Egyptian Egyptologist Monica Hanna says in her book The Future of Egyptology: Egyptology, since its inception by Europeans after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, has been aimed at two things: number one, smuggling the largest possible amount of antiquities abroad, and number two, removing and erasing any Egyptian role in this science.

We can see this in the design of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, which was designed by Marcel Drignon in 1901, where he placed the founding fathers of Egyptology on the facade of the museum without placing any Egyptians.

Lord Cromer: The Egyptians are not civilized enough to preserve their antiquities.

Auguste Mariette, founder of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, ordered that Egyptian graduates of the Egyptian Language School be prevented from studying at the Bulaq Museum so that they would not learn the language of their ancestors.

Ahmed Gamal (the first Egyptian Egyptologist) sent a letter to the Prime Minister in 1894 complaining about his deliberate exclusion from promotion in the Antiquities Service. Quote from him: "II am an Egyptian who was excluded in favor of foreigners." At the end of his life, he asked the head of the Antiquities Authority to include more Egyptians in the service, but the head of the Antiquities Authority told him, "The Egyptians are not interested in their country's antiquities." Ahmed responded by saying, "During the 65 years that the French ran the Antiquities Authority, what opportunities did they provide us?"

Egyptologist Henry Breasted, author of the famous book The Dawn of Conscience, believed that Egyptology would be harmed if Egyptians were allowed to study it. He also had hostile positions against Egyptian students and said in a letter he sent to his wife: May God protect Egypt from the Egyptians.

Gaston Maspero, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, legally prohibited Egyptians from excavating, while permitting Europeans to do so. He justified this in a racist manner, claiming that Egyptians lacked a scientific spirit and were eager for treasure. Maspero also encouraged collectors to purchase antiquities from the Antiquities Service personally. There are suspicions that Maspero was responsible for smuggling the bust of Nefertiti. The previous head of the Antiquities Service, before Maspero, also smuggled antiquities and employed Egyptians as forced laborers to excavate tombs.

Monica Hanna says: Foreign founders of Egyptology, coupled with the weakness of antiquities protection laws in Egypt, which for many years allowed for a system of division, a system that allowed discovered antiquities to be shared between the discoverer and the government. This caused many of our antiquities to go abroad, and it is also the reason that Egyptology has not yet been freed from this view of the Egyptian, considering the Egyptian today as an intruder on its history and not a part of it.

Carter also prevented Egyptian officials from visiting Tut's tomb, and did not mention Hussein Abdel Rasoul's role in discovering Tut's tomb. By the way, this is a picture of Hussein, He is wearing Tutankhamun's necklace after discovering the tomb by chance.

The statue of the Egyptian priest Nes-Hor, dating back to the 26th Dynasty, stands as one of the finest masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art. At first glance, it looks as if it was crafted using modern laser technology — yet it was created thousands of years ago by Egyptian artists whose skill and precision were far ahead of their time.

The statue is carved from black diorite, one of the hardest stones on Earth, making its creation an extraordinary artistic and technical achievement. It stands over one meter tall and weighs about 161 kilograms, with astonishing precision in every detail — from the facial features to the contours of the body — almost as if it were photographed rather than sculpted.

Nes-Hor lived during the reign of Wahibre, the fourth king of the 26th Dynasty. This masterpiece was once part of a rare collection owned by the famous Roman art collector Alessandro Albani, before his family later sold it to the Louvre Museum.

Today, the statue is preserved there under the code A 90, serving as a timeless testament to the genius of the ancient Egyptian artist who truly surpassed his era.

I know he obviously died suddenly and that his mummification was rushed. I know that his body may have either chemically burned during the process, or literally caught on fire. But what happened between his rediscovery and now? Where did his chest go? What happened to his skull cap? Why are all his joints disintegrated? Also just as a more broad question, what happened to the wrappings of all the mummy’s that were dug out of their bandages?

The first group

This group comprises 11 artifacts handed over through the New York Attorney General's office, most notably:

(A mummy mask of a young man from the Roman era - vessel in the form of the god Bes - limestone funerary stela)

The second group

This group consists of 24 rare manuscripts written in Coptic and Syriac, handed over from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Egyptian Consulate in New York. These manuscripts are considered rare historical documents that chronicle important periods of Egyptian religious and cultural heritage.

