Saturday, January 29, 2011

News on protests from the American Research Centre in Egypt (thanks Owen)

Thanks to Owen Jarus for sending me this link on his Unreported Heritage blog. Owen has interviewed Dr. Gerry Scott, the director of ARCE, who is in Cairo right now. Here's an exerpt but see Owen's page for the full interview synopsis:

The lack of communications, and the fact that the unrest has left him stuck in his apartment, has limited Dr. Scott’s ability to get a sense of how this crisis is affecting Egypt’s antiquities.

The fact that it’s the weekend means that the Supreme Council of Antiquities staff, in Cairo, is off work.

As far as he knows Zahi Hawass is still in charge of the council and he was not forced to resign even though he is a vice-minister. “What I have heard at this point is that it’s the cabinet that has resigned, I haven’t heard about people who are lower in office,” said Scott.

Furthermore the council still appears to be operational, at least on some level.

Scott said that he has been in contact with his staff in Luxor, where ARCE has several conservation and research projects that are ongoing. In that ancient city the council staff “advised not to work at the east bank at the site today (while) US and international teams were allowed to go out to their sites on the west bank.”


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