Current Article

Looters And Vandals Break Into The Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities In Cairo

By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on January 30, 2011 at 6:00 PM in Crime, Current Affairs, Egypt, Governance

As the riots continue to rage in Cairo, and other parts of Egypt, one of their targets was the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (aka, Cairo National Museum):

I had the opportunity to go to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities back in April, 2009 (I still have my ticket stub, too. It is beautiful.). It is an incredible building in and of itself, but it is what is contained inside that is just breath-taking. This sphinx stands guard:

This museum is jam-packed with antiquities, the likes of which many of us, myself included, have only read about in history books, or seen on television. One could literally spend months in there, and not see it all.

One of the most amazing exhibits contained within this museum is the complete burial chamber of King Tutankhamun. The entire thing is there. Think of a rectangular nesting doll, with the largest one as large as a good-size room. Each one contained artifacts of tremendous value, and each one was set apart. One room alone was dedicated to the jewelry and riches contained within the burial chamber, including this famous image:

Below is a shot of the Entry to the Burial Chamber:

The following is the actual coffin for King Tut:

All of this, and so much more – more than you can possibly imagine – are housed in this museum in Cairo (unfortunately, cameras were NOT allowed inside the museum, so I am unable to show you any personal photographs of the National Museum). That this unbelievable treasure – the entire museum, that is – had been unguarded is shocking. While the looters may not have gotten away with much, it is a shame they ever had the opportunity to even gain access to this museum at all. Sadly, the vandals did do some damage to these ancient artifacts.

Thank heavens there are some Egyptians who stepped in to protect their national, global, antiquities. Who knows what could have been had they not done so, and had armed guards not finally been called in? I am grateful that we do not have to find that out.

And while I cannot show you what was inside, I can show you that I was there (I do hope guards are protecting the Pyramids and the Sphinx):

To say this is a disturbing time in Egypt is an understatement. Curfews continue to be ignored, tanks are rolling into the city of Cairo, and protests continue to rage. But for now, while the future for this country is uncertain, at least the history is safe…

carol haka, not your average Matzo Cracker

Egypt is the one place I have always wanted to go. Too afraid of the violence though.

OT Mother is doing great. No news on the job search.

Oh wait, maybe I won the Powerball last night!

I will check.

:*
carol haka, not your average Matzo Cracker

You look good RRRA!
greenlantern

This reminds me of the looting and destruction to the antiquities in Bagdad during that war. It made me wonder, in both instances, if outside elements, not so devoted to the country, were a big part of the unrest. There are so many reports about the The Brotherhood of Islaam infiltrating the protests in Egypt and Islaam’s active aggression towards any culture but their own has a history of the destruction of other culture’s icons.
greenlantern

On a lighter note, your fine picture atop a huge camel, brought to mind Margaret Cho’s story of her mother’s camel ride: “They push me on the camel!!” Here it is from about minute 2 to 6.
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Thanks, Carol! The wind was blowing like crazy, and I have to say, the Pyramids are larger than you can possibly imagine. It was breath-taking. Unfortunately, one could pause for just a second before people would surround me trying to sell me something (and if they could get you to take it in your hand, it was yours, as far as they were concerned).

And yes, there is good reason to be concerned abt the violence. Our tour had an armed guard, and let me tell you, he would swoop in fast when people would start bothering us.

One other thing abt the Pyramids – they are not out in the desert like what you have seen in the movies. They ARE in the desert, but the city backs right up to them now. It was a surprise to me (oh, and “Sahara” means desert, so when we say Saharan Desert, we are being redundant).
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Great point, GL, abt the antiquities and who is stirring the pot. I, too, had thought of Baghdad when I heard abt the museum in Cairo.

It does make one wonder what the Brotherhood is up to there, doesn’t it?

And thanks for the M. Cho video. I have to admit, as soon as I thought of King Tut, I got the Steve Martin song stuck in my head:
Diana L. C.

HILARIOUS!!!
SeriouslySickOfObama

RRRA, I was worried about the history of Egypt and the beauty that is stored in those museums. I feared the worst and I pray that somehow they can lock down the treasures of that country so these pieces of precious history are not lost forever or melted down to be sold. It is a disgrace!!

O/T-How is the home DIY going? Did you hit the OMG button, yet of unexpected expenses, LOL, that is where I lost my mind in our DIY projects!!
West Virginia

My wife just told me she just heard that the vandals emptied the gift shop. Just proves that criminals are stupid. “Look Ma. I got myself a real live sphinx here. Did you know they were actually made in China? Wonder how they got them here?”

