Aswan & the Upper Nile

 

As of 30th January 2011, Aswan museums reported to be untouched.  This has been confirmed by Dr Mike Jenkins in a comment on this page on 31st January.

Got a phone call through to Aswan. Army is said to have secured the Nubian Museum. The Aswan Museum on Elephantine was approached by looters but report says that they were turned back by locals. Streets said to be quiet with army visible but no police.

On 2nd February, Dr Hawass reported that all monuments and sites in the Aswan area are safe but the situation remains fluid.

On the night of 23rd (22nd?) February, thieves raided the south quarry to try to steal a 160 ton statue of Ramses II as Osisris.  Fortunately archaeologists and locals rallied to prevent the raid and the looters were arrested; however as the picture (courtesy SCA) shows, not before the statue suffered some deep gouges.

In April 2012 police arrested a man who dug beneath his house, “uncovering clay pots, an incense urn and tablets bearing images of lotus flowers.” – Egypt Independent

El Kom Al Ahmer

Luxor Times reports that would-be looters were arrested at El Kom Al Ahmer near Edfu in early March 2011.

Esna

Two men were arrested in Esna in April 2012 for digging beneath their houses near the Temple of Khnum. “Police said they found a 10-meter (10-yard) deep hole under the houses with hieroglyphic inscriptions dating to the Ptolemaic dynasty as well as ancient clay pots.” Report from the Egypt Independent.

Wadi Abu Subeira

Per Storemyr reports in April 2012 that the largely unrecorded rock art in the area is under threat from modern mining.

Last modified: February 10th, 2013

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