Abstract
Egypt’s cultural heritage is being drained by the trade in looted antiquities, which is being combatted by the Central Administration for Archaeological Units in Egyptian Ports, which commissioned to preserve the cultural heritage (locally and internationally) and prevent its smuggling through the different Egyptian ports. According to the official statistics of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities the total number of seized archaeological artifacts from 2010 to 2021 is about 22732 and this number is growing! Throughout the history, Egypt is an attractive destination for antiquities traffickers to excavate artefacts to sell on the worldwide black market because of its rich ancient and current history. The engagement of local communities is one potential solution for the inclusive museums in Egypt. The artifacts that were seized in Egyptian ports and used as the core objects of new museum exhibitions are described in this paper as a means of interpretation them to the public and of engaging the local community. The journey of those artefacts from being seized to being displayed in the new museums which are presented in the paper, along with the processes involved in seizing, documenting, conserving, transporting, interpreting, managing visitors, providing informational resources, and putting visitor guidance into practice in their museums. The findings are discussed in broader contexts about repatriation and post-colonial cultural management in Egypt and shed light on how the inclusive museums could play the important role to engage their local communities throughout the seized artifacts?
Presenters
Hamdy Hammam Hassan HusienHead of the Central Administration for Archaeological Units, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Egypt, Al Iskandariyah, Egypt
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement
KEYWORDS
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS, REPATRIATION, LOCAL COMMUNITY, MUSEUM PRACTICE, SEIZED ANTIQUITIES
