Egypt's major archaeological sites put under protection of country's army

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt's major archaeological sites, monuments and museums were under the protection of the country's army on Monday, according to the nation's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

However, unease persisted among Egyptologists and archaeologists, who fear some of the nation's priceless treasures may fall victim to looters or vandals, amid unrest and uprisings fueled by what protesters see as a lack of economic opportunity, widespread poverty and pervasive corruption.

Friday night, a group of "criminals" entered the Cairo Museum using a fire department staircase, Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told CNN early Sunday.

Once inside the museum, they went to the Late Period gallery, Hawass wrote. "When they found no gold, they broke 13 vitrines (glass showcases) and threw the antiquities on the floor."

The intruders then went back to the gallery housing artifacts from King Tutankhamun's tomb, where they opened one showcase, broke a statue of King Tut on a panther and threw it to the ground, he wrote.

A group also entered the museum gift shop and stole jewelry, Hawass wrote in a blog post Sunday.

A group of "tourist police officers" had stayed at the museum overnight, as they were unable to leave after the curfew took effect. "These officers, and many young Egyptians who were also there, helped to stop more people from entering the museum" during the protests, Hawass wrote in the blog post -- which he faxed to Italy so colleagues there could post it on his website in the absence of internet in Egypt.

Hawass told CNN early Sunday there were nine suspects, but in the blog post he said there were 10. One of them asked the people guarding the museum for water, he said, but "they took his hands and tied him to the door that led to the gift shop so he could not escape," according to the post.

Hawass told CNN that when the suspects were apprehended, authorities found the remains of two mummies and some small artifacts with them. However, he said Sunday, everything that had been damaged can be restored.

Despite Hawass' assurances, Egyptologists said they are concerned both about damage that has not yet been discovered and about what the future might hold for Egypt's artifacts.