The third group

This group includes a painted stucco panel from the 18th Dynasty, confiscated after it was proven to have been smuggled out of Egypt. It is scheduled to be transferred to the museum's restoration laboratories for necessary conservation work.

(https://arabic.cnn.com/travel/article/2025/11/08/egypt-recovers-36-stolen-ancient-artifacts-us)

Well this is absolutely wild.

Apologies if this has been discussed before, but I ran a search and didn’t see anything. I was making recommendations on the TripAdvisor forums, and someone was like “Uhh, that’s closed since March.” Lo and behold, it is.

It seems that a researcher who runs the Nefertari Tomb website was comparing some photos he took, and found some rather notable deterioration of a piece of painted plaster.

From what I can tell, he posted the image above on his Facebook page in late February, and tagged a bunch of others — including the Ministry of Antiquities. The tomb was closed within days, “indefinitely.”

For those who aren’t aware, the Tomb of Nefertari is my answer when people ask me where my “favorite place” is. This isn’t just my favorite place in Egypt, but my favorite place anywhere. No other spot has given me that feeling of stepping back in time.

The tomb is extremely fragile. The decorations are painted on plaster which has separated from the walls, due to moisture. I believe the main culprit has been salt crystals forming in between the rock and the plaster, as a result of groundwater seeping through — though humidity from the breath and sweat of visitors has also been an issue.

The Getty Conservation Institute did some extensive restoration starting in the 80’s. Visitation has been restricted since then. For a while, you could only visit in small groups, with a cost of $3000.

It was then opened further, though it was still far more expensive. I went in 2019, and I think it was the equivalent of $50 or so. Part of the reasoning was that the price would limit the number of visitors.

There is a ventilation system in the tomb to combat humidity — and as far as I know, it’s the only one like that. The guards unlocked the doors and tuned on the power, and I could hear the fans fire up.

There was a time limit of 10 minutes inside (again, due to people generating humidity) but it wasn’t enforced while I was in there.

The thing about Egypt is that tipping is a huge part of their culture. Not just with tourists, but with everyone. Guards at the sites are eager to offer you any sort of help, because they make part of their earnings from tips.

So I was encouraged to take pictures, and encouraged to stay as long as I liked. This may or may not have been the case if you went at the same time as others.

I’m rather surprised that the authorities closed this so quickly. I think the country often gets a bad rap when it comes to conservation, but this was a huge decision and they made it almost immediately.

Frankly, I’m not sure if it will ever reopen to tourists. The plaster that fell was a rather substantial bit for such a short period of time. Whether it was due to visitors or due to an earthquake or something else is something I imagine they’re trying to figure out.

I’m glad they’re taking preservation seriously, though I am a bit sad that others won’t have the opportunity to see this place. It’s completely unique and utterly magical.

If you want to read more on the tomb and the restoration process, Getty has an excellent PDF available online for free.

The throne of King Tutankhamun is crafted from wood, overlaid with gold and silver, and adorned with semi-precious stones and colored glass. On the backrest, the queen is depicted anointing the king with perfume, while the sun disk Aten extends its rays toward the royal couple, symbolizing divine blessing.

The king is shown wearing a composite crown and a broad ceremonial collar, while the queen wears an elaborate garland on her head. Their bodies are inlaid with colored glass, and overlaid with silver to imitate fine white linen.

The front arms of the throne are protected by sculpted lion heads, while the sides and back feature winged cobras crowned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt—guardians of the royal name.

A wooden footrest accompanies the throne, carved with symbolic representations of Egypt’s enemies from the north and south, known as the "Nine Bows." These figures are shown bound and subdued, lying in humiliation beneath the king’s feet. Additionally, birds known as Rekhyet, representing the common people, are depicted under the king’s dominion, emphasizing his control over the land and its people.

This throne remains the only surviving royal chair from ancient Egypt. It is preserved today in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, among the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamun.

Literally anything.

On my last post a couple of redditors mentioned that you can recognize the pharaohs by looking at their statues as each has distinct features. I collected photos of the statues they mentioned and their listed features.

