Luxor’s return to the archaeological spotlight with the reopening of the Avenue of Sphinxes last week rekindled a debate about Egyptian treasures in Europe.
As Egyptians watched the spectacle, where hundreds of performers dressed in period costume paraded along the 3,400-year-old road that links two of Egypt’s most popular tourist attractions, some noticed an omission.
Conspicuous by its absence was a 24-metre obelisk – one of a pair dating to the reign of Ramses II that was erected at the entrance to the Luxor temple but now stands in Paris.
“Dear France, we will be grateful to you if you bring back our obelisk, as it’s much needed now for a perfect symmetry in Luxor. It's our heritage,” wrote one Egyptian on Facebook.
Replies flew as that post went viral.
“Bring it back from Paris,” another read. “Shame! Our looted obelisk adorns a public square in France,” a third said.
But unlike many ancient treasures that made their way to Europe from across the ancient world, the obelisk was not stolen.
Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ottoman ruler of Egypt, gave both obelisks to France as a gift in the early 19th century.
The first of the two monuments, carved from pink granite and weighing 230 tonnes, was transported in a single piece to the French capital on a specially-designed barge that could sail the Nile, cross the Mediterranean and travel the Seine.
The voyage took more than two years, and the ship arrived in France on December 23, 1833. It was erected three years later, in the reign of King Louis-Phillipe, at the centre of Place de la Concorde, one of the five royal squares of the French capital.
The logistical challenge was accepted by Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion, who first decoded ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and led an expedition to Egypt in the early 1800s.
The cost of moving the obelisk was estimated at 2.5 million Francs, about $19 million today. The expense is believed to be why the second obelisk never followed.
The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities said the obelisk and other ancient objects, including the Rosetta Stone and the bust of Nefertiti, were wrongfully removed from Egypt.
In most cases, these treasures were taken long before national or international laws safeguarding them came into being.
It was not until 1972 that the General Conference of Unesco adopted the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
In 1983, Egypt passed a law which made all antiquities the property of the state and outlawed their sale or removal from the country in an effort to safeguard its national heritage.
Inas El Shafei, a former inspector at the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, said it was unlikely that anything that left the country before these rules came into force could be recovered.
Many of Egypt's greatest treasures now reside in institutions like the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris.
“These countries won’t give up [the treasures] without a robust legal fight,” she said.
In 1981, however, French president Francois Mitterand renounced possession of the second obelisk, effectively giving it back to Egypt. As yet there has been no campaign to return it.
Ms El Shafei, who holds a PhD in Egyptian theology from Tanta University in Gharbia, said that superstition was one of the reasons why so much of ancient Egypt’s treasure was allowed to leave.
“There was so much ignorance and so many myths going around that these pharaonic artefacts like statues and obelisks are haram or forbidden,” she said.
Many Egyptians, she said, used to refer to ancient artefacts like the Luxor obelisks, as well as other pharaonic statues, as Nusub El Shaytan – statues of the devil.
“They were also scared by the myth of the pharaohs’ curse. This played well into the hands of foreign excavators and orientalists like Champollion, who was not known in history books for vandalism but demonstrated a great sense of Egyptomania,” she said, referring to the craze for ancient Egypt that swept Europe in the first half of the 19th century.
The Avenue of Sphinxes Parade - in pictures
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
THE%20SWIMMERS
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Pakistan World Cup squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abid Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez(subject to fitness), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Two additions for England ODIs: Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match statistics
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 36 Bahrain 32
Harlequins
Tries: Penalty 2, Stevenson, Teasdale, Semple
Cons: Stevenson 2
Pens: Stevenson
Bahrain
Tries: Wallace 2, Heath, Evans, Behan
Cons: Radley 2
Pen: Radley
Man of the match: Craig Nutt (Harlequins)
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
