BIA

MARS 2015
de l’Archéologie approuve le transfert de
Kenamon », al-Yawm al-Sâbi‘, 29 mars 2015).
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Lundi 30 mars 2015
The famous Egyptian statue Sekhemka will
not leave the United Kingdom, the UK Culture
Ministry announced. A 4,000-year-old statue
was sold by Northampton Borough Council
(NBC) last year despite an outcry from within
the UK as well as other places, including Egypt.
NBC sold the Sekhemka statue for £15.76m to
an overseas buyer — widely believed to be
from Middle East — in July to “help fund an
extension to the town’s museum and art
gallery.”
Ed VAIZEY, minister for culture,
communications and creative industries decided
to “place a temporary export ban” on the
statue. He said the statue was "gifted" to the
council in 1880. The statue “will not be allowed
to leave the country,” VAIZEY said. Arts Council
England ruled earlier the sale breached the
accredited standards for how museums manage
their collections. Arts Council England banned
Northampton Council from the Museums
Association and accordingly has had a Heritage
Lottery Fund bid rejected.
VAIZEY’s decision is understood to be based
on a recommendation by the reviewing
committee on the Export of Works of Art and
Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), which is
administered by Arts Council England. The
RCEWA said the statue was of "outstanding
aesthetic importance" and was significant in the
study of "the development of private statuary
and funerary religion in Egypt and the history
of human self-representation."
Save the Sekhemka Action Group praised
the ban on exporting the statue. It said in a
statement “Our group are obviously delighted
that Sekhemka will not be leaving the UK.”
However, the group, which has been
campaigning for the statue for many years,
remains “deeply disappointed that the situation
has been allowed to escalate.” The statement
described the NBC actions as “reckless” and
“threatening” the future of Northampton
museum. (Marwan Sultan, “Sekhemka is to
remain in the UK”, Ahram Online, March 30,
2015. Voir également BBC, « Sekhemka interdit
de quitter le territoire britannique”, al-Shurûq,
30 mars).
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En coopération avec l’American Research
Center in Egypt (ARCE), le ministère de
l’Archéologie élabore un projet de sauvetage du
temple d’Abydos menacé par la hausse du
niveau des eaux souterraines. Le directeur
général des antiquités de Louqsor et de Haute-
Égypte, Sultân ‘Îd, a précisé que le projet vise
à protéger le cœur du temple et l’Osireion à
travers l’installation d’un réseau de drainage et
d’évacuation des eaux souterraines. En plus des
travaux de nettoyage et de consolidation des
parois décorées. (Deutsche Presse-Agentur,
« Projet de sauvetage du temple d’Abydos »,
al-Masrî al-Yawm, 30 mars 2015. Voir
également Deutsche Presse-Agentur, « Projet
égypto-américain pour protéger le temple
d’Abydos contre les eaux souterraines », al-
Masrî al-Yawm, 29 mars).
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Le secrétaire général du Conseil Suprême
des Antiquités (CSA), Dr Mustafa Amîn, a pris la
décision n° 2587/2015 qui confie à Ilhâm
BIA LI — Janvier/Juin 2015 73