MODERN EGYPT

A line-up of greats

Al Ahram Weekly
Feb. 9, 2009

The third annual day for archaeologists took place last week at the Cairo Opera House, with Nevine El-Aref attending

This year, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) celebrated Archaeologists' Day differently from the two previous years. This event focussed on paying homage to those who had led the SCA over the last three decades and the role they played in exploring, enriching, documenting and preserving Egypt's heritage.

A number of specialists who had helped in restoring and exploring important archaeological sites were also honoured.

This year, as usual, the Main Hall of the Opera House became a temple for the day, embellished with an imposing façade, columns and statues of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and deities. The stage had a special backdrop featuring the logo of the SCA, a cartouche bearing the ray of the sun god. Each side of the stage was lined with a large gypsum mound on which were engraved portraits of the nine previous SCA heads, along with the portrait of the late Ahmed Youssef, known as the sheikh of restorers.

In a similar way to the sound and light performance, each portrait told the story of the chosen person's professional life, achievements and the problems he had faced during his career.

During the ceremony the nine archaeologists and the restorer were honoured with a certificate and a golden collar. In the case of those who are no longer with us, the collar and certificate were received by a family representative. The nine were the late Victor Guirguis who held it in 1977, the late Shehata Adam, head of the SCA from 1978 to 1981, the late Fouad El-Orabi (1981 to 1983), the late Ahmed Qadri who occupied the position from 1983 to 1988, the late Sayed Tawfiq (1989 to 1990), Ibrahim Bakr (1991 to 1993), Abdel-Halim Noureddin (1993 to 1996), Ali Hassan (1996 to 1997), and Gaballa Ali Gaballa (1997 to 2002). The restorer Ahmed Youssef who was also honoured was responsible for the work on Khufu's solar boat on the Giza Plateau.

Hisham El-Leithi, the organiser of the ceremony, said that a book of photographs in colour reviewing the trail of their work in archaeology, along with the others honoured in the ceremony, was being printed and launched by the SCA.

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