SUMMARY: Antiquities Sites Accross Egypt Known or Reportedly Affected

Summary of sites affected across Egypt – either confirmed or strongly suspected. Data pooled from Egyptopaedia and others.

Alexandria Area (All confirmed by ZH/SCA 5th Feb):

• Anfushi Necropolis – SAFE
• Alexandria National Museum – Rumour of fire incorrect. SAFE
• Bibliotheca Alexandrina – SAFE
• Buto (Desouk) – Attempted break-in to magazine unsuccessful. Two thieves caught.
• Chatby Necropolis – SAFE
• Greco-Roman Museum – SAFE
• Kom el-Dikka (Amphitheatre) – SAFE
  
• Kom El-Shuqafa – SAFE
  
• Marine Museum – SAFE
• Mosaic Museum – SAFE
• Pompey’s Pillar – SAFE
  

Delta Region

• Qantara Museum (Nr. Ismailia) – Magazine looted. 288 objects recovered (4th Feb.), and 5 more (8th Feb.)
• Sa el-Hagar – SAFE
• Tell Basta – Attempted looting. Military arrested thieves. Reported 18th Feb by ZH.
• Tell el Dab’a – SAFE

Cairo

• See earlier report on Cairo Museum thefts.
• See the Eloquent Peasant for a continuously updated record of artefacts confirmed lost/found/damaged. Photographic record of items is being compiled. LINK
• Cairo University magazine entered. No further details available at present. (ZH 17th Feb) LINK

Pyramid Fields

• Tomb of Hetep-Ka at Saqqara entered. False door looted. (ZH 17th Feb) LINK
• Saqqara magazine (Nr. Teti pyramid) entered. No further details at present. Other magazines at Saqqara affected(?) (ZH 17th Feb) LINK
• Tomb of Rahotep at Abusir entered. Fragment of false door looted. (ZH 17th Feb) LINK
• Dashur (DeMorgan magazine, German mission) – Looted. Date of looting uncertain, perhaps multiple times.  Eight amulets confirmed missing. (14th Feb. Al Ahram – LINK)
• Tomb of Maya – SAFE (9th Feb ZH)
• Giza – SAFE (various sources)

Memphis

• Conflicting information. Blue Shield inspection (Austrian mission) reports nothing stolen, but could not locate magazine facility. Dr. Wafaa el Saddik reports magazine has been looted. ICOM suggests looting may have actually been vandalism, and lost in translation.

Faiyum

• Lahun – Signs of illicit digging. (Lahun Survey Project, 3rd Feb)  LINK
• Karanis – Magazine attempted break-in unsuccessful. Now safe. (Lahun Survey Project, 3rd Feb) LINK
• Lisht – Unsuccessful attempt to rob tomb. (ZH 17th Feb) LINK

Middle Egypt

• Abydos – Unconfirmed report of widespread illicit digging and looting of storerooms amidst lack of security presence. (Egyptian Dreams, 13th Feb) – LINK. However ZH (2nd Feb) reported as safe.
• Akhmin – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Beni Hasan – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Dendera – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• El Hibeh – Looted. Now secure. (ICOM) – LINK

Upper Egypt

• Karnak – Attempted entry by looters on 28th Jan. Repulsed by locals. (Egyptopaedia, 4th Feb) – LINK
• Luxor Temple – SAFE (Chicago House, 8th Feb) LINK
• West Bank Sites – SAFE (Chicago House, 8th Feb) LINK
• Kom Ombo – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb)
• Edfu – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Philae – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Elephantine – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Nubian Museum – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Kalabsha – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK
• Aswan Nobles Tombs – SAFE (ZH, 2nd Feb) LINK

Outer Regions

• Kharga Museum – Unconfirmed report of looting. (Louay Mahmoud Saied, 9th Feb)
• Berenice – SAFE (Egyptology Blog, 3rd Feb) LINK

 

For more information please check the Egyptopaedia Looting Database and the ICOM Report on Egypt’s Museums

 

Practical Travel Updates

Not Egyptology related, but for anyone travelling in Egypt, you may want a few “heads up”:

CAIRO METRO

There has been a bout of renaming on the metro system, so some station names have been changed. Giza Suburb is now Omm el Misryeen. I think there may be a few others as well, so make sure when travelling to note of number of stops as well as the name, as some metro maps in circulation on the internet are out of date. Line 3 still isn’t open (surprise!).

CAIRO AIRPORT

Terminal 3 is now open and operating.  Virtually all EgyptAir flights are now using this terminal.

OBELISK OF SENUSRET I AT HELIOPOLIS

Is CLOSED due to the site being developed into an “open air museum”. Note that this is  actually closed instead of “Egyptian Closed”. It was meant to re-open in October, but don’t hold your breath.

LUXOR PUBLIC BUS FARES

Have gone up. It is now 35pt per person, not 25pt per trip on the East Bank. West Bank fares are, as always, something of a movable feast. 50pt remains a pain free rule of thumb for anything except very long rides (i.e. Seti Is mortuary temple).

WEST BANK BUS STATION AND VEHICLES

Has been changed. Now located immediately north, across the unfinished road, from the old station. Prior advice about heading into the village and flagging a already part-full bus on the main road out still stands. Also, a new fleet of vehicls has been introduced, so some buses are now of the East Bank minibus variety, rather than pick ups. The newer ones do look a little like the vehicles some tour companies use, so don’t let them sail by on the road thinking it’s just for people with bigger budgets than you and I.

KARNAK TEMPLE

Visitor centre is now open. Contains some models of the complex with not much explanation, and a short video in English. Has AC, but lies beyond the ticket and security check point, which is still at the 1st Pylon, and is the same as before. There’s some shops too, if you feel the need.

LUXOR MUSEUM

Does not accept Egyptian issued ISIC cards. Students, make sure to bring your own uni ID card as well! They are accepted provided they have the usual details (photo, name of your uni, your name, student number etc.) and look “legit” (i.e. produced on a proper card printer rather than stick on and laminate job)

AVENUE OF SPHINXES

Excavations are ongoing. Be aware that the excavation is being extended northward, so there are some road closures, including around the mosque previously just beyond the northern edge of the temple site. There mosque is still there, but the road has been mostly removed.  See Google Earth image below:

CLOSURES AND DEMOLITIONS

Some buildings are being cleared to make far for a widening of the Corniche, and Avenue of the Sphinxes project. However there is a lot of rumour, much of it untrue. Before taking it off internet rumour that any particular apartments or hotels are closed, call and check in person.