Today's Egyptian Museum is Cairo's fifth home to Egyptian artifacts. The first artifacts were exhibited in 1835 at Azbakiya Park (Azbakia Garden) in downtown Cairo. They were then transferred to the exhibition hall of Saladin Castle. In 1855, the Egyptian governor Hedif Said Pasha gave the collection as a gift to Archduke Maximilian of Austria. French Egyptologist August Mariette exhibits the third collection in Braque on the Nile. In 1878, when the Nile flood threatened the Brak pavilion and artifacts, they were moved to a fourth site, the annex of the Gisa Ismail Doge's Palace.
On November 15, 1902, during the reign of Governor Abbas Herme, the museum, now located in Tahrir Square, was completed under the command of Gaston Maspero. The original collection of the museum is about 50,000 pieces, and the current collection is more than 150,000 cultural relics. Each artifact is entered into a database to ensure librarians can keep the data up to date and help scholars get the information they need for research. Most of the artifacts obtained through excavation, purchase, and seizure were shipped to Egyptian museums, where they were displayed or preserved. Today, newly unearthed artifacts are kept in a nearby local museum. There are currently 27 such museums in Egypt.
The Egyptian Museum houses the finest and richest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. The museum houses statues of Khafre, Menkaul, Rahotep, Nofrete, Capel from the Old Kingdom, as well as statues of Seneb and his family. In addition, artifacts were unearthed from the tomb of Khufu's mother, Hetepheres, including her parasol roof, bed, stool, garbage and coffin, which are located in a room on the first floor of the museum. Special exhibition space on display. There are collections from the Middle Kingdom, such as the Mentuhotep statue, the Messehti model, the Mektele model, the statues of Senuslet II and Amenemhet III, as well as the statues of Henumet, Sithartar, Princess Sitasoliunate, Wheat ornaments of Merreret, Weret, Ita, Ita-Weret, Neferupah, etc.
The New Kingdom collection includes ornaments from Ahotep, Hatshepsut, Senanmut, Thutmose III and Amenhotep, statues of Amenhotep III, artifacts of Yua and Tuyu, sons of the architects Amenhotep, Hap, Akhenaten and Nefertiti, and statues of Ramses II, Nachtmin and Nefertiti. Their wives. Tutankhamun's treasures can be seen in the East Gallery, the North Room, and the Upstairs Three Halls. As for late ancient Egypt, the museum has the privilege of exhibiting treasures unearthed in Tanis between 1939 and 1940. The collection includes more than 600 pieces of jewelry from different periods and is currently displayed in glass cases in a good atmosphere.
"Treasures of the Egyptian Museum", Francisco Tiraditi [Italian] by Araldo de Luca, translated by Gao Wei and Li Guojiao, Chemical Industry Press, July 2023.
Napoleon brought the Nile Valley and the Pharaonic civilization back to the Mediterranean cultural sphere
Napoleon's expedition to Egypt was a complete failure from a military point of view, but it had at least one advantage: it brought the Nile Valley and Pharaonic civilization back to the Mediterranean cultural sphere. Representatives of foreign powers in Alexandria and Cairo were attracted to Egyptian art during their time in Egypt, and these consuls collected a large number of artifacts and brought them back to major European cities. The resulting booming art trade sparked European interest in all things Egyptian – an influence evident in the style of furniture and decorative arts in the early 19th century.
The renewed interest in Egypt and its antiquities prompted many European aristocrats to visit the Nile in person. Equipped with extravagant boats beyond imagination to sail on the Nile. In addition to visiting and painting the most important monuments, visitors are sure to buy some artifacts during this time in order to show home to family and friends. These 19th-century memorabilia tend to be huge in size. Wooden coffins are the most popular, and mummies are ordered in equal quantities, especially those that are still wrapped in bandages. After the mummy arrived in Europe, he began to organize performances. While removing the mummy bandage, some sensitive ladies fainted on the spot. In addition to mummies and wooden coffins, the trade in statues of kings and gods, stone tablets, shabit statues, papyrus, furniture, containers, amulets, and scarabs flourished. Fragmentary items with decorations and inscriptions are shipped in their entirety, while complete items run the risk of being demolished by overzealous European tourists.
Even Jean-François Champollion, the decipherer of hieroglyphics, could not resist the beauty of the frescoes in the tomb of Séti I, so he decided to remove one of the portpillars (today displayed at the Louvre in Paris). Champollion's Tuscan colleague Hipólito Rossellini followed suit, removing another doorpost and returning it to Florence. At first, Egyptians were puzzled by the Westerners' love for stones from the earth. So rumors began to circulate that there was treasure under the stone.