RRRA. So, did Suzie take that photo from atop another camel?
Diana L. C.

greenlantern, I have to disagree with you about “outside elements.” You’re making the same mistake ultra progressives make about the “goodness of the people.” While I have to still agree with Anne Frank that people are basically good–witness the Egyptian people who stepped up to protect the museum–I am also reminded of a small book our education professors gave us to read as we were ready to graduate with teaching credentials in our other hand. We were of an idealistic bent, otherwise why go into what was then a terribly low paying field (no so much now). We were going in with all those images from To Sir with Love and Up the Down Staircase, for example. We were going to save the world with our devotion to our teaching the students we would have.

I can’t even remember the title of the little book, but basically the message was: Be forwarned: for all the next generation of astronauts, congressmen, nurses, doctors, firefighters, etc., who will be in your classrooms, you will also have the next generation of serial killers, thieves, robber barons, and other such low life—and, quite frankly, most of the time, you are not going to be able to magically change their ways.

In EVERY society those people exist. There are many I remember from my days of teaching who would think nothing of vandalizing our own museums.
Texas Playwright

Such an amazing history–I pray the Egyptian people can protect their lives and their cultural artifacts. I pray the same for all us here in America.
Diana L. C.

I was not only reminded of Bahgdad, but of Katrina–my point being that one could have easily guessed the looting would occur.
helenk

Last week on TV there a an old film with Burt Lancaster called
The Train.
It was based on a true story of how toward the end of WW2 the nazis were shipping paintings and other art out of France and into Germany.
The French underground worked with the allies to keep the train from leaving the country.
There will be people in Egypt who will do all they can to keep priceless history from being destroyed. They will be everyday people who do understand the value.

I still believe that if the USA was in the same situation people of all colors, political parties, national orgins would do everything within their power to protect our history
The Declaration of Independence, The Liberty Bell, the Constitiution, the Articles of Confederation and other pieces of our history and what we base the country upon.

WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS

PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE CHATTERING PEOPLE RULE
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Excellent point abt Katrina, Diana. And yes, this could have been predicted from a number of previous events, but certainly Baghdad comes to mind just because of the age/scope of the antiquities involved. Good comment.
Diana L. C.

RRRA,

I am sooo very jealous of your trip to Egypt. We had the Ramses exhibit here in Denver years ago. Marvelous! And just a few weeks ago I went to the Tut exhibit in the new wing of our art museum. (The exhibit was designed by the man speaking in your first vido–always forget his name–whom I watch all the time on the International History channel when there is a show on Egypt.

But going to the museum in Cairo–what an experience. I got to spend an entire day in the museum in Athens and also in the three buildings of the history museums of Istanbul (which are very near Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia, etc. The time I had was NOT enough for those places. I also visited the museum at Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Santorini. We have hundreds of photos.

When one of my closest friends from high school and his wife were planning a trip that would take them to Egypt this last October, they asked my advice about arranging their trip. They were so grateful because they took my advice and were able to see far more of the museum (and take the camel rides) while the rest of their tour group had only limited time.

We’re still trying to find time to get together so I can see all their photos and they can see mine.

I cried in the lobby of the Met the one time (so far) that I was able to go there. I had only the afternoon and realized all that I was not going to be able to see.

I keep reminding myself of Shelley’s “Ozymandias” and know that all things pass, but I do love antiquities–so I try more to think of Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn.”

(And before oowawa can chime in, I must say that NO I do not owe anything on a Grecian Urn and I don’t know how much a Grecian [sic] earns. ).
Breeze

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FROM THE CURRENT OPEN THREAD:

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Egyptian Army Storms Museum To Protect It From Looters


Maggie Hyde And
Maggie Michael,
Associated Press
CAIRO

– Would-be looters broke into Cairo’s famed Egyptian Museum, ripping the heads off two mummies and damaging about 10 small artifacts before being caught and detained by army soldiers, Egypt’s antiquities chief said Saturday.

Zahi Hawass said the vandals did not manage to steal any of the museum’s antiquities, and that the prized collection was now safe and under military guard.
With mass anti-government protests still roiling the country and unleashing chaos on the streets, fears that looters could target other ancient treasures at sites across the country prompted the military to dispatch armored personnel carriers and troops to the Pyramids of Giza, the temple city of Luxor and other key archaeological monuments.

Hawass said now that the Egyptian Museum’s collection is secure from thieves, the greatest threat to the collection inside is posed by the torched ruling party headquarters building next door.

“What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum,” Hawass said as he watched fire trucks spray water on the still smoldering NDP headquarters.

