An interesting look into how the U.S. became involved in the Nubian temple rescues, emphasising the role of JFK who encouraged Congress to sanction funding to assist with the project.
In his letter to lawmakers, Kennedy asserted that participation in the rescue project would reflect “the interests of the United States” as well as the nation’s interest in ancient Egyptian culture, “from which many of our own cultural traditions have sprung.” He also cited the United States’ “deep friendship for the people who live in the valley of the Nile.”
Congress subsequently agreed to contribute $16 million toward the cost of relocating the antiquities. Endangered sites rescued with American funds included the twin temples at Abu Simbel, originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century B.C., as a monument to him and his queen, Nefertari.
In exchange for the preservation aid, the United Arab Republic — which had been formed by Egypt and Syria in 1958 — and Sudan agreed to let American archaeologists excavate areas outside the Nile Valley and take some Nile Valley treasures back to U.S. museums.
See the above page for the full story.
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