Villagers near the archaeological site began looting tombs, temples and statues in an attempt to find jewelry and valuables, but to no avail. It didn't take long for Egyptians to realize that foreigners were interested in the stone itself, not anything else it might hide. Although they found the carved stones unattractive in themselves, they soon became experts in finding and discovering artifacts. It turns out that the lack of authenticity is not a problem. The Egyptians immediately made fakes that looked so beautiful that even Egyptologists of the time had difficulty distinguishing them.
For thirty years after Napoleon's expedition, Egypt was full of people engaged in the trade and export of antiquities for various reasons. The policy measures of local authorities have also promoted the export of Egyptian language abroad. Egypt was under the rule of Muhammad Ali, who was appointed governor by the Ottoman Sultan of Constantinople. After Napoleon's expedition, Muhammad Ali pursued a policy of broad openness to the Western world. Foreigners, especially representatives of large countries, can do whatever they want. Therefore, it was easy for them to obtain permission to conduct excavations in Egypt. In terms of the economic and commercial benefits that close relations with the European powers can bring, the issuance of a "digging permit" is a trifle. Muhammad Ali successfully launched the modernization process with the help of foreign aid, which significantly raised the standard of living of the Egyptian middle class, but this proved to be of no benefit to the poor.
However, his plans also led to the destruction of countless ancient buildings. Many monuments were demolished and stones were filled in lime kilns or used to build new buildings. Many factories even obtain official permission to buy mummies and use the extracts for industrial production. Burning mummies produces fine charcoal, which can be used to purify and bleach sugar after grinding it. Egypt is a major producer of sugar cane and makes extensive use of this technology to export raw materials in large quantities to sugar mills in northern France. This is the Egypt that Champollion encountered in 1828. All his energies are focused on the future, ignoring his own glorious history.
Inside page of the Egyptian Museum Treasures.
By comparing the plates of the Egyptology, the young French scholar could not help but discover that countless monuments had been vandalized over the past three decades. The entire temple complex disappeared without a trace. The huge statues and normal-sized statues that once stood on both sides of the temple and in the courtyard turned into deep pits in the sand before Champollion's eyes. Champollion was particularly surprised that anyone could take whatever he wanted, and that the state had no intention of regulating the flow of Egyptian antiquities. He was particularly concerned that precious artifacts might be hidden in the homes of wealthy Europeans and never see the light of day. However, he is not opposed to having artifacts shipped out of Egypt under official permission for display in museums or public places. Therefore, his attitude towards the preservation of Egyptian monuments is rather ambivalent.
On the one hand, he criticizes individuals for easily obtaining "permission to dig"; On the other hand, he did not hesitate to collect artifacts for the Louvre. He also planned to demolish one of the two obelisks in front of the first tower of the Luxor Temple, a plan that was finally completed in 1836. The French consul at the time, François Mimaut, was one of the most enthusiastic supporters. However, in his official capacity, he took the lead in alerting the Egyptian government to its historical and cultural heritage. Because of his love of antiquities, Mimo had protested directly to Muhammad Ali against the demolition of the Pyramids of Giza as a stone for the construction of the Nile Dam.
It may have been that Mimo suggested that Muhammad Ali commissioned Champollion to write a report on the preservation of Egyptian monuments, which Champollion submitted before leaving Egypt. In his report, he stressed the importance of preserving ancient monuments from a historical perspective, while noting that all important European figures who had visited the Nile Valley should deeply regret the destruction and proliferation of artifacts and monuments. Champollion also called for tighter controls on excavations and exports, but did not propose any concrete measures. However, when the report was presented to Muhammad Ali, no one was willing to act on Champollion's recommendations. Those who sold the artifacts made huge profits from them. Neither Egyptian antiquities sellers nor wealthy European customers really cared about the preservation of antiquities.
The first true Egyptian museum was opened to the public
Over time, Egyptians' attitudes towards their country's cultural monuments changed. Rifa'aal-Tahtawi, a scholar of Egyptian culture who studied and lived in Paris, became a promoter of concrete measures to preserve Egypt's cultural heritage. His ideas contributed to the development of nationalist consciousness in Egypt in the 19th century and aroused interest in history and everything related to Egypt's former glory. Tahtavi succeeded in raising public awareness of the value of antiquities and issued a decree on August 15, 1835, regulating the trade in Egyptian antiquities for the first time. Stone carvings and artifacts were not allowed to leave the country, and the artifacts were kept centrally and displayed somewhere in Cairo, as was the case in all major European cities at the time. The collection of the first artifacts and their transport to the exhibition hall of the Azbakia Garden were carried out by the French engineer and geographer Linand Belfonts, who lived in Cairo for a long time.
