Feature: British Archaeology 118, May / June 2011

The Egyptian revolution from 25 January to 11 February ousted president Hosni Mubarak, and is transforming the Arabic world. The country's ancient past was caught up in events, as happened in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. This was not just because the ruins were in the wrong place: their stories are important to modern identities and pride, and archaeology is part of a nation's economy – exceptionally so in Egypt. Mike Pitts introduces our look at Egypt now, with photos by Heinrich Härke.

A curious result of the upheaval was the creation for the first time of a separate Antiquities Ministry, headed briefly by Zahi Hawass, formerly deputy minister for culture and secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and a man close to the Mubaraks. Hawass is arguably the world's most recognisable – and colourful – archaeologist. He has raised the profile of Egyptian archaeology, improved museums and monument protection with increased resources, and has fought publicly for an archaeology that is owned by Egyptians. He has been conspicuous in his overseas campaigns, demanding that Germany returns a bust of Nefertiti to Egypt, and complaining that an obelisk commemorating Thutmose III that now stands in Central Park, New York, is not properly cared for.

Cairo's Museum of Egyptian Antiquities – popularly known as the Egyptian Museum – is of outstanding public significance; amongst much else, it houses the contents of Tutankhamun's tomb. Its present misfortune has been its location close to the ruling National Democratic Party HQ on Tahrir Square, the focus of the revolution. Once again, the cultural significance of antiquities has been demonstrated. So has the importance of good curation, publication, record keeping and monument protection – and public access and communication.

Even as events unfold, British Archaeology has compiled this feature as a record of the moment. It is a time to consider how we practice archaeology around the world, who benefits, and who should. And it is a time for all of us to wish the people of Egypt well – past and future.

Archaeologist Heinrich Härke was in Cairo for a conference about medieval nomads, held at the Hungarian Embassy, when the revolution began. This is his story.

Yes, the museum is closed today

My trip to Egypt in the last week of January had been long planned – but I was expecting an archaeology excursion, not a chance to watch history in the making! My colleagues and I arrived in Cairo on Sunday 23 January. The first few days were uneventful: a visit to the splendid medieval citadel overlooking the town, attending a conference, walks in the centre. We early noticed the heavy police presence everywhere, including the tourism and antiquities police who carry pistols and submachine guns, and are stationed at archaeological sites and in front of major hotels. On Tuesday, a national holiday, there were reports of demonstrations in the suburbs, but to us this seemed far away – we did not know a revolution had begun.

That changed very suddenly on Friday 28 January. We had visited sites near Cairo, with just the usual crowds at the Saqqara and Giza pyramids, and heavy security at museum entrances. But back in the town centre, we ran into trouble. First we saw groups of people marching from the suburbs, then our bus encountered a blocked flyover: police and demonstrators were battling one another with teargas and Molotov cocktails. The driver did a heroic job getting most of us to our hotels, but several of us (including my friends and I) had to walk. Men in civvies carrying Kalashnikovs mingled with police lines being formed across major roads and bridges.

In the evening, the demonstrations increased in scale and intensity. One of the epicentres was the western access to the bridge leading to Tahrir Square, right next to the Sheraton and only 600 yards from our own accommodation in the Russian Cultural Centre. We had to go and see.

People jammed the roundabout, as more arrived on foot and on motorbikes. There was a smell of teargas in the air, and once or twice there was panic when police charged demonstrators. Seeing that we were foreigners, protestors asked us, "What does the West think of this?" In spite of the apparent violence a short distance away, to us it seemed a peaceful, almost congenial affair, with people of all ages and from all walks of life involved in a struggle for their future.

The morning after looked less congenial. We had planned to visit the famous Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, and not knowing what had happened there (internet and mobile phone networks had gone down the evening before), we set out undaunted. We understood why the taxi driver looked apprehensive about our destination when we crossed the Nile bridge: we could see burnt-out police lorries, overturned cars, a line of small boats blocking part of the Nile, and then smoke from a burning building on the other side of the river – and no police. Civilians at the entrance to the square waved back the driver. We continued on foot.

It was like a war film. The first thing to catch my eye was a burnt-out armoured personnel carrier with slogans scratched onto its blackened sides, next to a combat tank with soldiers who seemed unfazed by a couple of civilians climbing all over it. The usually busy square was empty, but we heard the angry buzz of thousands of people blocked in the access streets by security forces. A black cloud of smoke drifted across from Mubarak's burning party headquarters. Next to it, under the barrel of the tank, we spotted the low red building of the museum. We decided to make our way there.

