In a factory near Cairo, a man hunches over a bust of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti, carefully dabbing with a paintbrush. Next door, two men inspect a life-size replica of the pharaoh Tutankhamun’s famed golden chariot.
These experts in the restoration of artefacts sometimes thousands of years old have turned their skills to creating new products for a government initiative to fill Egypt’s gift shops with locally made souvenirs.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities oversees Konouz, a state-owned factory on a 10,000 sq m site set up at a cost of 100 million Egyptian pounds ($6.36m). The staff of about 150 includes restoration experts drawn from the ministry and Supreme Council of Antiquities, as well as fine art students in training.
“Why restoration experts? Because they have the know-how in both the technical aspect of the job and the artistic and cultural sides as well,” says Mohamed Noseir Ahmed, one of the factories head supervisors.
The factory currently has a range of about 70 replicas, including miniatures of King Tut’s funerary mask and a fibreglass model of Alexander the Great’s bust, and it has plans to expand.
The replicas are mainly for decorative purposes, so are made of lightweight materials and painted in vibrant colours, making them attractive additions to the coffee tables of the historically inclined.
While the bulk of the replicas produced are of artefacts from Ancient Egypt, the factory’s talented staff also explore other civilisations that have influenced Egypt’s long history, including Greco-Roman, Coptic and, of course, Islamic.
The project is part of an overhaul of Egypt’s tourism industry that includes the revamp of parts of historic Cairo, particularly Fatimid Cairo, and the opening of museums.
In April, a live-streamed all-singing, all-dancing parade of 22 mummies from their old home at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation attracted millions of viewers from around the world. Now, the authorities are ready to cash in.
Riding the wave of interest, the first Konouz store opened at the museum in early April. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi was presented with a replica of Tutankhamun on a skiff, a prominent piece from the boy king's treasures, made by Konouz, at the opening of the museum.
“We thought that with Covid-19 keeping foreign tourists away, there wouldn’t be much interest in our replicas, but we actually sold a fair amount of stuff at our store inside the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation,” Mr Ahmed said.
“This proves that Egyptians, as well as foreigners, are definitely interested in buying these kinds of things. They just have to be of a good quality.”
The factory produces about 200 to 250 finished replicas each day, but its managers hope to push that number up to between 500 and 800 once tourism recovers from the pandemic.
All replicas made by Konouz bear a seal of approval from the Supreme Council of Antiquities as a sign of good quality. Buyers can scan a bar code on the product to find out more about the original artefact online.
One replica that has proved popular is a miniature sarcophagus, about 7 centimetres long, which when opened reveals a cartoonishly macabre mummy inside. The sarcophagus is available in several colours and sells for about 50 Egyptian pounds ($3).
As well as making scaled-down models that can be displayed in homes, the team at Konouz makes life-size replicas of large items costing up to 12,000 Egyptian pounds. They can be also be bought online.
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“It was important to open an online store to sell our products. I am, personally, very proud of their quality and I think people will see right away that they are of superior quality to any other replicas sold in Egypt, or outside,” Mr Ahmed said proudly.
The replicas reflect any physical defects that the originals were found with. For example, the replica of a pair of slippers unearthed with King Tut’s treasures includes a visible crack in the wooden base. The crack is the result of the slippers being buried for many years, and is reproduced for greater authenticity.
“We want people to buy replicas that look as much like the originals they see displayed at a museum as possible,” Mr Ahmed said.
The factory employed only people with the skill to faithfully replicate even the damaged aspects of famous artefacts, he said.
At the core of Konouz’s philosophy is a nationalistic refusal to let Egypt’s cultural heritage be appropriated by other countries. The sentiment is shared by many of the factory’s employees, who seem motivated by the factory’s mission statement.
“We are Egyptian and ancient Egyptians are our ancestors. So I find it personally embarrassing when you see an ancient Egyptian artefact and it says ‘Made in China’ on the bottom,” said Hossam El Gawy, a sculptor with more than 30 years of experience.
“I believe we are responsible for paying tribute to our great heritage and I believe we can do a better job than anyone else.”
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