The museum, which is home to the gold mask of King Tutankhamun that draws millions of tourists a year, also houses thousands of artifacts spanning the full sweep of Egypt’s rich pharaonic history.

“It is the great repository of Egyptian art. It is the treasure chest, the finest sculptures and treasures from literally 4,000 years of history,” said Thomas Campbell, the director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art by telephone. “If it is damaged through looting or fire, it would be a loss to all humankind.”
The museum is located near some of the most intense of the mass anti-government protests sweeping the capital, and Egyptian army commandoes secured the building and its grounds early Saturday morning.

Before the army arrived, young Egyptians — some armed with truncheons grabbed off the police — created a human chain at the museum’s front gate to prevent looters from making off with any of its priceless artifacts.

“They managed to stop them,” Hawass said. He added that the would-be looters only vandalized two mummies, ripping their heads off. They also cleared out the museum gift shop.

The prized King Tutankhamun exhibit had not been damaged and was safe, he said.

An Associated Press Television News crew that was allowed into the museum saw two vandalized mummies and at least 10 small artifacts that had been taken out of their glass cases and damaged.

Fears of looters have prompted authorities elsewhere to take precautions to secure antiquities at other sites.

The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo to tourists, and armored personnel carriers could be seen outside the famed archaeological site.
greenlantern

Great comments, DLC, and yes, I agree, there are good and bad elements in all groups. My point is that there are outside forces, such as Iran in Iraq and the Brotherhood of Islaam and their affiliates, who have an aggressive agenda to see the imposition of tyrannical caliphates in these countries and topple the ones who are supportive of the US and Israel. I think there is method in this madness.
Breeze

-
CONTINUED

Archaeologist Kent Weeks, who is in the southern temple town of Luxor, said that rumors that attacks were planned against monuments prompted authorities to erect barriers and guard Karnak Temple while tanks were positioned around Luxor’s museum.

Sharon Herbert, director of the Kelsey Museum at the University of Michigan, which is home to a collection of Egyptian artifacts, said any looting or damage at Egypt’s museums would be a tragedy.

“Anything can happen when crowds get out of control,” Herbert said. “You’re hard put to put any monetary price on these things. They’re priceless. They’re parts of the whole world heritage that can’t be replaced.”
Diana L. C.

helenk, I am not disagreeing with you–there will be both types of people. My point was basically that it is not always “outside elements” that do this sort of thing.
Breeze

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Great Merciful Zeus: Looters attempted to raid Egyptian Museum during chaos in Cairo

Posted by kevindujan
01 Hillbuzz.org

There’s a TV show on SyFy or one of those other networks called “Warehouse 13″, about a massive storehouse of the world’s most interesting and often magical antiquities. The show’s based on a premise that there was a “warehouse” in every great epoch of history, where treasures were secured from looters and political instability. Once an empire or nation fell, or was on the verge of collapse, a new “warehouse” would be built in another part of the world, wherever the balance of power shifted. The current “warehouse” is in the United States, hidden away in a nondescript building that’s supposedly an IRS file storage facility.

Egypt’s actually building an impressive new museum in part of the Giza pyramids complex that will be much more secure than the current Cairo museum, and much larger too. It will be a massive warehouse for all the Egyptian antiquities currently scattered around the country or hidden in government basements because there’s no display room.

However, it’s still frightening to think of all these treasures — which belong to a culture now gone, usurped by Islam long ago — precariously kept anywhere in a country that could descend into the chaos it’s facing right now.

Or, worse, if Egypt goes the way of Iran or Taliban-held Afghanistan, and is taken over by a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy, then what would happen to all these treasures if the Islamists decide one day to destroy them all — the way the Ayatollahs destroyed Persian relics and the Talbian smashed Buddhas in Afghanistan because they were not Islamic.

Looters actually attempted to break into the Cairo museum during the chaos that’s overtaking Egypt. The army stopped them.

This time.

Another show that’s been on the air recently is “The Walking Dead”, where the world is overrun by zombies and major cities are besieged by these mindless killers who pour across bridges, through tight streets, and descend upon all in their path hungry for blood, guts, and destruction.

That’s what shots of all these Muslim Brotherhood revolutionaries remind me of, especially in scenes where they’re pushing towards buildings, trying to get in, to kill everyone inside in the name of Allah.

Zombies hitting the streets, with the army stepping in to protect mummies from them.

