Slowly Qurna is being erased from the map. The process began last December after the Luxor authorities ordered the demolition of all the village's mud brick houses. "In just five minutes," reported Agence France Presse on 3 December, "and under the deafening roar of bulldozer engines, three long-abandoned houses were the first to go ... The stage-managed affair included a fashion show of children parading in ancient Egyptian costumes to the beat of epic drums and enthusiastic speeches by officials for the television cameras. Three thousand five hundred families will leave for a better life..."

The eviction was the culmination of a process that began nearly 60 years ago, before Egypt became independent. The tomb of Ramose is only one of about100 tombs, the so-called "Tombs of the Nobles", sunk deep into this hillside. But because of the village of Qurna, the archaeologists couldn't get at them. Even worse, the villagers were not beyond plundering the tombs over which they perched, quietly removing items of sensational importance for discreet, expert visitors. So in 1948, the authorities decided that the village had to go...

But the people of Qurna did not buy it. Some moved there, but many dug in their heels and stayed put. The reason was simple. In Qurna, thanks to the steady flow of tourists, they could make a living. New Qurna might be pretty and shady (and surrounded by green fields, unlike the harsh rubble around the present village) but there was no indication of what they could do there to make ends meet. The villagers had no desire to take the gamble...

But this time around it's really happening: the villagers have been given no choice in the matter. They can agree to move to the new homes that are being built for them or they can refuse. Hundreds of those who have signed agreements have already moved, and their old homes have been torn down. But those that refuse will lose their homes anyway and if they decline what the government is offering to the bitter end, they will simply have the sky for a roof...

Valley of the bulldozers: Death on the Nile, Peter Popham, The Independent, UK, March 20, 2007.

“Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has officially become the most popular museum exhibition in the city's history, with more than 616,000 tickets sold or reserved since they went on sale on Nov. 8, 2006. Outselling their previous record-holder, "Body Worlds," attended by more than 603,000 visitors during its six-month stay at The Franklin Institute, the King Tut exhibition is on track to draw one million visitors before it closes on Sept. 30, 2007.

The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Mellon Financial Corporation is the presenting sponsor and PECO is the associate sponsor in Philadelphia. The exhibition is supported by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation.

"We are, of course, delighted by this unprecedented response to the exhibition," said Dr. Dennis M. Wint, president and CEO of The Franklin Institute. "King Tut is drawing many 'repeat' visitors, but it's also attracting a lot of 'first timers' as well, which is especially exciting for us..."

'Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs' Becomes Most Popular Exhibition in Philadelphia's History, PRNewswire via Yahoo! Finance, USA, March 20, 2007.

Doors will soon open to reveal one of the mysteries of the Great Pyramid in Giza, Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Discovery News in an exclusive interview.

Hawass, one of the world's leading Egyptologists, said he will show what lies behind secret doors inside the 4,500-year-old pharaonic mausoleum by the end of this year.

"Finally, people all over the world will know what is behind the second door in the southern shaft and the third door in the northern shaft," Hawass said...

"This month I am going to choose the team that is going to work with me on this project. It will be either from Singapore or Hong Kong," Hawass said...

Pyramid's Secret Doors to Be Opened, Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News, USA, March 20, 2007.

Previously:

Tests begin to send robot archaeologist into Cheops, December 02, 2006.

More on the robotic exploration of the Khufu pyramid shafts, January 02, 2006.