Friday, January 07, 2011

Graffiti vandalism at Abydos

Al Masry Al Youm (Fathya el-Dakhakhni)

With photo.

A group of tourists are believed to have drawn red Stars of David on the walls of the Seti I ruins in the Abydos area of Sohag Governorate. Temple officials said the defacements were new but Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass said they have been there for three decades.

"The fact that the Star is incomplete and unclear proves that it is old and time has erased a part of it," Hawass said after seeing the defacements.

Temple officials are yet to identify the perpetrators, sources said, who added that visitors were denied access to the chamber where the drawings are located. Temple officials attempted to remove the drawings, according to the sources, but instead damaged some of the Pharaonic sculptures in the chamber during the clean-up process.

1 comment:

Amy Calvert said...

I'd have to double-check my images, but I don't believe these stars are really recent. Pretty sure they were on the walls of that chamber (and in the 'slaughterhouse' also) when I photographed it in early 2006. Unhappy to hear about the attempt to remove them that damaged the pharaonic images! Several of the ones in that chamber, including those in the photo, are executed in paint only and would easily be damaged.
Thanks for sharing this, Andie, and for all the great work you do!