Conference on Stolen Antiquities

Conference on Stolen Antiquities











In April we held a very important conference here
in Cairo concerning looted antiquities, where we gathered countries
together to discuss problems that each country faces, and try to find
solutions.
[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]Delegates
from 25 countries attended the conference to share their experiences.
(Photo: Mohamed Saif)

This conference was very important, the
idea was to have many countries come together and meet in Cairo for the
first time to talk about this problem. It was in my mind for the past 8
years, but I never thought it could happen. We invited 30 countries,
and 16 registered, but when the conference began, 25 countries showed
up. I was very glad that so many countries were able to participate;
this shows how many countries have been affected by the problem of
illegal excavation and trafficking of antiquities.

The conference sessions were very good, and we
discussed the problems that each country faces and how they have been
handling them. The sessions were chaired by Dr. Elena Korka from Greece
and Dr. Jeannette Papadopolous from Italy, as well as Ambassadors Raouf
El-Reedy, Nabil El-Araby, and Waguib Hanafy, and Dr. Ali Radwan from
Egypt. These Ambassadors are from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in Egypt, and they have much experience in foreign relations,
which is why it was important for them to attend and give their
experience to this international gathering.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]Dr. Hawass adresses
members of the press at the end of the Conference. (Photo: Mohamed
Saif)

When I gave my speech at the close of the conference, I
asked all the countries attending to cooperate for the first time, so
that we can send a message to the world, that we will not fight alone,
but we will all fight together for our heritage. We each made a wish
list of items that have been taken from out countries that we want
back. Seven of the countries that came made a wish list. Egypt’s wish
list includes the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, the Nefertiti
bust in Berlin, the Zodiac ceiling in the Louvre, the statue of the
Hemiunu in Hildesheim, the statue of Ankh-haf at the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, and the statue of Ramses II in Turin. I was glad that
other countries also brought their wish lists, for example, Greece wants
the Parthenon marbles back from the British Museum. If we work
together, I think we can overcome the problems of looting. We have
decided to hold a conference like this every year, and hopefully we can
help each other in our struggle to preserve our heritage.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]Dr. Hawass speaks to the press at
the opening of the exhibit on stolen antiquities at the Egyptian Museum.
(Photo: Jennifer Willoughby)

In association with the
conference, we opened an exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo on
Returning Stolen Antiquities. The exhibit featured artefacts that had
been returned to Egypt in the past few years, including the coffin of
Imesy that recently returned from Miami, and the head of Amenhotep
III. Around the artefacts were panels that describe the problems of
looted antiquities and the solutions that Egypt has implemented, along
with stories of success, such as the Imesy coffin and stories of
artefacts we are still trying to get back, such as the mask of
Ka-nefer-nefer that is still in the Saint Louis Art Museum. This exhibit
is very well done, and I think it will be very good for everyone who
visit the Egyptian Museum to see it, and see what Egypt has done to
restore our heritage.




Further information:

International
Conference on Repatriation in the Media



Further information:

Returning
the Coffin of Imesy to Egypt



Further information:

Head of
Amenhotep III