| --> YouTube-Generated Transcript <-- |
| 0:00 | · | to Egypt now. The country working to |
| 0:02 | · | showcase its own historic artifacts, |
| 0:05 | · | many of which are found in museums in |
| 0:07 | · | other parts of the world. Those in |
| 0:09 | · | Egypt's possession, though, finally have |
| 0:11 | · | a museum with a space to house and |
| 0:14 | · | display them properly. The Grand |
| 0:16 | · | Egyptian Museum fully opens its doors |
| 0:19 | · | next week. Have a look. |
| 0:23 | · | The Grand Egyptian Museum sets a new |
| 0:25 | · | standard. In the entry hall looms the |
| 0:27 | · | statue of Ramses II, the great pharaoh |
| 0:30 | · | who ruled over the land along the Nile |
| 0:32 | · | for decades. The 11 me tall piece weighs |
| 0:35 | · | 80 tons and is 3,200 years old. 100,000 |
| 0:40 | · | artifacts bear testimony to the |
| 0:42 | · | different periods of millennia of |
| 0:43 | · | cultural history. |
| 0:47 | · | What's really spectacular is how you can |
| 0:49 | · | look at things that you couldn't before |
| 0:51 | · | because there simply wasn't enough space |
| 0:53 | · | in the Egyptian museum at Tahir Square. |
| 0:56 | · | [Music] |
| 0:58 | · | The new landmark of Egypt lies right |
| 1:00 | · | next to an old one, the pyramids of |
| 1:02 | · | Giza. For the first time since the |
| 1:05 | · | excavation work by Egyptologist Howard |
| 1:07 | · | Carter, all treasures from Toutin |
| 1:10 | · | Common's tomb have been assembled at a |
| 1:12 | · | single location, an astounding 5,600 |
| 1:15 | · | artifacts, including Tuten Common's |
| 1:18 | · | world famouser mask. This iconic piece |
| 1:21 | · | is protected by strict security |
| 1:23 | · | measures, but visitors should get as |
| 1:25 | · | close as possible, explains the |
| 1:27 | · | organizer. |
| 1:28 | · | The lighting of the mask makes it look |
| 1:30 | · | as though it were floating, meaning it's |
| 1:32 | · | actually not important how thick the |
| 1:33 | · | glass is or what its ed. Just the |
| 1:36 | · | artifact itself takes center stage. |
| 1:40 | · | The Grand Egyptian is more than a |
| 1:42 | · | museum. It's a place of research and a |
| 1:44 | · | lab for conservators. |
| 1:49 | · | Egypt is showing it's able to really do |
| 1:51 | · | great things in term of science, |
| 1:52 | · | culture, and curation. |
| 1:56 | · | Egyptology was a science basically |
| 1:58 | · | restricted to the northern hemisphere |
| 2:00 | · | for many many years, many decades. Of |
| 2:03 | · | course, that is in part an account of |
| 2:05 | · | the situation in Egypt at the time, but |
| 2:08 | · | things have also been shifting for many |
| 2:09 | · | years |
| 2:12 | · | and tourism figures are set to reflect |
| 2:14 | · | that trend. Egypt expects 18 million |
| 2:17 | · | visitors this year. We're anticipating |
| 2:19 | · | that this will increase definitely the |
| 2:23 | · | numbers of tourists coming to Egypt by |
| 2:27 | · | at least 10% or 20%. |
| 2:32 | · | There are collections of Egyptian |
| 2:34 | · | artifacts all over the world, but the |
| 2:36 | · | Grand Egyptian Museum is a new symbol of |
| 2:39 | · | national identity. |
| 2:42 | · | And |
| 2:42 | · | now there is an ongoing dispute between |
| 2:44 | · | Egypt and Germany. It's about the world |
| 2:46 | · | famous bust of the ancient Egyptian |
| 2:49 | · | queen Nefertiti. |
| 2:51 | · | German archaeologists discovered it in |
| 2:53 | · | 1912 and took it from Egypt to Germany. |
| 2:56 | · | It's been on display in Berlin for more |
| 2:59 | · | than a hundred years now. Egypt wants it |
| 3:02 | · | back and some say Egypt should get it |
| 3:04 | · | back. |
| 3:07 | · | Now for more this dispute, let's bring |
| 3:09 | · | in Sebastian Connard. He's a professor |
| 3:11 | · | of modern history at the fry visited |
| 3:13 | · | Berlin and author of the queen |
| 3:15 | · | Nefertiti's global career. Now, |
| 3:18 | · | Professor Conrad, the Grand Egyptian |
| 3:20 | · | Museum finally opens its doors and has |
| 3:22 | · | reignited Egypt's calls for Germany to |
| 3:25 | · | return Nefertiti. Why does this |
| 3:27 | · | 3,000year-old bast still stir such |
| 3:30 | · | strong emotions? |
| 3:34 | · | Yeah, thanks. Um, it's true. Nefertiti |
| 3:37 | · | is is famous is famous around the world. |
| 3:40 | · | Uh but it has a particular value for |
| 3:43 | · | Egyptians. Egyptians from all walks of |
| 3:46 | · | life. Um but then especially also for |
| 3:49 | · | the Egyptian |
| 3:51 | · | regime, the um current regime as the |
