"If any ancient Egyptian spirits are still with us, then they were gathered at the Cairo Opera House last week when Egyptologists met to celebrate their first official day of tribute.
The grand theatre became a temple for the day, embellished with a noble façade, columns and statues of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and deities. The stage had a special backdrop featuring animated ancient Egyptian workmen carving the title of the gathering: 'The First Day of Archaeologists' on a limestone wall.
Strains of classical music filled the theatre hall as foreign and Egyptian archaeologists were welcomed by Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
From next year on the day will be held annually on 14 January. This is the date when, in 1953, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority (EAA) became an Egyptian-run organisation headed by Mustafa Amer, the first Egyptian archaeologist to oversee Egypt's antiquities."
The grand theatre became a temple for the day, embellished with a noble façade, columns and statues of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and deities. The stage had a special backdrop featuring animated ancient Egyptian workmen carving the title of the gathering: 'The First Day of Archaeologists' on a limestone wall.
Strains of classical music filled the theatre hall as foreign and Egyptian archaeologists were welcomed by Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
From next year on the day will be held annually on 14 January. This is the date when, in 1953, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority (EAA) became an Egyptian-run organisation headed by Mustafa Amer, the first Egyptian archaeologist to oversee Egypt's antiquities."
There is a list of the archaeologists honoured, with a description of the contribution made by each of them. They are: Abdel-Hamid Zayed, Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Tawwab and Ahmed Abdel-Hamid Youssef as well as four deceased archaeologists: Ahmed Pasha Kamal, Selim Pasha Hassan, Mustafa Amer and restorer Ahmed Youssef.
See the above page for the full story.
No comments:
Post a Comment