Yet more re Hatshepsut

NZHerald.co.uk

If saying her name will truly secure her place in eternity, then Hatshepsut has nothing to worry about. However, I've added this page because it deals not only with the identification of the mummy, but also addresses other issues

A civilisation that flourished more than 3500 years ago still fascinates us. Dr Sabry Khater is well versed in Egyptomania. The head of the Egyptology sector of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities knows the power of our fascination with ancient Egyptian culture and how it helps drive some five million tourists to Egypt each year.

"People get crazy about Egyptology. They like to see more discoveries, more mummies, more gold and treasure. It's like an adventure for them to come to Egypt." . . . .

IN charge of all Pharaonic and Greco-Roman sites, Khater is responsible for both restoration and excavation. His focus today is putting in place management plans that balance the needs of tourists with preservation. Besides flash floods and a rising water table that threatens tombs that have survived 4500 years, his biggest headache is tourists exhaling - specifically inside tombs and temples where their moisture erodes the plaster and paint of murals. That's led to limiting visitor numbers and rotating which tombs are open to the public.

Equally challenging is the eviction of villagers from historic sites. In Gurna on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor - the site of the Theban necropolis - bulldozers moved in last year to start dismantling the houses of about 2000 families living over the tombs.

See the above page for the rest of this three page article.