Despite temporary measures, the 1835 law remained largely neglected. Foreign trade in Egyptian antiquities and the destruction of ancient monuments continue unabated. Muhammad Ali and his successors continued to treat the new collection of antiquities as private property and, if necessary, gave the artifacts in them as gifts to distinguished guests. A few years later, this practice led to a reduction in collections and the relocation of the museum.
A Ministry of Education hall at Saladin Castle is large enough to house artifacts that have not yet been donated. In 1855, the story of Egypt's first museum ended once and for all when Governor Abbas gave the remaining collection as a gift to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who came to Egypt for an official visit. It has been five years since Auguste Mariette, assistant curator of the Louvre, came to Cairo to enrich the collection of Coptic manuscripts in Paris. When his mission failed (Coptic elders forbade the sale of manuscripts preserved in the church), he decided to carry out excavations in Saqqara, and after years of effort, he discovered the tomb of Serapis. Entrance. Mariette continued to work on the grave of the Cow Bee for three years until he had to return to France.
Inside page of the Egyptian Museum Treasures.
However, the experience in the desert left an indelible impression on him. All the difficulties he encountered during these three years convinced him that Egypt needed effective institutions to promote the preservation of its monuments. Subsequently, he took advantage of Napoleon II's planned excursion to the Nile and came to Egypt again under the pretext of preparing for a visit. Upon arrival, he carried out a series of excavations and worked to raise awareness among local authorities about the preservation of ancient cultural remains. In 1858, the Governor ordered the creation of the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, which oversaw archaeological excavations throughout the country. The position of head of the agency naturally fell to Mariette. Immediately after taking office, he initiated a series of archaeological excavations and research projects. Soon, a large number of artifacts from all over Egypt arrived in Cairo. In the early days of the Antiquities Authority, Mariette faced some difficulties and was forced to deal with Egyptians and Europeans who wanted to continue the antiquities business.
A case in point is the discovery of Akhotep's funerary objects in Dra Abuel-Nga in 1859. But Mayor Keena confiscated the Queen's wooden coffin. He wanted to please the governor and send the treasure to Cairo. Mariette dispatched men to intercept a cargo ship carrying artifacts, successfully found the precious artifacts and issued a stern warning. In 1867, the treasures of Ahotep were exhibited at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Even this time, Mariette had to turn down Empress Eugenie's attempt to acquire the jewels.
Inside page of the Egyptian Museum Treasures.
Despite many problems and Egypt's struggling economy, Mariette opened the first authentic Egyptian museum to the public in 1863 in the building of the Transportation Authority. This building overlooking the Nile is located in the Brak district. Thanks to the archaeological excavations organized annually by Mariette and her assistants, the museum was expanded several times as the collection increased. The collection manual was published between 1864 and 1876 and reprinted six times.
However, the location of Brak revealed serious flaws, with the Nile flooding and the flood of 1878 leading to the loss of many artifacts. Mariette, who has always viewed the Brac building as a temporary site, seized the opportunity, insisting that the government provide the museum with a permanent home that could meet its growing collection needs while being protected from flooding. The Egyptian government has previously approved plans to build a large museum building on the southern tip of the island of Gezira. However, neither Mariette's request nor the government's decree led to a good solution, so Braque's museum continued to operate for another decade.
As new artifacts emerge one after another, the layout of the exhibition hall is constantly changing.
After Mariette's death, the museum was run by Luigi Vasari, who had worked with Mariette for almost two decades. His successor, Gaston Maspero, went to great lengths to move the museum out of the Brac neighborhood, but without success. During the subsequent tenure of Eugene Graebau, the state of the Brack collection was criticized. In 1889, the building's capacity reached its limit: there was no free space for the exhibition hall and the warehouse, and the artifacts excavated at that time had to be placed on cargo ships in Upper Egypt for a long time.