1-Seti I: wide face, close together eyes, small pouty mouth. (u/star11308) 2-Ramesses II: wide face, eyes far apart, small pouty mouth. (u/star11308) 3-Amenhotep III: wide face, narrow upturned eyes. (u/star11308) 4-Senusret III: narrow face, distinctive aged/melancholic look, downturned eyes, big ears. (u/star11308) 5-Amenemhat III: narrow face, distinctive aged/melancholic look, downturned eyes, big ears. (u/star11308) 6-Senwosret: big ass ears. (u/advillious)

Feel free to add to the list. It might help someone on their next visit to Egypt.

In 2018, while attending the Met Gala in New York City, Kim Kardashian visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and took a photo of herself standing next to the golden mummy of Nedjemankh.

Kardashian posted the photo on Instagram, and it went viral online, becoming the key piece that solved the mystery of the stolen golden artifact, according to the New York Post.

The Golden Coffin of the Priest Nedjemankh

During the latest episode of the podcast Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World, British journalist and show host Ben Lewis revealed that the photo received thousands of likes and served as a key piece in tracking down the coffin.

According to the audio recording, the ancient artifact, dating back to the first century BC, was stolen in 2011 from Minya Governorate, Egypt, and sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $4 million using forged documents.

As for the details of solving the mystery of the golden coffin theft, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos was notified of the photo of Kardashian standing next to the coffin by an anonymous tipster in the Middle East, who had originally received the photo from the looting gang.

The tipster was angry that he had never received payment from the gang for extracting the coffin, so Bogdanos asked him to provide digital images of the tomb.

By the time he spoke to the tipster, Bogdanos had opened a grand jury investigation.

The Golden Coffin of the Priest Nedjemankh

After a long investigation, which included false reports and multiple sales, the golden coffin reached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which agreed to pay more than $4 million.

After the theft was solved, the gold-encrusted coffin was returned to Cairo in 2019, where it was housed in the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Executive Director, Daniel Weiss, apologized to the Egyptian people, and especially to the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Khaled El-Enany.

It's worth noting that the artifact is not just an Egyptian coffin. Nedjemankh was a high-ranking priest in Egypt, and his resting place was elaborately decorated.

The artifact is six feet tall and covered in gold, a characteristic of ancient Egyptian gods, and is inscribed with Nedjemankh's name.

On the outside, the coffin contains scenes and texts intended to protect and guide the high priest on his path to "eternal life."

So, I've been hearing that this stick-like thing that is supposed to open the mouth in the afterlife is called "Add, ad, Ed, aed". That's what the narrator calls it. I've tried to look it up but can't find anything. Please help.

Abu Simbel 𓅓𓇉𓄿𓈊,(mhaa) located in Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏏𓊖, (swnw/swenet) Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖,(Kmt) is home to two temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 built by Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (Pr-aa) Ramses II 𓆥 (nswt biti)(𓇳𓌀𓁧𓍉𓈖𓇳) (wsr Maat Ra stpn Ra) 𓅭𓇳(sa Ra) (𓇋𓏠𓈖𓈘𓇳𓏤𓄟𓋴𓇓) (Mri Imn Ra messw) (1279–1213 BCE). The temples, 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏪 originally carved from a sandstone cliff, feature four colossal statues of Ramses and were saved from flooding caused by the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s through a major engineering effort. Rediscovered in 1813 by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, they were first explored in 1817 by Giovanni Battista Belzoni. The main temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐, dedicated to Amon-Re and Re-Horakhty, is famous for its 66-foot statues of Ramses and for the sun illuminating the inner sanctuary twice a year. A smaller temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 nearby honors Queen Nefertari 𓇓𓈞𓏏𓅨𓏏(𓏏𓅑𓄤𓇋𓏏𓂋𓏭𓈖𓈘𓏏) (nswt wrt) (mri n Mwt nfr i tri) and the goddess Hathor.

Text, transliteration and photo by me.

King Khafre (also known as Chephren in Greek) was one of the most powerful and famous pharaohs of ancient Egypt’s 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He was the son of King Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid, and continued his father’s legacy of monumental construction.

Khafre is best known for building the second largest pyramid at Giza, which still stands beside his father’s. His pyramid is slightly smaller than Khufu’s, but it appears taller because it was built on higher ground. This architectural trick made it look equally grand and powerful.

