BIA

V – MAI 2015
Samedi 2 mai 2015
A part of a statue of King Sahure unearthed in al-Kâb
A Belgian archaeological mission unearthed
the lower part of a statue of King Sahure, who
ruled during the 25 th century BC, during
excavation work at al-Kâb archaeological site in
the governorate of Aswân.
“This is a very important discovery that will
add more detailed information about Sahure
and his reign,” Minister of Antiquities Mamdûh
al-Damâtî told Ahram Online, explaining that it
is the third statue of the king to be found at
the site. The first one is on display at the
Metropolitan Museum in New York and the
second is exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in
central Cairo.
The newly discovered statue piece is
rendered sandstone and depicts the lower body
of the king, whose name is carved into the
statue.
The Belgian mission is led by Dirk HUYGE of
Belgium’s Royal Museums of Arts and History,
and started its excavations at al-Kâb in 2009.
The site is the location of Upper Egypt’s capital
during the pre-historical period and the capital
of Nekhen, a nome, or regional administrative
division, until the Ptolemaic age.
The site, which lies on the eastern bank of
the Nile, includes a number of rock-hewn
tombs belonging to New Kingdom nobles. A
Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the desert
goddess Nekhbet is also still extant. (Nevine El-
Aref, “Piece of 4,500-year-old royal statue
unearthed near Aswân”, Ahram Online, May 2,
2015. Voir également Dînâ ‘Abd al-‘Alîm,
« Découverte de la partie inférieure d’une
statue de Sahourê », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 28
avril ; Anadolu, « Mise au jour d’une statue
royale pharaonique au sud de l’Égypte », al-
‘Arabî al-Gadîd, 28 avril ; Nasma Réda, « Le roi
Sahourê réapparaît », Al-Ahram Hebdo du 6
mai).
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Le gouverneur de Port Saïd, major général
Magdî Nasr al-Dîn, a adressé un courrier au
ministère de l’Archéologie le pressant d’éclaircir
sa position concernant le terrain du musée
archéologique de Port Saïd. Démoli en 2011,
rien n’a encore été reconstruit sur ce terrain,
alors que l’entreprise de BTP en charge du
projet a déjà touché un acompte de dix
millions de livres égyptiennes. Ce retard louche
et l’absence totale de mesures prises par le
ministère de l’Archéologie soulèvent de
nombreux points d’interrogation. (Ahmad
Mansûr, « Le musée de Port Saïd n’a pas
encore vu le jour malgré les 10 millions L.E.
dépensées », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 2 mai 2015.
Voir également Ahmad Mansûr, « Le président
du département des projets : 85 millions L.E.
pour la construction du musée de Port Saïd »,
al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 8 mai).
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Dimanche 3 mai 2015
Commenting on the controversial pictures
posted on the social media, depicting porn star
Carmen DE LUZ posing next to the Pyramids,
Antiquities Department Director Mahmûd ‘Afîfî
said that DE LUZ was visiting the Second
Panorama area of the plateau, which is an
empty desert, adding that she apologized when
she learned that people in Egypt were offended
BIA LI — Janvier/Juin 2015 107