Second-longest ancient scroll unveiled at opening of renovated Egyptian Museum wing


Kamal Tabikha
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The second-longest ancient papyrus — or long piece of inscribed ancient paper — to be discovered in Egypt was unveiled at a ceremony on Monday at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.

Waziri Papyrus I measures more than 16 metres in length and is inscribed with verses from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It was excavated in May 2022 by an all-Egyptian mission working at Cairo’s Saqqara necropolis.

The book is a collection of spells believed in ancient Egypt to assist a dead person on their journey through the underworld.

Despite being announced last year, it had not been seen by the public until Monday night when it was unveiled inside a new exhibit at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square by Mostafa Waziri, the Secretary General of Supreme Council of Antiquities, after whom the papyrus was named.

It had been undergoing restoration since May, Mr Waziri told reporters at Monday’s ceremony.

Unearthed within the sarcophagus of a person named Ahmose, the papyrus, which dates back to 50BC, is inscribed in hieratic, a form of ancient Egyptian shorthand used predominantly by priests, and comprises 13 sections from the Book of the Dead.

The 16-metre papyrus roll was unveiled at a ceremony at Cairo's Egyptian Museum on Monday
The 16-metre papyrus roll was unveiled at a ceremony at Cairo's Egyptian Museum on Monday

The verses were inscribed on the papyrus as 150 columns of writing of varying lengths and were accompanied by hieroglyphics and illustrations.

Ahmose’s name was found 260 times on the papyrus, which led the team to believe that it was meant as his personal funerary document.

Furthermore, another papyrus was found at Saqqara more recently and it is now in restoration, and would be unveiled soon, Mr Waziri said.

It will be named Waziri Papyrus II.

The unveiling took place as part of a larger ceremony held to inaugurate a newly updated wing of the Egyptian Museum which had been undergoing renovation co-funded by the EU.

The renovation plan, the first phase of which has been completed, involves major structural updates to the 120-year-old premises and improvements to its lighting systems and displays. Additionally, its archives and services will be digitised, Mr Waziri said.

Egyptologists from several Egyptian universities attended alongside counterparts from five European museums with large ancient Egyptian collections: the Louvre, the British Museum, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, the National Antiquities Museum in Leiden, in the Netherlands, and the Egyptian Museum in Turin.

The 16-metre papyrus was found in Saqqara in May last year. EPA
The 16-metre papyrus was found in Saqqara in May last year. EPA

The foreign contingent present at the inauguration of the renovated wing at the museum, praised their “longstanding and fruitful co-operation” with the Egyptian Museum.

The redevelopment was undertaken to ensure the Egyptian Museum, the country’s oldest, is not forgotten now that newer, larger and better-equipped alternatives such as the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation have opened to visitors, said Ahmed Eissa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

Mr Eissa announced a plan in January to increase tourism by 30 per cent by updating the quality and speed of services offered to tourists.

“Museums and tourists’ experience inside them is an important part of our plan to boost tourism,” said Mr Eissa during his address on Monday.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the European Commission’s ambassador to Egypt, Christian Berger. He outlined the prominence of the Egyptian Museum, which opened in 1902 and has played an important role in the preservation of the country's heritage.

The longest papyrus to be discovered in Egypt, the Harris Papyrus I, was found near Luxor’s Habu Temple in the 1850s.

It was purchased by a British collector in 1855 and has since been displayed at the British Museum.

Pharaoh's golden death mask and silver coffin among artefacts on display — in pictures

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Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

Spare

Profile

Company name: Spare

Started: March 2018

Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah

Based: UAE

Sector: FinTech

Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019

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The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

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The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.

In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others. 

In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food. 

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Updated: July 10, 2023, 4:40 AM`