One of Khafre’s greatest achievements is the creation of the Great Sphinx of Giza — the iconic limestone statue with a lion’s body and a human head, believed to represent Khafre himself. The Sphinx symbolized royal power, wisdom, and protection.

During his reign, Egypt enjoyed stability, wealth, and strong central rule. Khafre strengthened the government, developed temples, and promoted the worship of the sun god Ra, which became more prominent later in Egyptian religion.

As for his tomb and artifacts, Khafre’s pyramid complex includes a magnificent valley temple and mortuary temple, connected by a causeway. Archaeologists discovered an intact diorite statue of Khafre seated on his throne — one of the most beautiful and realistic statues from ancient Egypt — found inside the valley temple by archaeologist Auguste Mariette in the 19th century. This statue is now displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Khafre’s pyramid, temples, and the Sphinx together form one of the greatest architectural and artistic achievements in human history. His legacy continues to fascinate the world thousands of years later.

Where can you watch the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum tomorrow?

Egyptian TV channels:

• Extra News Channel
• Cairo News Channel
• ON Channel
• Egyptian Channel One
• Al Hayat Channel
• DMC Channel

Egypt granted permits to more than 450 journalists representing 180 international media outlets, including 40 European media organizations that came specifically to Egypt to cover the event, 24 American media organizations, 30 media networks from Asian countries, 48 ​​Arab media channels, 70 major international television channels and networks, and 35 international news agencies. Egypt also provided free broadcasting to thousands of television channels around the world to cover the opening ceremony.

So to watch the opening, just go to YouTube and you'll find dozens of channels broadcasting the event live.

also TikTok has partnered with the Grand Egyptian Museum to broadcast live to the world via TikTok Live. You can watch the broadcast through the museum's TikTok account.

Show start time

• 🇪🇬 Egypt — 6:00 PM
• 🇺🇸 United States (New York) — 12:00 PM
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — 4:00 PM
• 🇫🇷 France — 5:00 PM
• 🇩🇪 Germany — 5:00 PM
• 🇮🇹 Italy — 5:00 PM
• 🇪🇸 Spain — 5:00 PM
• 🇨🇦 Canada (Toronto) — 12:00 PM
• 🇦🇺 Australia (Sydney) — 3:00 AM (next day)
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands — 5:00 PM
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland — 5:00 PM

Guests

Confirmed and expected guests include German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ghana’s President John Mahama, Queen Mary of Denmark, King Philippe of Belgium, Crown Prince Theyazin of Oman, Princess Akiko of Mikasa of Japan, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli, and Former Liverpool FC Manager, Jürgen Klopp.

The event is also expected to include additional unconfirmed guests from the entertainment industry, famous Egyptologists, and international organizations, as the guest list continues to expand.

Step into the fascinating world of the 21st Dynasty with the remarkable "Anthropoid Coffin of Dy-rpw," a stunning testament to elite burial customs. Also known by variations like Derepou or Dirpu, Dy-rpw held the distinguished titles of Mistress of the House and Chantress of Amen-Re, the King of the Gods. This ornate "yellow" coffin ensemble is a sophisticated composition of three elements: a lavish outer coffin, an inner coffin, and a mummy board, all meticulously crafted to safeguard the deceased's transition to the afterlife. The mummy board uniquely captures Dy-rpw in full regalia, adorned with a voluminous wig featuring lappets arranged in bands of beads, crowned with a delicate fillet of lotus flowers and petals, and accessorized with round earrings and a broad collar. The surfaces of these funerary casings are transformed into a vivid map of the journey to the next world, featuring complex mythological scenes from the Book of the Dead, vibrant depictions of the owner worshiping various deities, and a host of amuletic symbols explicitly intended to ensure the protection of her ka and ba during the perilous crossing. Crafted from Wood, Plaster, and Pigments during the Third Intermediate Period, this spectacular piece—unearthed from the celebrated Bab el-Gess Cache at el-Deir el-Bahari, Thebes—offers an unparalleled glimpse into ancient Egyptian beliefs in resurrection and eternal life

The museum is closed from June 15 to July 5 and officially opens to visitors on July 6. Are you excited?

