EGYPT AT A GLANCE 
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Egypt News

Antiquity Developments

This month, a new Pyramid found on the West bank at Luxor will surely shake things up, though we have not heard much about it yet. Another development that has dominated the news is the discovery of Heracleion of the Egyptian coast. But surprisingly, a lot of this month's antiquity news is about restoration and preservation of Antiquities.

Pyramid at Luxor

The joint Egyptian-German archeological mission under Daniel Boltz, Director of the German Institute of archaeology, unearthed the base of the first pyramid ever discovered at the Western Bank in Luxor. The find is considered the-most important remains discovered so far due to the importance of its builder, King Nub-Khbar-Ra, one of the latest kings of the 17th Dynasty (1650-1550 BC) and the first one who led the liberation war against the Hyksos in Egypt. Gaballah Ali Gaballah, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said this is the first time a pyramid has discovered in Luxor, or for the 17th Dynasty. This discovery was made using a papyrus which experts believe may lead to other discoveries.

Herakleion

We reported this discovery last month, but it remains in the news. Discovered off the coast of Egypt the most significant finds is an enormous granite statue of a pharaoh. Franck Goddio the city which covers an area of one square kilometre, untouched below the sea. An international team found the city which experts claim is the most important discovery since Tutankhamun's burial chamber. Menelaos, King of the Spartans, was said to have stopped at Herakleion during his return from Troy with Helen, while the first historical mention of the city was in 450 BC when it was recorded by Herodotus.

Restorations and Preservations

Much of the antiquity talk in Egypt these days is on restoration and preservation, not surprisingly so since a number of officials have voiced concerns about taking care of the discovered antiquities prior to looking for new finds. We have reported about the renovations of mosques and ancient churches in Cairo, but many other renovations are taking place, or planned. These include renovations in Damietta, Bellusium, and planned restorations in the Fayoum, among many others. One of the most severe problems facing Egyptian antiquities seems to be underground water, which threatens among other monuments, the temples of Luxor.

Other Antiquity News

Archaeologists now believe the stone building known as "Almudir Bridge" in Sakkara is the most ancient stone building on the planet, predating the Pyramid of Zoser in Sakkara by some 200 years. Almudir Bridge takes a rectangular shape, with its dimensions being 600 meters high and 400 meters long

The never ending questions regarding how the great pyramids were built in Egypt continue. The latest theories involve kites, and recently scientists in fact used a somewhat high tech giant kit to lift several tons of stone. The kit uses pulleys that quadruple its lifting power.

When Renee Friedman, Heagy research curator at the British Museum, pulled back the matting over the first of the three women, she could not believe what she saw. The body had been subjected to sophisticated mummification at least 500 years before the earliest known mummies. The mummies were among discoveries at Hierakonpolis, the first capital of Egypt, which have astounded the archaeology community.

Archaeologists have discovered six unknown Egyptian tombs in Cairo dating back to 3,000 BC. The tombs, predating the pyramids by hundreds of years and contain the skeletons of two women and numerous artefacts. The tombs were constructed during a period which marked the end of Egypt's prehistory and the beginning of the age of the Pharaohs. They were discovered at the Helwan cemetery.

Travel News

Current travel news revolves around the recent popularity of Alexandria. For many years, few non-Egyptian tourists visited Alexandira, as there are few ancient artifacts to be found there. However, it would seem that the city owes Franck Goddio who has been making startling discoveries of Alexandria's coast a big thank you. Since his discoveries of Cleopatra's palace, among others, hotel occupancy has doubled, which is interesting since most of the discoveries remain at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea.

Perhaps because of the spotlight on Alexandria, the media seems to also want us to know more about Rosetta. Certainly this is an interesting city, where the Rosetta Stone was discovered, but as yet it has few tourist facilities and no tourist lodging. However, this city has some grand Ottoman era buildings, and city leaders are attempting to build a better tourist oriented infrastructure.

The Egyptian Supreme Council For Antiquities (SCA) has decided upon the design of new Ramsis II museum which is going to be built in Badra Shane, Giza. This is the original location of where the Ramsis II statue was found. The statue currently is located at Ramsis Square. The museum is designed so that visitors could easily see the statue rather than in its current location at Ramsis Square. between Luxor and Aswan.

(Alexandria) Dr. Gaballah Ali Gaballah, head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities, started examining contractors' offers this week for the restoration of the Bassili Pasha Palace. This Palace is scheduled to be turned into the new National Museum of Alexandria. An antiquity committee is also now making the selections for the collection of artifacts