Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Arabic: وزارة السياحة والآثار, romanized: Wizārat al-Siyāḥah wa-al-Āthār) is the Egyptian government organization which serves to protect and preserve the heritage and ancient history of Egypt. In December 2019 it was merged into the Ministry of Tourism with Khaled al-Anani retaining his function.

Arab Republic of Egypt
Ministry of Antiquities
Emblem of Egypt
Agency overview
JurisdictionGovernment of Egypt
HeadquartersZamalek, Cairo
Agency executive
Child agency
  • Antiquities Repatriation
Websitemota.gov.eg

History

It was formed from the Supreme Council of Antiquities in 2011[1] during the presidency of Hosni Mubarak to deal with the security and theft of Egyptian antiquities.

Grave robbers have been looting ancient Egyptian tombs nearly continuously for well over 4 thousand years.[2] The Ministry of Antiquities works to get the items restored back to Egypt, whenever possible. Over the years, thousands of stolen antiquities have made their way back to Egypt. For instance, in late 2016, the ministry recovered and repatriated two of four Islamic era lamps which had been stolen in 2015.[3] In 2018, a carving in the shape of Osiris which had been hidden in furniture and shipped to Kuwait was repatriated to Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities.[4]

In 2023, the ministry prohibited a group of archaeologists from the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Netherlands from conducting excavations in Saqqara after the museum unveiled an exhibit about ancient Egyptian music that Egyptian authorities criticized for its Afrocentric depictions of certain figures, claiming it was historical negationism.[5]

Projects

From 2009 to 2014, the ministry worked with the Getty Conservation Institute on the management and conservation of the tomb of Tutankhamun.[6]

Past ministers

Duties and goals

In 2016, the minister, Khaled El-Anany, stated his primary focus would be on solving the budget deficit of the ministry, given that many projects were stalled for lack of funding.[13]

See also

References
  1. "A Brief History of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA): 1858 to present". SCA Egypt. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  2. Mueller, Tom (June 2016). "How tomb raiders are stealing our history". National Geographic Magazine.
  3. El-Aref, Nevine (15 December 2016). "Egypt antiquities ministry receives two stolen Islamic-era lamps from UAE". ahram online.
  4. El-Aref, Nevine (10 October 2018). "Egypt receives coffin lid seized at Kuwait International Airport". Ahram Online. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  5. Ebrahim, Nadeen (2023-06-07). "Egypt bans Dutch archaeology team from Saqqara due to museum's 'Afrocentric' exhibition". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  6. "Conservation and Management of the Tomb of Tutankhamen". Getty. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  7. Egyptology: Zahi Hawass confirms resignation, Dan Vergano, USA Today, March 5, 2011
  8. Hawass loyalists call for him to stay on, Nevine El Aref ,Ahram Online, March 6, 2011
  9. Why Dr. Hawass Resigned Archived 2014-12-02 at the Wayback Machine, Zahi Hawass blog, March 6, 2011
  10. "BREAKING: New government swears in". Cairo Post. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  11. "Egypt's new Cabinet: What changed and what didn't?". Mada Masr. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  12. "Who's who: Meet Egypt's 10 new ministers in Sherif Ismail's cabinet". Ahram Online. March 23, 2016.
  13. El-Aref, Nevine (23 Mar 2016). "New Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany vows to tackle budget gaps: Interview". ahram online.
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