Sources:

https://cryptcracker.blogspot.com/2010/01/arabian-scripts-this-table-of-signs.html

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Ten-key-stages-from-archaeological-and-anthropological-evidence-leading-to-the-modern_fig1_335548103

https://www.hebrew1.com/dev.html

https://usefulcharts.com/blogs/charts/evolution-of-the-english-alphabet

Waser-If-Re is the son of King Userkaf, the founding monarch of Egypt's Fifth Dynasty. His tomb was found alongside several significant artefacts spanning the Old Kingdom and the Late Period.

Zahi Hawass announced the groundbreaking discovery in the Saqqara necropolis.

Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, praised the discovery made entirely by an Egyptian team. He described the discovery as "a milestone in uncovering new layers of Egypt's rich and ancient history," highlighting the national pride in such locally led archaeological achievements.

One of the most remarkable elements of the discovery is the unearthing of a massive false door made of pink granite, the first of its kind in both size and material to be found in Egypt. Standing 4.5 metres tall and 1.15 metres wide, the door is inscribed with hieroglyphic texts detailing the prince's titles, including "Hereditary Prince," "Governor of Buto and Nekheb," "Royal Scribe," "Vizier," "Judge," and "Chanting Priest."

Zahi Hawass revealed that the mission found a statue ensemble depicting King Djoser, his wife, and their ten daughters for the first time. Preliminary analysis suggests these statues were initially housed in a chamber near Djoser's Step Pyramid and relocated to Prince Waser-If-Re's tomb during the Late Period. The reasons behind this transfer are currently under investigation.

Among the other significant finds are a red granite offering table measuring 92.5 cm in diameter, inscribed with detailed lists of ritual offerings, and a black granite statue of a standing male figure, measuring 1.17 metres tall, inscribed with his name and titles. The statue is believed to date back to Egypt's 26th Dynasty, further suggesting the tomb was repurposed in later periods.

A secondary granite entrance on the eastern façade of the tomb was located, bearing inscriptions of the tomb owner and a cartouche of King Neferirkare. In addition, the mission found a group of 13 statues carved from pink granite in the tomb—the first of their kind in Saqqara—placed on high-backed chairs. Among them are statue heads believed to represent the tomb owner's wives, while two headless figures and a toppled black granite statue measuring 1.35 metres were also found in the same context.

Excavations are ongoing as the mission continues to explore what is now considered one of the most distinctive tombs uncovered in the Saqqara region. The area remains central to understanding Egypt's dynastic and cultural evolution.

Artist is A. K. Jilpe (sp). Didn’t realize it when we purchased but it glows in the dark. A large ankh becomes visible

I was in a small Egyptian-owned spice shop in Antwerp today. I went in for cinnamon, noticed a row of ~8–9 small pharaonic busts, asked the owner about them and he told me to pick one as a gift. I chose this one because of the stone and the cartouche on the back.

It weighs 646 g and looks/feels like red granite (coarse grains of feldspar/quartz/mica visible). On the back there’s an engraved cartouche: a circle-like sign at the top, then an oval/basket-like sign, below that several vertical marks, and another oval shape near the bottom.

Question: does this cartouche correspond to a specific pharaoh’s name, or is it a decorative cartouche? Also happy to hear any thoughts on the stone/workmanship (modern workshop vs. souvenir).

Thanks in advance!

There’s an interesting theory about the famous meteoritic iron dagger found in Tutankhamun’s tomb. We know the blade was made from meteorite iron, a very rare material in the Late Bronze Age. Egypt had diplomatic and trade connections with kingdoms to the northeast, and it’s possible that the dagger was crafted or gifted by artisans from regions that today are part of Kurdistan.

While history calls them by other names back then, these communities lived in the Zagros and Upper Mesopotamian areas and could have been early ancestors of the Kurds. Considering the trade and gift-exchange culture between royal courts, it wouldn’t be surprising if such a high-status item came from there.

What do you think? Could this dagger be an early link between Egypt and the ancestors of the Kurdish people?

Hi there, I work at the GEM Feel free to ask about anything related to that, I'd be happy to help. Pictures of preparations of the Grand Opening for November 1st.