Reality is stranger than fiction sometimes.
Talk2ThePaw

I have faith that Dr. Zahi Awass has now made sure that all tombs, pyramids and museums have adequate protection now. Preserving Egypt’s and the worlds history is his lifes work. Not to mention that he has great powers in Egypt. Even if it is done by volunteers, thousands of whom follow and admire him, these antiquites will be preserved and fought for to the death. And I pray it does not come to that.
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Amen to that, SSoB…

As for the OT, the logs for the garage are being delivered tomorrow. We had a major hiccup on Fri. with the outsourced County Inspector, which messed up getting our footings poured (with the concrete trucks on the way). That set us back a few days…

WVA, lol – no, but I do have some of her on a camel, too! I have to say, camels are TALL. And when they stand up, they pitch you forward first. You really have to hang on for dear life!

And OMG abt the gift shop, but all things considered, it could have been so much worse…
+

Amy,

I am surprised you did not find a way to blame the looting on Obama. I am sure that is coming.
Talk2ThePaw

I have faith that Dr. Zahi Hawass has now made sure that all tombs, pyramids and museums have adequate protection now. Preserving Egypt’s and the worlds history is his lifes work. Not to mention that he has great powers in Egypt. Even if it is done by volunteers, thousands of whom follow and admire him, these antiquites will be preserved and fought for to the death. And I pray it does not come to that.
Breeze

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t2tP -

Well said - it is so.
Diana L. C.

And I am also wary of such elements and certain they will soon make themselves apparent in all of this. Very frightening times right now.
candymarl red bone cracker

I had a vision and in it saw Obama personally try to spirit away some of the treasures at the museum.

Really. Trust me.
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Hey, Diana -

The Athens Museum is amazing, too – wow! That was one of our stops, as well. Rather than go with the cruise tour, we hired a taxi (recommended through Cruise Critic) . Our taxi driver was fantastic, and was contantly giving us pop quizzes to see if we were retaining the info he was telling us. And the museum was a stop the cruise people didn’t get (as well as taking us to see the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace).

Anyway, it is an amazing place. I could have used way more time there, as well.

Ah, the Met – one of the great things abt living in NYC when I was in grad school was being able to go to the museums (not to mention the few musicals I got to see – poor grad student after all – and the opera).

I am so glad you were able to see the King Tut exhibit – isn’t it incredible??? Wow…
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

I certainly hope you are right, T2TP – they really are the world’s treasures. The Pyramids and the Sphinx truly are the top wonders of the world.

And yes, I hope they will be protected without the shedding of blood…
Diana L. C.

candymarl red bone cracker,

I flagged our mathematically challenged commenter who can’t write in complete equations But I like your comment better. I bet he also left little recordings of his many amazing speeches in trade.
Diana L. C.

Oh, NO!!! I just had an Ah Ha moment. I bet if you had given your vision more time it would have also shown your that it was MEchelle in the gift shop doing the looting. She got so much practice when Prime Minister Brown and his wife came to visit.
candymarl red bone cracker

Was that before or after she flew on her broom to Japan to acquire Kobe beef?

I feel another vision coming on!
oowawa

(I do hope guards are protecting the Pyramids and the Sphinx)

Here’s the Jihadist’s wet dream, Rev. Amy: Islam destroys Israel and the Jews are taken into bondage and forced to deconstruct the pyramids…
oowawa

Diana, I’m totally shocked that you thought I might chime in with something smarty-pants! Instead I’m just going to offer this beautiful song that Rev. Amy must have thought of at least once during her trip to Egypt . . .
oowawa

Gee, do you suppose King Barack might have had a pyramid built in his honor if he had been a King of Ancient Egypt? Reincarnation? King Tut . . .

“Now when he was a young man,
He never thought he’d see
People stand in line just to see the boy king . . . ”
Cindy

LOL OOWAWA!!!
Cindy

Rev. Amy—Love that picture—-lucky you! I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt….but of course, not now.

And look at the positive (but morbid) side of the looting—-maybe the looters will inherit the curse that plagued (and killed) Lord Carnarvon, et al.
Just a thought!
Cindy

Rev. Amy—Love that picture—-lucky you! I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt….but of course, not now.

