Archaeologists responsible for the antiquities portfolio of the Arab nations are taking steps in defence of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Nevine El-Aref reports on their third emergency meeting held in Cairo.

Israeli excavations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's most volatile holy site, have sparked Arabs and Muslims to take legal action to preserve Islam's third holiest shrine.

Egypt this week witnessed two provocative removes. In parallel with the Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Arab League, Arab Antiquities Officials (AAO), along with representatives of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), the International Cultural Council for Research and Museums (ICCROM), and the head of the Arab Archaeologists' Union met on Sunday at the premises of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) hoping to find a solution. Although Palestinian antiquities experts were unexpectedly prevented from attending because of exit restrictions imposed by the Israelis, the meeting was attended by Munzir Al-Digani, the Palestinian ambassador in Egypt...

Remember who built Jerusalem, Nevine El-Aref, Al Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 836, March 15 - 21, 2007.

cf. Abul-Gheit calls for neutral int'l supervision of Al-Aqsa restoration process, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, March 16, 2007.

Previously: Hawass threatens to end cooperation in Aqsa mosque row, March 05, 2007.

The world's oldest perfumes have been found on Cyprus by a team of archaeologists.

The perfumes were scented with extracts of lavender, bay, rosemary, pine or coriander and kept in tiny translucent alabaster bottles. The remaining traces found in Pyrgos, on the south of the island, are more than 4,000 years old.

The scents were discovered inside what archaeologists believe was an enormous 43,000 sq ft perfume-making factory. "We were astonished at how big the place was," said Maria Rosa Belgiorno, the leader of the Italian archaeological team. "Perfumes must have been produced on an industrial scale..."

You may be wondering why I posted this? Well, it is because of this article from The Register (Archaeologists sniff out world's oldest perfumes, Lester Haines, The Register, UK, March 21, 2007) which quotes Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis and mentions Egyptian perfume as being in vogue a one point.

Eau de BC: the oldest perfume in the world, Malcolm Moore, The Telegraph, UK, March 21, 2007.

For a century, they have been on display in the Louvre museum in Paris, labelled as Canopic jars holding the embalmed innards of the great Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II. But the four pots, covered in hieroglyphs, are not what they seem.

An analysis by French chemists has revealed that the jars in fact contain ordinary cosmetics, produced at a much later date...

The blue jars arrived in the Louvre in 1905. They carry the name of Rameses II, and seemed to contain embalmed organs, including a trace of what appeared to be heart tissue. Yet Rameses's actual mummy still has its heart - the one organ ancient Egyptians left inside mummies so it could be weighed in the afterlife by the god Thoth. "The jars look like the pots of unguents found in King Tut's tomb, among others, not like other Canopic jars," says Jacques Connan of the University of Strasbourg, France.

With the Louvre's permission, Connan's team sampled traces of material in the pots, and analysed them using mass spectrometry and chromatography techniques...

Connan concludes that the jar probably held scented ointment made by heating aromatic wood in fat, of the type Egyptians used to anoint their heads, and sacred images...

Pharaoh's pots give up their secrets, Debora Mackenzie, New Scientist Magazine, UK, Issue 2595, March 16, 2007, p. 12.

cf. Pharaoh's Heart Unmasked, Stefan Anitei, Softpedia, March 16, 2007.

Previously:

Louvre's pharaoh jars are not what they seemed, March 14, 2007.

Human Remains in Ancient Jar a Mystery, January 30, 2007.

Approximately two years ago, American archaeologist Semir Osmanagich and his team made the astounding discovery of a series of pyramids in Bosnia.

Last Sunday, speaking at the Supreme Council of Culture, Bosnian-born Osmanagich called on Egyptian archaeologists and geologists to assist in excavating the pyramids and uncovering whether the pyramids are a product of man or nature.

“We would invite five or six Egyptian archaeologists and geologists by July or August to come [to Bosnia] and give us a hand,” Osmanagich told The Daily Star Egypt.

“Bosnia doesn’t have a faculty of archaeology. We need more help and guidance, from the Egyptian expertise especially ... to get involved in this project. This will be most beneficial to both of us,” said Osmanagich...

Pharaohs to help unveil truth of Bosnian pyramids, Sherine Abdel Monaim, The Daily Star, Egypt, March 19, 2007.

From the creators of the $25,000 dinner, there's another pricey gourmet feast on the horizon.

Wealthy foodies can mark their calendars for Dec. 12, 2008, when top chefs from around the world will be flown to Egypt to cook a dinner in front of the ancient Pyramids of Giza, organizer Deepak Ohri said Monday.

This dinner will be a bargain ... The price for dining beside the pyramids has not yet been set, but will cost no more than $10,000 per person, said Ohri...

Five hundred tickets will be sold for the dinner, to be cooked by 30 3-star Michelin chefs, he said...

Just how close diners will be to the pyramids depends on the Egyptian government and UNESCO, since the pyramids are a World Heritage site. Talks are underway with authorities, Ohri said, noting the added incentive that organizers are "considering" giving profits from the dinner to an organization or charity that helps conserve the Seven Wonders of the World...

Pyramids to play host to feast for the likes of King Tut, AP via USA Today, New York, USA, March 19, 2007.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs brings to life ancient wonders, historic intrigue and a modern-day forensic adventure, all in one eye-popping new film, opening at the Tuttleman IMAX Theatre. A natural complement to Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, at The Franklin Institute through September 30, 2007, Mummies takes viewers on a journey back thousands of years to explore why mummification was so vital to ancient Egyptian life.

Why are people endlessly fascinated with mummies? The worldwide curiosity about mummification is an age-old phenomenon as enduring as mummies themselves. During Egypt’s history, literally millions of mummies were made. In Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs, filmgoers will marvel at the sight of these human time capsules, shown in larger-than-life detail on the giant screen.

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs unravels the mysteries enshrouding the ancient royal mummies, how they were embalmed and where they were hidden, and also recreates the dramatic story of their recovery — an “Indiana Jones”-type tale of tomb-raiders and hidden treasure that led to one of the most significant archaeological finds in modern history. Featuring top Egyptologists and researchers, , Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, and DNA scientist Angelique Corthals, the film also embarks on a genetic analysis of mummies that could have huge implications for the study of modern human diseases...

Franklin Institute’s Theatre Presents Mummies, Huliq, USA, March 20, 2007.