Hassan Saadallah

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni has approved a proposal to construct a 20 metre long mini-replica of the 3km long Rams Road that connects the Luxor and Karnak temples. The replica will be built in Luxor on the Nile's eastern bank.

The Rams Road is an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes leading from the Luxor Temple to the Great Temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak. With the ram being the symbol of fertility for the ancient Egyptians, the spirit of Amun-Ra is supposed to dwell in the ram-headed sphinx.

Apart from the ram-deities Khnum, Harsaphes [Heryshaf] and Amon, actual rams were once worshipped in many cities in recognition of their strength, virility and energy.

In another development, Minister Hosni announced that a huge project would be carried out to flood el-Bar el-Gharbi (the West Bank of the Nile) with light during nighttimes. While the temples and statues of the West Bank would be illuminated, the mountain area in particular would be lit up. This would enable tourists to enjoy the sight of "an open-air antiquity panorama at night," noted Hosni.

"The light project will open the door for more tourists to visit the site at night, many of whom will find it far too hot to visit during the burning heat of the day, especially during the summer months. This will also be important for the 2000 to 3000 people who come to Luxor daily on a one-day visit," Hosni said.

Rams Road replica for Luxor, Egyptian Gazette, Egypt, August 11, 2005.

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni agreed to allow an Egyptian-Polish mission to exacavate Amenhotep I tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

Amenhotep I tomb to be excavated, State Information Service, Egypt, August 10, 2005.

It wasn't exactly what Jonathan and Mary Brown were expecting.   The British couple were shocked by their first visit to the old Egyptian Museum, set in the heart of Cairo's busiest downtown square.

"It breaks my heart seeing the monuments kept that way," said Jonathan Brown, a retired real estate investor.   "I got into the museum and didn't know which way to go.   I couldn't find user-friendly maps, no illustrations.   It's also very noisy here.   I felt I was at a circus, not a museum."

When the Egyptian Museum was built about 100 years ago, it was host to only 10,000 artifacts.   The architecture was French colonial, with a lush, cozy garden and a Nile view.

Today, the museum is surrounded by a concrete jungle of overpasses, skyscrapers, five-star hotels and an endless stream of cars...

Visitors tut-tut over Cairo museum's condition, Indianapolis Star, Indiana, USA, August 10, 2005.