And look at the “historic” side of the looting—-maybe the looters will inherit the curse that plagued Lord Carnarvon, et al. (not meaning harm to anyone, but I’d be superstitious if i were a looter!)
Agent X

Egypt is a part of all of us on this rock. A loss there is a loss for all of mankind…
greenlantern

oowawa, great song! Also covered by this awesome singer, so re-cline and listen again:
oowawa

Loved Patsy Cline–thanks GL–also love the original hit version by Jo Stafford–what a singer she was!
oowawa

LOL–Yep Cindy, I’ve seen enough Mummy movies to make me cautious! Also, I think the guys guarding the antiquities better be on the lookout for someone who looks like this:
greenlantern

Holy moly, oowawa, you weren’t kidding. I am not familiar with Ms. Stafford, but I will be. Wow, the voice and the phrasing! I wouldn’t be surprised to find she was attached to an air compressor.
greenlantern

Wow oowawa! You wren’t kidding! I am not familiar with Ms. Stafford, but I will be. It sounds like Patsy was inspired by her. The voice and the phrasing are very impressive. Reminds me of Sinatra’s phrasing, like they have a back-up air compressor or something to help them.
helenk

Isn’t she great? Get to listen and enjoy more of her music.

WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS

PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALIST AND THOSE CHATTERING PEOPLE RULE
Cindy

oowawa——-har har! Thanks for the reminder about Dr. Jones.
I’ve got a Fedora exactly like that one. I’ll keep it by the front door just in case the looters change venues…… and come to Texas!
helenk

right now on TV there are playing The Lost Valentine. Background music from WW2 including Jo Stafford, the Mills Bros and many great songs.
This music still sounds great today The funny part is I stilll remember most of the words. The songs were still popular in the 50s along with the beginning of rock and roll. They were played at neighborhood dances and the teenagers all danced to them.
creeper

Yes she does, Carol. That camel is very becoming.

You know how you form mental pictures of people you’ve never seen but “know” well from correspondence or phone conversations? And most of the time people don’t look anything like you thought they would? Not this time. Amy, you look exactly like I had you pictured, right down to the curly brunette hair and warm smile.

Thank you so much for posting that picture. How nice to see you.
creeper

Carol, at your last interview did they give you any idea when they expected to make a decision? This is getting nerve-wracking, even from a thousand miles away.
creeper

Hey, oowawa….

{SMOOCH!}

That’s for Lazarus. I’m loving that text recovery program.
creeper

I’m on the fence with this issue but a few questions occur to me…

1. Wouldn’t the markets be an easier target for looters than a museum with guards and locked display cases?
2. Isn’t a big-screen TV easier to fence and of more use than a rare antiquity?
3. Why the vandalism?

We need to know more about the “who” in this case. Then maybe we can understand the “why”.
kenoshamarge

+ Yawn, flag, swat!
kenoshamarge

A fact a lot of us forget. After all the “cradle of civilization” is not in North America. Much to the chagrin of all those who see nothing worthwhile outside our borders.
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

Ah, that is so sweet of you, Creeper! Thank you! (And yes, I know exactly what you mean abt having a mental image of people.)

Okay, here is one of me in my robe taken this past summer after conducting a wedding:
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

LOL – great song, oowawa! I love that song! Perfect, just perfect!
Sassy

Reverend Amy, I think of you each time we stop at our hamburger place for lunch.
There is a lady there each time on her break from the nearby Conference Center. She always has two Bibles and stacks of note pads. So far, we have only smiled and nodded, but soon I plan to approach her to see if she is a Divinty student or simply devoted to Bible study.
oowawa

LOL Cindy–I think the looters have already pretty well cleaned out the Alamo . . .
Sassy

I’m uncertain about my sources…documentaries, novels, or news reports…but I believe, at least for periods of time, that grave-robbers and the black market trading of ancient relics were a serious issue in Egypt.
That may have been remedied in more recent times.
carol haka, not your average Matzo Cracker

Within the next couple of weeks.

Training starts 1st of March.

Fingers Crossed.

My Mother miraculously can now hear without me having to scream at the top of my lungs even when she is wearing a hearing aide.
My, My ………. what a study flow of oxygen to the brain can do for a person!
Cindy

Rev. Amy—-what a sweet, happy picture!
~~JustMe~~

Fingers and toes crossed here for ya!
Diana L. C.

Love Warehouse 13 but I have never been able to watch zombie shows since the first Night of the Living Dead came out, and the same goes for vampire shows. They just make me so frightened. It all started with The Exocist. I don’t want to open my mind for them so that they can come in.
Rabble Rouser Rev. Amy

That is so sweet, Sassy! Yes, you should ask her. I bet she’d be delighted to engage you in conversation.

Thanks, Cindy – it was a wedding for two dear friends, who also happen to be pretty funny!
carol haka, not your average Matzo Cracker

……………. steady flow of oxygen ……..

I need some.
Anonymous

We know that museum is so useful for storage the antique items which seen rarely. It is good that Loosters and Vandals break in to the museum of Egyptian antiquities in Cairo.

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