As we arrived, an armoured personnel carrier was reversing out of the courtyard, which was packed with security forces. I remember spotting two lines of men in the blue overall-type uniforms of the police inside the yard – then the heavy iron gates were closed. Not a good omen! Having come this far, I wanted to know for sure, so I went up to the soldiers posted outside and asked if the museum was closed. They did not understand English, but at that moment a civilian in a pinstripe suit rushed up and told us: "Yes, the museum is closed today – but do come again!" An army colonel greeted us in impeccable Queen's English as he walked past: "Hello! How do you do?" He seemed a bit too preoccupied to chat. We learnt later that day that the museum had been broken into.

As we were walking back to our accommodation across the bridge from Tahrir Square, one of us checked mobile reception and noticed that there was a signal: networks had been re-established. We all stopped on the bridge immediately, to send off messages to families and friends to reassure them.

Our departure was booked for Sunday 30 January. On Saturday evening, several friends and colleagues moved for safety from their town centre hotel to our accommodation west of the Nile. We spent an apprehensive night, watching groups of men with iron bars from our balcony; shots from an automatic rifle rang out in a side street 100 yards away. Some of us ventured out to learn that these were local men protecting their families and properties against looters. Next morning, we started early in spite of the curfew. On the way to the airport, we saw tanks on the roads, and military checkpoints outside the airport. Inside, there was chaos. I was lucky – my flight miraculously departed on time, but two German colleagues had to sit on their luggage for two days before catching a relief flight. There were some anxious moments during that memorable January week in Cairo, but it is a hell of a story to tell.

Heinrich Härke is honorary research fellow in archaeology at the University of Reading, and honorary professor at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

It is too soon for a definitive sequence of events, but this is how it looked as we went to press. One thing is clear: Egypt's past matters not just to tourists.

A month in Cairo

Sources: 1 Reuters, 2 Al Jazeera, 3 Associated Press, 4 eloquentpeasant.com (Margaret Maitland), 5 artofcounting.com (Amy Calvert), 6 CNN, 7 Guardian, 8 Zahi Hawass blog, 9 almahrusa.blogspot.com (Nora Shalaby), 10 Amnesty International, 11 Ahram online, 12 Project Camelot.

Hany Hanna sent this message about the future of Egyptian archaeology, published here in a special translation from the Arabic for British Archaeology (omitting only minor repetitions).

From: Dr Hany Hanna. To: Dr Zahi Hawass
Date: Thursday 10 February 2011, 12:59pm
Subject: The future of Egypt's past

Dear Dr Hawass,

We respect you, Doctor Zahi, as the Egyptian archaeologist raising Egypt's name in the field of archaeology, and will continue as long as you support the Egyptian people, the best of the people.

I speak and write in my own name, conscious that my message is that of all who are honest among Egyptian archaeologists and conservators, who have always sought to serve Egypt and Egyptian archaeology, and who have set the name of Egypt and the (former) Supreme Council of Antiquities [SCA] at the highest level in each of their scientific specialist fields, in spite of all the efforts to oppress and exclude them and block any chance of success.

Sir, we will not accept the continuation of the same regime...: the system of cliques, corruption and the corrupt; [and] the systematic exclusion of the real experts and the best qualified, locally and internationally, for the benefit of the corrupt and self-serving, for the dozens of outsiders brought into the SCA but just men of the ruling party, including some university professors in that party, as well as people whose silence could be bought. There are even some of our long-retired teachers, all of whom are well known and whom we respect...; yet, across the world, there is such a thing as retirement, to give new blood and new talent opportunity...

We would be against you if you were to leave the old system intact, and we will not be afraid of any trial or investigation, even at the cost of our blood on the field of honour.

We have consistently resisted our own doubts and we have never listened to the rumours, and we looked on the positive side, that you always sought to work for the benefit of Egypt's antiquities and its people.

So I ask you sir, please, to remove all the names and faces of corruption...

As concerns the files and cases of corruption and the corrupt, these are... being submitted by honest Egyptians. That is a matter for the [prosecutor general], whereas our role will be within the new [Antiquities] Ministry.

Please allow me, Sir, to say to you here publicly and officially, what I have been saying to everyone in public every day, including some of the men in your office, including the main organiser of the formation of the General Secretariat, Mr Alawi Farid.

I am asking, and try to trust, that you favour changing the whole system of corruption, and replacing it with a professional, scientific, managerial system which gains the respect of the employees of the ministry (formerly SCA).

Sir, please kindly consider my message in person, rather than just delegating to a member of your office, because this is a personal message to you.

With my Best Regards, Dr (Mr) / Hany Hanna (PhD)

Chief Conservator, General Director of Conservation, Helwan, El-Saf and Atfeh Sector, SCA

Issue 118

May / June 2011

Contents

news

on the web

letters

features

THE BIG DIG: Gough's Cave, Somerset

6 Threatened Sites

Overthrowing Egypt's Past

feature

Overthrowing Egypt's Past

Yes, the museum is closed today

A month in Cairo

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