Around 1479 B.C. King Hatshepsut guided Egypt through 20 years of peace, prosperity, and artistic expression.

But there's a twist: Hatshepsut was a woman.

She's the most significant female ruler in ancient Egypt," said Catharine Roehrig, an Egyptologist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Some of the fruits of Hatshepsut's prosperous reign — statues, jewellery, papyrus, and more — make up a recently opened travelling exhibition at the Met through July 9 [2006]...

Egyptian "Female King" Gets Royal Treatment, National Geographic News, District of Columbia, USA, April 10, 2006.

After opening on December 15, 2005, "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," sponsored by Northern Trust at the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale (MoA | FL), has made its mark on the city by bringing in an estimated $150 million in revenue. With high demand for tickets during the exhibit's final days in Florida, additional viewing times up to 10 p.m. have been added on Friday and Saturday nights for the final two weekends before it closes on April 23 [2006]. The exhibit is organized by National Geographic, AEG Exhibitions and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, and is sponsored locally by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.

With more than 640,000 tickets sold to date, the entire state of Florida has been abuzz with tourists coming to see the exhibition, helping boost Florida's profile as a cultural destination. Approximately one-third of tickets sold to the exhibition came from outside the tri-county area, and six of the top-performing zip codes in terms of ticket sales came from outside the state of Florida. Tut hotel packages brought in more than $1 million in room night revenue alone.

"It has been a tremendous honour for Florida to host the 'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs' exhibition, and we are thrilled its hours have been extended to give even more visitors a chance to experience this awe-inspiring collection...

'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs' Brings an Estimated $150 Million to Fort Lauderdale During Its Four-Month Run, PRNewswire via Yahoo! Finance, USA, April 11, 2006.

The restoration effort will concentrate on the neck and chest of the Sphinx which have been eroded over time by the desert winds, according to Dr. Zahi Hawass, director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Reuters, UK, April 11, 2006.

This is Lou Dobbs reporting from Goshen with breaking news:

My sources tell me that a small, neoconservative cabal has given the Israelites orders to leave Egypt tonight after negotiations with the authorities broke down.

Just how great an exodus Moses Amramson and his brother, Aaron, will be able to produce remains to be seen. It's not clear if the Israelites could gain admission or find jobs in any other country, while here they've been gainfully employed doing the jobs that Egyptians won't do.

These illegal aliens seem to have put down roots in Goshen generations ago when the fabled Joseph Israelson appeared at court, where he would rise to the position of grand vizier and head of the Federal Grain Reserve. It was said at the time he could interpret dreams, but that may be only hearsay...

And now, live from Egypt ..., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, USA, April 12, 2006.

Sky TV, UK, are trailing the Hallmark Entertainment film "The Curse of King Tut's Tomb".

Epic adventure starring Casper Van Dien [Starship Troopers]. An archaeologist searches for secrets about the life and death of Tutankhamen. But does he know the power of the mystery he hopes to reveal?

Showing times: Sky One - Monday 17^th 20:00, Friday 21^st 21:00, and Monday 24^th 20:30. 1 hour 50 minutes.

The Curse of King Tut's Tomb, IMDB.

cf. Previously blogged here Hollywood Actors Play King Tut's Discovery, October 04, 2005.

The 1600 year-old Gospel of Judas scrolls are to be returned to Egypt after 36 years abroad, Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosni announced on Wednesday.

The 13 papyrus scrolls, dating back to the 3rd or 4th century, are written in ancient Coptic and wrapped in a thick leather covering, according to the head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, Zahi Hawass.

The scrolls of the Gospel of Judas, also known as the Lost Gospel, were trafficked out of Egypt in the 1970s after being unearthed in the desert in the southern province of Minya by an Egyptian peasant...

Gospel of Judas scrolls to return to Egypt, Monster & Critics, UK, April 12, 2006.

An exhibition of approximately 30 pieces of photography and coloured pencil drawings will be on display at Spoon River College from Wednesday, April 12 through Friday April 21 [2006].

The works belong to SRC instructors Scott and Tracy Snowman who travelled to Egypt in January of 2005. The Snowmans' travelled with a group of about 40 Americans, which included their children Taylor (age 13) and Jake (age 11). The trip included a cruise down the Nile as well as a comprehensive tour of Cairo.

The goal of the exhibition is to illustrate the beauty of the Egyptian culture. Ancient monuments and modern life are all represented in the show. Both artists have over 20 years of experience with fine art and photography...

SRC exhibition to highlight Egypt, The Canton Daily Ledger, Illinois, USA, April 10, 2006.

The Airbus A300-600ST, the aircraft manufacturer’s Super Transporter, which is also known as “Beluga”, supports the exhibition “Egypt’s Sunken Treasures” by carrying some of the artefacts from Egypt to European destinations. “Egypt’s Sunken Treasures” will exhibit 500 artefacts of Egyptian history of the period 700 BC to 800 AD, which have been buried in the Mediterranean for more than 1000 years. They were discovered off the coast of Alexandria and in the bay of Abukir by the archaeologist Franck Goddio over the last ten years.

On 10th April, three colossal statues — representing God Hapy as well as a king and a queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty — and approximately 40 boxes with smaller pieces were loaded on board one of Airbus’ “Belugas” in Alexandria, Egypt. The three Colossal Statues all have a height of about five meters and weigh 5.5 tonnes each...

Airbus Super Transporter supports ‘Egypt’s Sunken Treasures’ expo, Strategiy.com, United Arab Emirates, April 12, 2006.

Some 669,000 tourists visited Egypt in February with an increase of 4.5%, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.

Tourist nights reached up to five million with a slight decrease of 2.4% from last year.

European tourists came first with 71.3% followed by the nationals of Middle East countries with 16.18%.

Arabs made up some one million tourist nights with an increase of 4.6%.

More tourists visit Egypt in February, State Information Service, Egypt, April 11, 2006.

The world's biggest Airbus plane left Cairo Monday night, carrying some 330 sunken monuments retrieved from the Mediterranean in Alexandria for display in a Berlin exhibition on May 11 [2006].

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawass said that the plane takes the shape of a sarcophagus.

Egypt will get L.E 6 million in return for displaying its breathtaking artefacts during the four-month event, he added.

Egyptian sunken monuments to show up in Berlin exhibition, State Information Service, Egypt, April 11, 2006.

The new operators of the ill-fated Millennium Dome will show how the inside of the giant Greenwich structure is taking new shape ahead of its re-opening next year.

AEG Europe, part of America's giant Anschutz Corporation, is turning the Dome in south London into a 23,000-capacity entertainment arena.

Stars such as Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Britney Spears are expected to perform at the Dome, which is now officially known as The O2...

... It is thought that the Dome will house a Tutankhamun and the golden age of the pharaohs exhibition in 2007...

Operators to reveal new-look Dome, The Coventry Evening Telegraph, UK, April 12, 2006.

cf. Dome takes shape ahead of opening, BBC News, UK, April 12, 2006.