOURING DISPLAY HALL (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, TAREK EL-AWADY, SHOWING BOKOVA DISPLAY CASE WHERE HE SAYS ROBBERS INJURED THEMSELVES WHEN TRYING TO STEAL ARTEFACTS, SAYING: "These are really masterpieces. They [the robbers] found that this is stone and alabaster - the left it. They didn't take it and there was a piece of, there was a blood spot on the head." VARIOUS OF BOKOVA BEING SHOWN KING TUT DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF UNESCO, IRINA BOKOVA, SAYING: "Egypt is rich in history, rich in heritage. Egypt is part of this world heritage and part of UNESCO and everything here matters for us. So if I came, I have come here to express not only to pay my respects to this great civilization and culture, to express also our preoccupation and to declare once again that UNESCO is ready to accompany any action on behalf of the government in order to protect this rich heritage. It belongs to the world and that's why I'm here." WIDE OF EL-AWADY TALKING TO BOKOVA (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF UNESCO, IRINA BOKOVA, SAYING: "We have to strengthen the border controls and the police cooperation. We also, I believe, we have to pass the message that it is a long term, heritage is a long term asset for the local communities and for the whole people of Egypt." BOKOVA EXITING MUSEUM
- Embargoed: 30th June 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt, Egypt
- City:
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: International Relations,History
- Reuters ID: LVAA6R1OM14FRA8YTXXG1IGZIP5P
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- Story Text: The head of UNESCO promised that the agency would do all it can to help Egypt protect the country's antiquities, during a visit to the Egyptian Museum on Monday (June 13), where she was shown display cases damaged when robbers raided the museum during the country's recent uprising.
Irinia Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO, the UN agency tasked with promoting cultural, scientific and educational cooperation, was on a two day visit to Egypt to discuss Egypt's efforts to protect its historical sites and museum collections.
Several Pharaonic-era treasures went missing when looters broke into the Egyptian Museum on January 28 at the height of clashes between police and protesters who eventually deposed President Hosni Mubarak.
Thieves also broke into a warehouse near the pyramids of Dahshour, 35 km (22 miles) south of Cairo, striking twice within the span of a few days and taking hundreds of items.
Bokova was given a tour of the museum's famous collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, the most comprehensive in the world, by museum director Tarek El-Awady.
El-Awady showed Bokova several display cases that were broken into during the thefts.
The museum director said that many of the 54 objects stolen from the museum have been recovered.
"So we got back, until now, the situation is the Egyptian Museum is still missing 31 objects and we were able to repatriate 23 objects of the stolen artefacts and we are preparing now for an exhibition," he said.
El-Awady said that the museum is planning an exhibit in which the events that took place during the revolution would be told.
Egypt's antiquities authorities, including its media savvy chief archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, Minister of State for Antiquities, were criticized for their conduct after the thefts, when Hawass did not acknowleged the importance of the stolen objects.
They have since publicized the recovery of several of the stolen objects, including a gilded wooden statue of Tutankhamun, a gilded bronze and wood trumpet and a fan that belonged to the boy king and a small funerary figurine, or ushabti.
Since then antiquities authorities have announced increased security measures at sites across the country.
And museum head El-Awady has said a number of new security measures were now under being studied in order to protect the museum, which is nearly 110 years old, such as sealing the skylights in the museum's dome and ceiling, and making the antiquated showcases more secure.
After her tour, UNESCO head Bokova said the organization was ready to do all it could to help the Egyptian authorities.
"Egypt is rich in history, rich in heritage. Egypt is part of this world heritage and part of UNESCO and everything here matters for us. So if I came, I have come here to express not only to pay my respects to this great civilization and culture, to express also our preoccupation and to declare once again that UNESCO is ready to accompany any action on behalf of the government in order to protect this rich heritage. It belongs to the world and that's why I'm here," she said.
Bokova said that a number of specific measures were needed.
"We have to strengthen the border controls and the police cooperation. We also, I believe, we have to pass the message that it is a long term, heritage is a long term asset for the local communities and for the whole people of Egypt," she said.
The UNSECO head is scheduled to meet with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam El-Sharaf tomorrow on the last day of her visit. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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