| 3:54 | · | regimes before. They like to link |
| 3:57 | · | Egypt's present day identity with |
| 4:00 | · | um the ancient heritage with the |
| 4:03 | · | empire, the pharaohs, the pyramids. It's |
| 4:06 | · | part of a national form of |
| 4:08 | · | self-representation. |
| 4:10 | · | Now, you you've said that Germany's |
| 4:12 | · | claim to this bust, even though it was |
| 4:15 | · | discovered by by a German archaeologist, |
| 4:18 | · | is at least very doubtful and that you |
| 4:20 | · | can understand Egypt's wish to see uh |
| 4:23 | · | the see it in Cairo. Why is this dispute |
| 4:27 | · | so complicated? |
| 4:30 | · | Yeah. Well, it's um it has a legal and a |
| 4:33 | · | moral dimension. Um legally the bus was |
| 4:37 | · | transferred to Germany according to the |
| 4:39 | · | laws of the time. There is no real doubt |
| 4:42 | · | about that. Even the Egyptian side does |
| 4:45 | · | not dispute that fact. In fact, already |
| 4:48 | · | in the 1920s, essentially the Egyptians |
| 4:50 | · | began to say, "Yes, legally the bus |
| 4:55 | · | moved to Germany, but morally it should |
| 4:58 | · | have remained in Egypt." Um now you know |
| 5:01 | · | we can I mean there are lots of |
| 5:03 | · | speculations about the particular moment |
| 5:05 | · | in which the fines were partitioned. |
| 5:09 | · | Half of it went to Berlin, half of it |
| 5:11 | · | remained in Egypt. But the most |
| 5:14 | · | important aspect probably is much more |
| 5:16 | · | fundamental which is that the laws of |
| 5:19 | · | the time were part of an imperialist |
| 5:22 | · | world order. Today no country would |
| 5:25 | · | allow that half of the fines would be |
| 5:28 | · | transferred to the country of the |
| 5:30 | · | excavators. Uh in fact even Egypt |
| 5:33 | · | discontinued this practice about 10 |
| 5:35 | · | years later. So the question now is is |
| 5:38 | · | less one of legality but more one of |
| 5:41 | · | legitimacy. |
| 5:43 | · | Now the former Egyptian antiquities |
| 5:46 | · | chief Zahi Hawas is demanding a full |
| 5:49 | · | repatriation. You've suggested a middle |
| 5:51 | · | ground solution. international |
| 5:53 | · | stewardship or a rotating display. Uh |
| 5:57 | · | could that be a pract practical |
| 5:59 | · | compromise that both sides could agree |
| 6:01 | · | on? |
| 6:04 | · | It's probably a compromise that no side |
| 6:07 | · | will agree on, I'm afraid. I think it |
| 6:09 | · | would be it would be a solution with a |
| 6:12 | · | lot of appeal. It would turn Nefertiti |
| 6:15 | · | into a world heritage object in its very |
| 6:18 | · | literal sense. Um both sides however b |
| 6:22 | · | both Berlin and also Cairo um insist on |
| 6:27 | · | full ownership. The question today I |
| 6:30 | · | think is whether physical ownership |
| 6:33 | · | whether the question of property can |
| 6:35 | · | really be at the heart of the discussion |
| 6:37 | · | or whether we need to look for new ways |
| 6:39 | · | of um dealing with cultural objects that |
| 6:43 | · | have a life that goes way beyond Egypt |
| 6:47 | · | and Berlin. |
| 6:50 | · | Now, finally, with uh the new Grand |
| 6:52 | · | Egyptian Museum now open uh and Cairo's |
| 6:56 | · | diplomatic pressure building, do you |
| 6:59 | · | think that uh the German government will |
| 7:01 | · | eventually have to reconsider its |
| 7:04 | · | stance? |
| 7:07 | · | All right, that's is that's a very good |
| 7:09 | · | question. I at the moment it's one |
| 7:12 | · | cannot predict such an outcome. I think |
| 7:14 | · | what will happen is that in the coming |
| 7:16 | · | years the pressure will certainly |
| 7:19 | · | increase the pressure on the German |
| 7:21 | · | government ultimately my sense would be |
| 7:24 | · | that the return if you want to call it |
| 7:27 | · | that the return of the bus is only |
| 7:29 | · | possible if at some point the German |
| 7:32 | · | side |
| 7:34 | · | thinks it in their own interest to |
| 7:36 | · | return it similar to what happened with |
| 7:38 | · | the binian bronzes. If one convinced the |
| 7:41 | · | German side that they want to give it |
| 7:44 | · | back, that I think is the moment when it |
| 7:46 | · | may happen. Whether that will happen, |
| 7:48 | · | whether I will live to see it is very |
| 7:50 | · | unsure. |
| 7:52 | · | We'll keep watching how this dispute |
| 7:55 | · | develops. Thank you very much, Professor |
| 7:57 | · | Zastan Conrad from the Fryon Visit |
| 8:00 | · | Berlin. Thank you. |
| 8:02 | · | Thank you. |
