• Tomb of Tutankhamen Conservation Project

    2009-11-24 08:41:46

    Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and the J. Paul Getty Trust announced a new partnership for the conservation and management of the tomb of Tutankhamen, a five-year collaborative effort between the SCA and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI).

    Located in the Valley of the Kings within the World Heritage Site of Ancient Thebes, the tomb of Tutankhamen is perhaps the most famous of Egypt’s Pharaonic tombs. Although it is the smallest of the 26 known royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of this short-lived 18th Dynasty pharaoh was found with its spectacular funerary contents virtually intact on November 4, 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter. The tomb’s extraordinary collection of artifacts – including numerous gold objects – is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and has fascinated museum visitors for decades.

    Today the tomb is among the most heavily visited sites in the Theban necropolis and the large number of visitors may be contributing to the tomb’s physical deterioration. The Tutankhamen project will undertake detailed planning for the conservation and management of the tomb and its wall paintings.

    By comparison with other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamen’s tomb is relatively simple. Of the tomb’s four rooms, only the walls of the burial chamber are decorated.

  • Obama's Visit to Egypt

    2009-07-21 19:19:41

    During US President stay in Cairo where he gave his speech to the world’s Muslims, Barak Obama visited the Sultan Hassan Mosque and toured the great Pyramids of Giza.

    At the Mosque, The U.S. President was accompanied by secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, and guided by Mrs. Iman Abdel Fattah, who explained to Obama and his entourage the Mosques’ history.

    Sultan Hassan Mosque is considered one of the masterpieces of the Mameluk architecture. It is known as the most compact and unified Islamic monument in Cairo. The building was commissioned by Sultan Hassan bin Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun in 1356 AD as a mosque and religious school for all four juristic branches of Sunni Islam. The Construction started in 1356 AD and ended seven years later in 1363 AD. Admiring the mosque’s architecture , Obama exceeded the 30 minutes planned visit duration.

    After delivering his speech to the Islamic world, Obama visited the Great Pyramids of Giza, which he labeled “awe-inspiring”. Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities, accompanied The U.S. President in his tour which took 80 minutes . Hawass guided Obama in and around the pyramids, the sphinx, the solar boat and the tomb of Qar who Hawass described as a well known priest, judge in ancient Egypt. On the wall of the tomb was the hieroglyphic sign “ Hr” engraved in the stone representing a thin man’s head with big ears. Obama noticed the large ears on either side of the face and commented that it looked like him. Obama described the tour as the best experience of his presidency so far.