Apologies for cross-posting-
This is an update from Sarah Parcak, a specialist in Egyptian
archaeology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This is some
of the news she is getting out of Egypt, and the reports are
disheartening...
She has already contacted US Govt/state dept officials, people involved
in protecting global heritage, The Archaeological Institute of America,
and academics, asking them to set customs and other agencies on "high
alert".
If anyone has any further information about the situation in Egypt
please share. The hope is to raise awareness and get more concrete
information.
Thank you all.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah H Parcak <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, Jan 30, 2011 at 10:42 AM
Subject: Major looting now occuring in Egypt-help needed
Dear All:
Things are escalating. I just received this information directly
(on Facebook) from Egyptologists and members of the Supreme Council for
Antiquities (SCA) who are witnessing the situation:
"Verified by Mohammad Megahed: Immense damages to Abusir and Saqqara,
all magazines and tombs which were sealed were entered last night. Only
Imhotep Museum and adjacent central magazines protected by the
military. In Abusir all tombs opened. large gangs digging day and night
everywhere"
The damage is *vast*.
It seems that some of the storage magazines at South Saqqara and Abusir
have been looted-hard to say how much was taken and the extent of the
robbing. SCA representatives are only today able to check on the
museums/storage magazines, but early reports suggest major looting. If
you all could please contact anyone who can help and put them on "high
alert" for Old Kingdom remains and Egyptian antiquities in general, and
please spread the word to law enforcement officials worldwide.
Egyptian looters (who may be encouraged by outside Egypt entities) may
try to use the general confusion to get things out of the country.
Other bad news: prisons in Qena and Armant (next to Luxor) have been
emptied, so people fear major looting will occur in that region.
Reports still abound for major looting in the Alexandria Museum---but
those reports are hard to confirm. The violence has been worse in
Alexandria, and there have been few police reports there.
I have posted this on Facebook to the Restore + Save the Egyptian
Museum! page.
I will continue to update you as I get more information. I am not sure
if the Italians can send the Carabinieri...anything would help.
Things appear to be getting very bad, and this suggests they will get
much worse.
Best wishes,
Sarah
Sarah H. Parcak, PhD, FSA
Assistant Professor, Dept. of History and Anthropology
Director, Laboratory for Global Observation
University of Alabama at Birmingham
1401 University Blvd
Birmingham, AL 35294
Phone: (205) 996-7982
Fax: (205) 996-7977
