Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art to open Friday after two-year closure
2017-01-18
Egypt's Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in downtown Cairo's Bab El-Khalq area is set to open its doors to visitors Friday after two years of closure for restoration and repair. On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail and Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany inaugurated the museum, in a ceremony attended by other top officials. The museum will offer admission to visitors free of charge beginning Friday 20 January, and continuing through Saturday the 28th The UNESCO donated $100,000 for the restoration of the museum’s laboratories, while the Italian government contributed €800,000 to purchase new display cases and provide training courses to the museum’s curators. The American Research Centre in Cairo, in collaboration with the Swiss government, contributed EGP 1 million to restore the museum’s façade. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, as well as the Metropolitan Museums in New York, Germany and Austria assisted with trainings for the MIA's curators and restorers. On Thursday, the museum will host a musical ceremony to celebrate the opening, and allow media in to photograph the new and restored exhibits. Elham Salah, head of the Museums Department at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that the façade, building and halls of the MIA have been restored with state-of-the-art security and lighting systems installed. Some aspects of the layout have changed, he added. The souvenir hall, previously located in the centre of the museum has been moved to the end of the visitors’ path in the museum garden. A hall displaying Islamic coins and weapons has been added, along with a hall for Islamic manuscripts. One hall showcases the daily life of Egyptians throughout the Islamic age, including instruments and children’s toys. MIA Director Ahmed El-Shoki said the artefacts which were "damaged in the explosion, and which have been restored, are integrated into the new displays, but distinguished by a golden label placed beside them. 169 were completely restored while 10 pieces, all carved in glass, were found to be beyond repair. The MIA is home to an exceptional collection of rare woodwork and plaster artefacts, as well as Islamic era metal, ceramic, glass, textile and crystal pieces from all over the world. The museum is housed in a two-story building, with the first floor open to visitors displaying 4,400 artefacts in 25 galleries.
Source: Ahram Online
This is a link to a great blog about a female who is traveling around in Egypt alone which is very worthwhile to read
Nefertari and Seti I tombs to open for public
For many years after specialised restoration and conservation projects in two of the most beautifully decorated tombs of ancient Egypt, Tomb of Seti I (KV17) in the valley of the Kings and tomb of Nefertari (QV66) in the valley of the Queens, were closed for public with exception for private visits for nearly 20 thousand Egyptian pounds (approx. 2000USD) for up to 10 persons.
The ministry of antiquities decided to open the two tombs of the father and wife of Ramses II to public for 1000 Egyptian pounds per person.
The decision is expected to be affective from 1st week of November 2016 as the tourism season usually starts.
Spending 3 days in Luxor before you head east to the amazing Red Sea beaches?
Here is what you should not miss in the capital of Ancient Egypt!
Day 1: Luxor the city. Luxor, Karnak, and Thebes. Consider an adventure in an exotic locale and take a hot air balloon flight!
Day 2: Explore the West bank of Luxor
A comprehensive West Bank Tour. A step back in time to the days of pharaohs, and the grizzly stories of bandits and tomb raiders of Tutankhamen should set your hairs on end.
Day 3: Nile Cruise!
Consider a luxury cruise with private guides on the Nile, truly an unforgettable experience worth writing many a postcard about. Additionally, you could take a car or boat to Dendara from Luxor and see the Temples of Hathor, Isis, and the Coptic Basilica.
Have you tried our FREE Egypt Trip Planner? What are you waiting for!
http://en.egypt.travel/itineraries/
God's tomb discovered in Qurna
Has The Resting Place Of Egypt's Queen Nefertiti Finally Been Discovered?
And it could be just two hidden doorways beyond the final resting place of her alleged son King Tutankhamun...
It’s remained a mystery for centuries.
But a British archaeologist claims he may now know where the body of Egypt’s elusive Queen Nefertiti may lie.
Dr Nicholas Reeves says that he’s uncovered evidence of bricked-up passageways that could lead to her burial chamber.
And, astonishingly, he thinks it could be just two hidden doorways beyond the final resting place of her alleged son King Tutankhamun.
If he is correct, then it means he could have solved one of the most enduring mysteries of ancient Eygpt.
That’s because archaeologists have, for centuries, searched for the chief consort of the pharaoh Akhenaten’s lost burial place.
She died in the 14th Century BC. Reeves, from the University of Arizona, says he came to his conclusion after analysing high-def photos of King Tut’s tomb.
It was found by fellow English researcher Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922.
And he says that his new analysis has revealed “two previously unknown doorways” which could lead to Nefertiti.
Dr Reeves thinks hidden doorways may hold the key (credit: Theban Mapping Project)
Howard Carter (left) at the tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s (credit: REX)
“Cautious evaluation of the Factum Arte scans over the course of several months has yielded results which are beyond intriguing,” he wrote in a report published by the Amarna Royal Tombs Project.
“The implications are extraordinary: for, if digital appearance translates into physical reality, it seems we are now faced not merely with the prospect of a new, Tutankhamun-era storeroom to the west,” he said.
A new complex representing a model of the mythical Tomb of Osiris was discovered in Sheikh Abd el-Gourna, inside the unpublished tomb of Kampp -327-.
The Canarian-Tuscan Archaeological Mission directed by Dr. María Milagros Álvarez Sosa and deputy director Dr. Irene Morfini, in Cooperation with the Ministry of State for Antiquities, holds the concession of two tombs in the Theban area of Sheikh Abd el-Gourna: TT109 (tomb of Min) and Kampp -327- (anonymous tomb).
While the tomb of Min is almost completely unpublished, except for some attempts at drawing plans during the 20th century and a brief article written by Philippe Virey in 1887, tomb Kampp -327- is wholly unpublished. The architecture of this tomb is peculiar, representing a model of the mythical tomb of Osiris, of which the most evident replica known so far is considered the Osireion at Abydos (see plan).
After a transversal hall supported by 5 pillars, a staircase goes down into the bedrock leading to a complex dedicated to the god of the netherworld, Osiris. A statue of Osiris is located in a chapel with a vaulted ceiling in the middle of an intricate structure. In front of the Osiris statue there is a staircase with a shaft cut into it. This shaft goes down for about 9 meters, leading to a room and a second shaft, which is about 6 meters deep, ending in the deepest part of the monument.
Tomb of Pharaonic queen found in Egypt
During the Ramesside Period -- the Nineteenth Dynasty (1314-1200 BC) and Twentieth Dynasty (1200-1085 BC) -- 11 kings were named Rameses. (File photo: AFP)
The tomb of a queen from ancient Egypt’s Ramesside Period has been discovered in Luxor by a joint team of Egyptian and French archaeologists, the antiquities ministry announced Thursday.
“Research is continuing to determine the name of the pharaoh she was married to,” a statement said.
During the Ramesside Period -- the Nineteenth Dynasty (1314-1200 BC) and Twentieth Dynasty (1200-1085 BC) -- 11 kings were named Rameses.
Inside the tomb, archaeologists found fragments from 20 funerary statues on which was inscribed the name “Karomama”, which may help narrow the search.
Finding this vital clue “will help establish more about this important person”, the ministry said.
Luxor, a city of half a million on the banks of the River Nile in the south, is an open-air museum of temples and tombs from ancient Egypt.
Last Update: Friday, 12 December 2014 KSA 07:02 - GMT 04:02
.
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |