BIA

AVRIL 2015
enough to be buried close to the royal tombs.
There are also cemeteries grouped around the
Khafre and Menkawre Pyramids and to the
south of Khafre’s causeway.
During the ceremony to reopen the tombs
al-Damâtî announced that the police had
succeeded in catching criminals who had
broken into the Mustafa Kâmil Gallery in
Alexandria and stolen 47 artefacts including 31
bronze coins, 15 small clay pots and a double
granite statue. “All the items were returned and
the eight criminals are now under
investigation,” al-Damâtî said, adding that one
of the criminals had been one of the gallery
guards who had facilitated the robbery.
al-Damâtî told the Weekly that to stop
further thefts the ministry intended to open a
central storehouse in June at the National
Museum for Egyptian Civilisation. This would
house artefacts from less well-guarded
storehouses such as those in Mît Rahîna at
Saqqâra and in the Delta and Gîza.
In an attempt to tighten security measures
for all artefacts whether stored or displayed in
museums, al-Damâtî said that a new database
was being developed. A new security system
was installed last month at the Luxor Temple,
he said, intended to tighten security measures
around the Temple and operating after closing
hours. “The Luxor Temple is now totally
safeguarded from the inside and the outside
for the first time,” al-Damâtî said, adding that it
was constantly monitored by fixed and mobile
cameras.
He also said that after five years of
discussion with the Alexandria governorate an
agreement had been signed to grant the land
behind the Graeco-Roman Museum in the city
to the Ministry of Antiquities. This would be
used as an extension of the museum to
enlarge its display area, al-Damâtî said.
“The LE10 million restoration project for the
Graeco-Roman Museum is to be finally
restarted after five years of delays,” al-Damâtî
said, adding that the funds had been provided
by the Italian government. (Nevine El-Aref,
“Reopening the tombs”, Al-Ahram Weekly, April
30, 2015. Voir également Nada al-Khûlî, « Le
ministre de l’Archéologie inaugure deux tombes
à Gîza », al-Shurûq, 27 avril ; Muhammad ‘Abd
al-Mu‘tî, « Le prêtre de Chéops est prêt à
accueillir les touristes », al-Ahrâm, 28 avril ;
“Two ancient tombs open to public in Pyramids
plateau”, Egypt Independent, April 28 ; Nada
Deyaa’, “2 ancient tombs reopened after
restoration”, Daily News Egypt, April 29).
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BIA LI — Janvier/Juin 2015 106