Repatriation of Egyptian artifacts

hawasszahi.com ^ | Sept 8 2024 | self

[yelostar]

Dr. Zahi Hawass is seeking the repatriation of Egyptian artifacts from Germany, England and France.

Zahi Abass Hawass (born May 28, 1947) is an Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, serving twice. He has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert and the Upper Nile Valley.

Dr. Hawass:

When I discuss repatriation (the returning of artifacts to their home country) many people think that I believe that every Egyptian artifact belongs in Egypt, but that is not true. I have created this petition that you can sign so that unique objects and those that were taken out of Egypt illegally can be returned. The specific objects I am fighting for are The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, the Dendera Zodiac in le Louvre, and the bust of Nefertiti in the Staatliche Museeen zu Berlin. These are unique artifacts with whose significance to Egyptian history have no parallel. Moreover, their removal from Egypt was done illicitly.

When artifacts are removed from Egypt illegally and sold this only encourages and emboldens thieves. I am sorry to say that museums that continue to display these artifacts and refuse to return them only continue to participate in imperialism and cannot be believed when they denounce it. For the Egyptian government to petition foreign governments for the return of the artifacts there has to be enough public interest, which is why I started this petition.

https://www.hawasszahi.com/repatriation

[yelostar]

The Bust of Nefertiti was brazenly stolen from Egypt by the Germans in 1913 when it was concealed and smuggled out of the country despite laws that declared it illegal to remove ‘exceptional’ archaeological finds from Egypt. The Germans argue that they removed it legally because the French who ran the Antiquities Service at the time permitted them to. However, the Germans mislead the Antiquities Service as to the nature of the piece, downplaying its significance.

[DesertRhino]

Only an idiot world send those things to Egypt. In the revolution they looked and destroyed the museum. Same in Iraq. Same in Syria.
Nothing but an idiot would send archeological treasures to any Islamic nation. They should stay in white majority countries where they will be safe, or even with private collectors.

[DesertRhino]

https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/looters-smash-treasures-and-mummies-in-egyptian-museum-idUSTRE70R7K8/

They looted and vandalized the Egyptian museum as recently as 2011. You can’t send treasures like that to a place that unstable and filled with Islamic hatred. They view anything before Muhammad is idolatry and try to destroy it. It’s utterly irresponsible to send it to Egypt.

[wildcard_redneck]

Sorry Egypt, you should have avoided being conquered over and over. Bad stuff happens when a nation loses wars.

[discostu]

They belong to Egypt. If they want to wreck them it’s their stuff. Should we ship the Constitution over to the British Museum just in case “hoodlums”. The fact is the British pillaged the world, way past time to give the stuff back.

[SunkenCiv]

The condition of the Nefertiti bust was not fully understood until it was cleaned in Germany. What was known before export was that it was close to whole, but had no gold on it, and had damage (the missing eye, chipped ears).

The photos of all the items excavated were in black and white, which did indeed conceal what could be seen of the paint.

Regarding repatriation of these antiquities to Egypt, it's a bad idea. Imagine if you will there's another jihadist takeover as there was by Morsi (with the assistance of the Obama cadre) and the rioters again vandalize the museum.

For that matter, a few years ago a museum employee damaged the mask of King Tut and the first attempt at a fix was botched.

When I saw a reproduction of the Rosetta Stone, some years ago, it got me thinking, it would make more sense to have complete hologram reproductions of 3-D antiquities, to allow safer storage of the originals and to put them on display (even on demand) in museums throughout the world.

[UnwashedPeasant]

"Nothing but an idiot would send archeological treasures to any Islamic nation."

Germany, England and France are on their way to becoming Islamic nations.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Destroy them where they are, save on shipping.

FE

[Joe 6-pack]

"You can’t send treasures like that to a place that unstable and filled with Islamic hatred. They view anything before Muhammad is idolatry and try to destroy it."

There was a time, a decade or so ago, I would have been in wholehearted agreement with you. Then we started literally tearing down statues of our own for the most ridiculous reasons presented by the least serious people in our land; western culture no longer holds the moral high ground we once did.

Egypt's ancient relics are no safer here than they are in Egypt given the absurd flights of whimsy we now allow to drive public policy.

[yelostar]

They looted and vandalized the Egyptian museum as recently as 2011. You can’t send treasures like that to a place that unstable and filled with Islamic hatred. They view anything before Muhammad is idolatry and try to destroy it. It’s utterly irresponsible to send it to Egypt.

Only an idiot world send those things to Egypt. In the revolution they looked and destroyed the museum. Same in Iraq. Same in Syria. Nothing but an idiot would send archeological treasures to any Islamic nation. They should stay in white majority countries where they will be safe, or even with private collectors.

Who's "They?"

You're intentionally conflating two separate things.

The 2011 event was a looting spree from the Egyptian Revolution, not an Islamic or terrorist attack. It has never been tied to Islamic terrorism.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo currently houses the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world.

Following your logic, they should all be removed and relocated to “private collectors,” in “white majority countries” - because the museum is inherently in danger of being vandalized by Muslim extremists.

The 'destruction of cultural heritage by the Islamic state' - has occurred in events in Iraq, Syria and Libya - not in Egypt.

In an interesting turn of events, in January 2014 there was a truck bombing in Cairo, ostensibly targeting the police, the day before the three-year anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution. The "collateral damage" destroyed many artifacts at the Egyptian Museum of Islamic Art. The museum reopened in 2017.

Only an idiot would think that >Muslim extremists< would blow up a museum housing Muslim art.

[Jamestown1630]

Palmyra.

[Lizavetta]

Egypt's ancient relics are no safer here than they are in Egypt given the absurd flights of whimsy we now allow to drive public policy.

Well said.

[PIF]

Hawass translated:

“When artifacts are removed from Egypt illegally and sold this only encourages and emboldens our professional thieves.

“But if you return them now, I guarantee that in the next muslim uprising, they will all be either destroyed or sold again on the black market.”

[PIF]

The 2011 event was a looting spree from the Egyptian Revolution, not an Islamic or terrorist attack.

—
The Muslim Brotherhood sat it out, right? They just let ordinary people borrow their AK47s.

[Moltke]

Scan the objects and 3D-print exact replicas to be displayed in Egypt. The next time the museum is ransacked, send a new copy, etc.

[DesertRhino]

They did it in Cairo. They destroyed the museum in Baghdad. And “they” is the same thing. Terrorists, extremists, the 2011 revolution. Not a dimes with off distance in them.
By the way, antiquities of Egypt are not “moslem art”. Nefertiti was roughly as distant in time from Islam as we are from Jesus. Almost 2000 years, so it’s not moslem art.

Try to keep up.

[yelostar]

They did it in Cairo. They destroyed the museum in Baghdad. And “they” is the same thing. Terrorists, extremists, the 2011 revolution. Not a dimes with off distance in them.

By the way, antiquities of Egypt are not “moslem art”. Nefertiti was roughly as distant in time from Islam as we are from Jesus. Almost 2000 years, so it’s not moslem art.

Ok. Reading comprehension is not your strong point.

Please cite a reputable source that lays the 2011 revolution at the feet of Muslim extremists. Otherwise, no.

As for “moslem art” - I didn’t state or suggest that Egyptian antiquities were “moslem art.” The Museum of Islamic Art - is a real place in Cairo. A separate place from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Two…different…places.

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Cairo, Egypt is considered one of the greatest museums in the world, with its exceptional collection of rare woodwork and plaster artefacts, as well as metal, ceramic, glass, crystal, and textile objects of all periods, from all over the Islamic world.

I would be genuinely horrified at the idea of “keeping up” with your thought process. 🫣