This dire situation forced Governor Ismail to donate his palace in Giza (now a zoo) as the new site of the museum. From the summer until the end of 1889, the collection was transferred from Brak to Giza. In January 1890, the new museum was ready to open to the public. A few years later, plans for the construction of a new museum were approved. Out of 73 proposals submitted, the plan of French architect Marcel Dourgnon finally stood out. His designs were quite avant-garde at the time. First of all, it is the world's first museum building specifically designed and built. Secondly, the entire building was a reinforced concrete structure, using relatively new materials that had just been discovered at that time. Many of the entries were inspired by ancient Egyptian architectural models, and the Dunion Museum has a classical style and appearance. It's just that the floor plan is cleverly integrated with the pattern of the temples of late ancient Egypt. For example, the part of the main gallery perpendicular to the main body of the building is reminiscent of the tower doors of an Egyptian temple, while the layout of the wide central hall and surrounding side chambers can still be seen in the Temple of Edfu. Today.
Duñon designed the interior of the museum as an open space, with no strict boundaries between different areas, allowing visitors to move around and feel the majesty of ancient Egypt. However, Duñon's winning bid caused great controversy, especially in the Italian community struggling to raise money for the new building. The victory of the French team means the defeat of the Italian team, who feel cheated. Perhaps it is for this reason that the museum was built by the Italian company Garozzoe Zaffarani. Construction of the new hall began in January 1897 and is located in an open field next to the British barracks in Cairo.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 1 of the same year, in the presence of Prince Abbas Hilmi and Prince Maspero. Maspero succeeds Graeber as Director General of the Antiquities Authority. In November 1901, the Antiquities Authority hired the Italian architect Alessandro Barsanti, who began transporting the collection from the Giza Palace to the new building on March 9, 1902. About 5,000 wooden crates were used during transportation. The other two special trains made 19 round-trip trips to the two places to transport important cultural relics.
Inside page of the Egyptian Museum Treasures.
The first batch of 48 sarcophagi with a total weight of more than 1,000 tons. The move was done in haste and panic. When all the artifacts were shipped to the new museum, officials of the Antiquities Bureau suddenly discovered that a fine wooden statue of the holpharaoh was missing. Later, the unsolved case was solved, and a precious statue was found in a corner of the underground warehouse. During the transportation, workers feared punishment and some of the artifacts were damaged, but they were not reported in time. On July 13, 1902, Mariette's grave was moved to a new building, completing the relocation of the new building. According to his last wish, his remains will never be separated from the artifacts he collected throughout his life. On November 15 of the same year, the Cairo Museum was officially opened.
The exhibition design of the new building follows the cultural concept of Egypt in the late 19th century. The exhibition halls are arranged chronologically, and the cultural relics on display are first considered aesthetic criteria. For structural reasons, the largest and heaviest artifacts are placed on the first floor, while the second floor is where the funerary objects from the tomb are displayed chronologically. Daily necessities are arranged in different exhibition halls according to categories. In 1908, the skylights at both ends of the main gallery had to be rebuilt. The work was done by a French company in a year. At this time, the small balcony around the staircase was probably built to house the many wooden coffins of Theban priests unearthed from what Delbahari called the second storage room. As the collection increased, the building was constantly renovated and some ground floor rooms were converted into shops. In order to expand the bookstore and provide space for other services, the porch that originally displayed plaster casts of the monument was closed.
The constant flow of new artifacts means that the layout of the exhibition hall is constantly changing. For example, the excavations of Terrell-Amarna and the subsequent popularity of this artistic style led to the creation of a museum hall dedicated to the exhibition of artifacts excavated at the site. Tutankhamun's treasures also need a suitable place to preserve and display. In 1923, when Tutankhamun's treasures entered the museum, the exhibition hall on the second floor was completely remodeled. To make enough space for all the funerary belongings of the young pharaoh, the coffins in the hidden mausoleums of the royal family of Delbahari had to be moved elsewhere in the museum.
Although the appearance of the museum has not changed much, its environment is very different from what was originally envisaged. The former British barracks is now the Hilton Nile. Behind the museum is the Ramses Hilton Hotel and in front of Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. There is a garden between the museum and Tahrir Square surrounded by a wrought iron fence. There is a fountain in the center of the garden, surrounded by ancient statues. Mariette's tomb was originally located in the museum (the first floor displays artifacts from the Amarna period), but is now located on the west side of the garden. August Mariette, who dedicated his life to the creation of the Egyptian Museum, is still buried today in an Old Kingdom-style sarcophagus.
This article is excerpted from the Egyptian Museum Treasure Guide. Subtitles are added by editors and are not exclusive to the original text. Published with permission from the publisher. Original author/[Italian] Francesco Tiraditi [Italian] Araldo De Luca
Excerpt / He Ye
Editor/He An'an
Proofreader/Liu Jun
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