By Hassan Saadallah

Executive steps have already been taken towards the construction of the huge museum on the Cairo-Alexandria highway, said Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni.   An Egyptian company is currently preparing a 117 feddan site where the largest museum ever will be established at a total cost of US$550 million.   Despite the substantial cost, finance is no problem - in addition to the Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA) money, international fund-raising campaigns are planned, the first of which is already accompanying the Tutankhamen US exhibition.

The current stage of construction will last four months and will include building a fencing wall, the removal of encroaching structures, the preparation of subways within the site and their provision with lighting.

According to Yasser Mansour, head of the Technical Committee, weekly meetings are held with an advisory team comprised of l4 Egyptians and international bureaux and companies to execute the winning design of Irish architect Shefring.   However, by next month tenders will have been invited to establish a restoration centre, a power station and a fire brigade; all of which will be operative before the completion of the museum premises.   Mansour said that l00,000 artefacts will be extracted from a variety of museums and archaeological sites across the country to be restored and well-stored until the construction of the museum, a process which will take three years.

He went on to say that by mid-October the blueprint of the exhibition halls will be ready.   The design relies on an ingenious idea that allows an individual to see the pyramids of Giza from inside the halls and from all angles.

Simultaneous to the construction of the Giza museum, another huge project is underway: the construction of the National Civilisation Museum at Fustat, south of Cairo.   The first stage of this project is already completed.

As Ayman Abdul Moniem, supervisor of the project explains, the museum is different from the others given that it will display items belonging to all Egyptian cultures from pre-historic until modern times.   The museum is to occupy an area of 25 feddans and is scheduled to be completed in the course of three years with estimated costs of LE200 million.   It is designed to exhibit some 50,000 pieces revealing Egyptian accomplishments in all areas.

The idea of the museum goes back to the early l980s when a competition was organised for designers under the supervision of UNESCO.   The result was announced in l985 and a site at the Gezira grounds was suggested.   However, this area was too small for such a huge project given that it required at least 50,000 metres squared.   The project was therefore postponed until a new site was chosen in Fustat, the old capital of Islamic Egypt.

The building occupies an area of about five feddans only, while the remaining 20 will be used as a garden and for annexed services.   UNESCO was keen to allow a panoramic view of the chosen area so that vision would not be blocked by high rises.

UNESCO takes special interest in the museum since it is all-embracing of Egyptian culture and administers several cultural activities such as movie shows, theatre performances and laboratories.   The display halls have been designed so that the Islamic wing will have as a background the mosque of Amr Ibn Al Ass whereas the Coptic wing will take the nearby Coptic museum as its background.

The first construction stage of the museum has already been completed whereas the second and final phase focuses on interior design.   The items to be displayed have already been chosen and their labels are being prepared.

The museum will not only present artefacts but also other objects that highlight features of the Egyptian civilisation.   It will give an idea about the people who lived on the banks of the Nile, their thoughts and daily life.   For this reason the museum will display objects donated by the Railway Authority and the Ministries of Agriculture and Transportation.

[Source]   The Egyptian Gazette, Egypt, May 26, 2005.

By Hassan Saadallah

The Monastery of Anba Antonius in the East Desert is of worldwide importance given its status as the first monastery ever.   The monastery dates back to the fourth century AD and is currently undergoing a restoration process for which some LE25 million has been allocated.

The founder of the monastery, Saint Antonius, has a long story and a marked role in the foundation of monasticism.   Born in 251AD at a small village in Beni Suef, Antonius grew up to be a pious Christian.   One day while praying in church, he listened to certain lines from the Bible that inspired him to sell his property, divide the money among the poor, and dedicate himself to the worship of God.   During the period of Christian oppression at the hands of Roman Emperor Iclidianus in 311AD, Antonius toured prisons in Alexandria to support prisoners.   When oppression abated, he went out into the desert where he spent twenty years in seclusion.   However, people frequented him asking for advice and help.   In fear of becoming self-conceited, he travelled deeper into the East Desert where he was unknown to anyone.   He travelled in the company of some Bedouins, finally settling in a cavern, eating from nearby palm trees and drinking from a water spring.   To this day, the spring remains the main source of water for monks and visitors to Saint Antonius' monastery.

Because he was granted the gift of healing people by God, he became very famous and as result people came to him from distant places.   However, some of them opted to settle in his neighbourhood and upon their persistence he had to establish a place for them for worship and reside.   This was the first monastery ever.

The restoration of the monastery began four years ago and is now almost half-way complete.   However, because the monastery has several extensions added in later years, the project has classified the existing structures into religious, archaeological and modern religious dwelling places and services structures.   The archaeological part includes the monastery, a mill, an oil press, Anba Morqos Church, The Virgin Church and a fortress. The residence includes the monks' cells and a guest palace which was initially a mere room with an annexed area for cooking.   In the age of Patriarch Kirilus IV, it was converted into a palace comprising four rooms and a hall.

Work on the site has not yet come to an end as some structures in addition to the fencing wall still need restoration, commented Essam Kamel, Director of the Engineering Administration of the SCA.   Excavations are also to be conducted to uncover the extension of the fortress that goes back to the 6th century AD.

The school, modern monks' cells in and outside of the wall, and the dining hall that was used for offering food to Bedouins, which are all classified as non-archaeological, will undergo some changes so that their facades will integrate with the rest of the archaeological structures on site.

[Source]   The Egyptian Gazette, Egypt, May 26, 2005.

£500m redevelopment of former white elephant will include 23,000- seat arena, music hall of fame and exhibition space.

...

The first big show to hit The O2's exhibition centre will be a collection of artefacts found in the tomb of the Egyptian boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun...

[More]   The Guardian, UK, May 26, 2005.