Did Albright take home a replica or the genuine article?

Yomna Kamel Middle East Times staff


PHARAONIC STATUETTES AT A PARIS EXHIBITION, JUST A FRACTION OF THE ANTIQUITIES THAT HAVE LEFT EGYPT


Egyptian press reports claiming that a senior official at the Supreme Council for Antiquities presented a genuine pharaonic statue as a gift to an American diplomat recently reopened the discussion over the thousands of Egyptian antiquities lying in the museums around the world.

Some opposition papers claimed that the statue had been presented by the head of the Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria to US Foreign Minister Madeline Albright during her visit to Alexandria a few months ago. It was said to be a statue of the Sheikh Al Balad's wife, an Ancient Egyptian character also represented as a statue. If true, this would be the first known case of genuine antiquities presented to foreign governments since the promulgation of a law passed nearly 20 years ago banning such gifts. Speaking to the Middle East Times, head of the Supreme Council for Antiquities Gaballah Ali Gaballah denied that any officials had presented authentic antiquities to foreign diplomats.

"They [the press] just made up the story, but nothing like that has happened simply because it is against the law. This is well known by the council officials," Gaballah said.

According to Gaballah, prior to the 1983 law prohibiting such gifts, Egyptian officials did give away a number of artifacts to foreign governments and diplomats.

Agreeing with Gaballah, Abdel Halim Nour Al Din, dean of the Archeology Faculty of Cairo University and former head of the antiquities council, was surprised by the press claims about the gift.

"We all know that the statue presented to Albright was a replica like those usually presented as gifts to foreign diplomats," he said.

Nour Al Din had never heard about cases of violation of law 117/83, stating that antiquities are state property and that no one is allowed to sell, donate or present them as gifts.

"Even people who possessed antiquities before the promulgation of the law are not allowed to sell or donate them to any foreign party. The newly discovered antiquities must be handed over to the council," Nour El Din explained.

"This does not mean that the law is not violated by certain corrupt people. A few years ago, three council officials were caught selling antiquities and were sent to court," he

continued.

However, since the time of the French occupation over two hundred years ago, thousands of genuine antiquities have been stolen or donated by excavation groups and have found their way to the world's biggest museums. British museums formerly received regular donations from the Egyptian Exploration Society, which carried out major excavation works, and also from the Egyptian government.

According to Nour Al Din, until the mid 1970s, archeologists and societies carrying out excavation work in Egypt acquired some of the objects they unearthed almost as a matter of course, and this is how many Egyptian antiquities found their way into foreign museums.

In addition, Muhammad Ali's family donated many Egyptian antiquities to European governments. The majority of which are currently in the British Museum, the Louvre, the Antiquities Museum in Vienna, the Dutch Museum and others, he stated.

"Also, President Gamal Abdel Nasser presented some Egyptian antiquities as gifts to four European countries in appreciation for their major contribution in the project of saving the Nubian monuments in the 1960s. Some of the antiquities given were small constructions from temples," said Nour Al Din.

President Sadat also extended a generous hand to foreign diplomats, he added.

Antiquities donated by official and unofficial parties, in fact, helped museum collections to grow. For example, the British Museum alone hosts more than 100,000 Egyptian antiquities while the museum of the University of Wales in Swansea owns 2,000 pieces.

The British Museum has always supported excavation work in Egypt, which helped boost its collection.

"Active support by the [British] Museum for excavations in Egypt continued to result in useful acquisitions until changes in the antiquities laws in Egypt led to the suspension of the policy of allowing part of excavation finds received from the work of the Egypt Exploration Society to be allotted to the excavators," reads the online web page of the British

Museum.

Although it already hosts around 100,000 Egyptian objects, the British Museum promises that the collection will grow. "It will continue to increase over the years as new acquisitions are made, principally from excavations, but also from donations and occasional purchases," it added.

The same is true of the museum of the University of Wales in Swansea, which boasts a collection of 2,000 Egyptian antiquities. According to museum management, some 250 of the Egyptian antiquities it holds were donated by the Egypt Exploration Society. Most of them were finds from the society's excavations at Tel Al Amarna and Amant.

For the Egyptian law criminalizing the sale and donation of antiquities to be implemented properly, there is a need for other countries' cooperation. "There is a gentlemen's agreement between Egypt and Britain to fight the illegal market in antiquities and we hope they will abide by it," said Nour Al Din.

Meanwhile, negotiations have been going on between the Egyptian and British governments to return Egyptian antiquities to their home. The Egyptian government has, in the past, sued the British government to reclaim its historical property.

Another legal dispute is raging over the head of King Amenhotep III, currently kept at the British museum, pending the outcome of court proceedings, the Times reported on January 22.