The section records the status of the various pyramid fields and their associated tombs and museums. Sites are allocated separate pages as the volume of information for the site increases.
Last modified: January 31st, 2011
The section records the status of the various pyramid fields and their associated tombs and museums. Sites are allocated separate pages as the volume of information for the site increases.
By Kate Phizackerley
Last modified: January 31st, 2011
Al Masry Al Youm reports continued looting in AbuSir since the revolution in 2011.
“The Abu Sir sand quarry has, according to residents, been digging outside its property for years, crossing the restrictive lines put in place by the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs.
The same location was reported to have fallen victim to archaeological theft and looting during the 2011 protests earlier last year.
Residents say that this looting and digging for antiquities has never stopped and now involves many of the quarrymen.
“Before, there were occasional cases of people searching at night with a shovel and a flashlight, but now it’s being done on a bigger scale, using the trucks during the day,” says a local resident who asked to remain anonymous due to sensitivity around the issue and a fear for his own safety.
“They’re no longer just taking sand, you can find them looking through the sand inside the trucks, dumping it then taking more. They’re even digging into the mud all the way under the sand, too, which dates back to ancient times,” the resident said.”
The newspaper reports huge problems with waste trucks at the site, too. Read the whole article here:
http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/681041
Thanks Daniel, I added it to the Abu Sir page as well.
hello everybody!
icom/blue shield has done his last rapport about lootage in the area of the pyramids;
and there’s good news!
http://www.blueshield.at/egypt_2011/mission_report_egypt_02_2011.pdf
etienne
[...] Sources and further reading: Google News Paul Barford Culture Girl Dr Zahi Hawass PHDiva Egyptological Looting Database [...]
hello,
on facebook, i see that the maya tomb was looted!!!
what a desaster!
this was one of the most beatyfull tomb of saqqara!
sadly!
etienne
I have already added that report to the Saqqara page. There seems to be some doubt as to precisely which tomb was raided (or whether any tomb was raided at all) – Maya or Maia (please God not both) – but in any case it is awful. When Abusir and Saqqara become fully accessible again, I suspect the news may be truly depressing. Until then, we can only hope.