WATANI International
21 August 2011
Diary of a revolution
The State Information Service (SIS) has issued its most recent publication: Journals of the 25 January Revolution; Freedom, Democracy, Social Justice. SIS Chairman Ismail Khairat said the publication includes a precise documentation for the revolution and its day-by-day events in Cairo and outside it, as well as the regional and international reaction to the revolution throughout its 18 decisive days until Hosni Mubarak stepped down.
Germany develops slums in Giza
The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) has allocated EGP56 million as a grant to develop shanty areas in Giza governorate, Giza governor Ali Abdel-Rahman said. The governor said the grant will be allocated to develop the areas of Gezirat al-Dahab and Hekr Abbas in the Warraq district.
Cairo Book Fair
Earlier this month, Culture Minister Emad Abu-Ghazi and Giza Governor Ali Abdel-Rahman inaugurated the Cairo Book Fair at the Giza neighbourhood of Faisal. Abu-Ghazi expressed his satisfaction with the high visitor turnout at the fair, which is—for reasons related to the aftermath of the 25 January Revolution—being held for the first time outside its regular venue.
Egypt had to cancel its annual Cairo International Book Fair earlier this year after the outbreak of the revolution. The new fair, which runs till next Friday, comes as an attempt to stimulate the book market after it suffered a recession since the outbreak of the revolution. This round of the Cairo Book Fair includes 175 pavilions, and is held with the participation of 58 publishers among them 11 Arab publishers from Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.
Artefacts back home
Nineteen artefacts taken from the tomb of the famed boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died some 3300 years ago, have been returned to Egypt after more than half a century at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The trove includes a miniature bronze dog and a sphinx-shaped bracelet ornament, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement. The move is the result of an agreement between the two institutions last year to return the objects to Egypt. At the time, then-antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said the objects would become part of the permanent King Tut collection at the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which is under construction near the Giza pyramids and is scheduled to open in 2012. The antiquities authority said the pieces were sent to New York in 1948 when the Metropolitan Museum closed its expedition house in Egypt. The decision to repatriate the objects came after an extensive examination of the validity of their origin.
17th century reservoir under mosque
Excavations carried out at a mosque in Alexandria led to the discovery of a water reservoir which dates back to the Islamic age lying under the mosque. The 100-square-metre tank, used to store water for ablution, is a one-floor room decorated with marble columns and domes, according to Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud. The 326-year-old tank was connected to a sabeel (water fountain) which disappeared due to later encroachments by shop owners. Archaeologists are currently searching for the entries and exits of the sabeel, while renovations and restoration work is being planned.
The revolution through British eyes
In a press conference at the British Embassy in Cairo last Sunday, the sports achievement of the British cyclist Dominic Gill, who completed some 4000km on his bike in Egypt, was feted. Gill left Tahrir Square on 16 June and completed a tour of post-revolutionary Egypt on 10 August. For Gill, who is seeking to record the change that took place in Egypt after the revolution, this is the third tour.