A C O M M O N TRUST

U N E S C O

U

Not underlined

Monuments to be protected in situ

Monuments offered as grants in return for contributions made by foreign countries

Monuments to be relocated within Nubia: 1st priority

Monuments to be relocated within Nubia: 2nd priority

Monuments for which no provision can be foreseen

TOM/

EGYPT GEBEL CHAMS

FARAS

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(f 2nd Colororl

SEMNA EAST (KUMMA) SEMNA WEST

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SUDAN

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0 50 100 km

O F

A C O M M O N TRUST:

T H E PRESERVATION THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS

O F NUBIA

U N E S C O

I. The problem

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The building of the High Dam The United Arab Republic is, this year, starting the construction of a high dam (the Sadd el Aali) on the Nile near Aswan, a few miles upstream from the present dam. This new dam, which will make possible a considerable increase in the area of cultivable land and the supply of electrical energy, holds great promise for the agricultural and industrial development of the country and the welfare of its population. The High Dam will raise the water-level over

about 300 kilometres (180 miles) of Egyptian territory and 180 kilometres (112 miles) of Sudanese territory. With the existing dam, the maximum level is I Z I metres above sea-level; but with the new one it will reach 133 metres in 1966 or 1967-at the end of the first stage of the work now starting-and 1 8 2 metres when the second stage is completed. The upper valley of the Nile will then be transformed into a lake nearly joo kilometres (300 miles) long, stretch- ing from Aswan in Egypt to the Dal Cataract in .the Sudan, and at some points as much as 25 kilometres (16 miles) wide. Countless monu- ments and sites scattered along the valley, repre- senting centuries of history and prehistory, will disappear for ever beneath this mass of water. Some of the threatened monuments, in particular those at Philae and Abu Simbel, are among the finest works which have come down to us from the past, and their destruction would be an irre- parable loss to mankind. An attempt must be made to preserve these relics of a heritage whose value, for art and history, is inestim- able.

The request of the United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic has been concerned with the problem since the dam project was first conceived. Its Antiquities Service has been instructed to concentrate its work on the threat- ened area. A Documentation and Study Centre for the History of the Art and Civilization of Ancient Egypt, an Egyptian body set up with Unesco's help in Cairo in 195 5, has been made responsible for collecting full documentation on the monuments which are in danger; and it is now actively engaged in surveying the sites, copying inscriptions and making photographs and coloured slides. But the work to be done if the Nubian monu-

ments are to be saved is far beyond the resources of the United Arab Republic. O n behalf of the Government of the United Arab Republic, H.E. Mr. Saroit Okacha, Minister of Culture and National Guidance (Province of Egypt), therefore took the initiative of asking Unesco, in April 1959, to launch an appeal for international assistance. The request was submitted to the Executive Board at its fifty-fourth session, in June 19j9, when the Board agreed in principle to international action and authorized the Director- General to take the necessary preparatory steps. In agreement with the Government of the

United Arab Republic, Unesco arranged for the French Institut Gtographique National to carry out a photogrammetric survey of the area affected, and the material so obtained will be used to make maps to a scale of I/IO,OOO. The Director-General also convened a commit-

tee of thirteen experts in different specialities,

Photo Christime Desroches-Noblecorn. Detail of the great temple of Abu Simbel below the Second Cataract, 280 kilometres (175 miles) south of the First Cataract. Profile of the last colossus on the south side of the fapde. The statue next to it crumbled more than two hundred years ago.

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dudes a large number of archaeological and prehistoric sites which have so far hardly been studied. Little time remains for prospection and excavation; and unless advantage is taken of it, w e shall soon have to abandon, once and for all, the hope of further important discoveries like the recent one of the fortified site of Buhen. As soon as it was informed of the plans for

building the dam, the Sudanese Antiquities Service drew up a programme of work to be done. But it cannot be carried out quickly enough without foreign assistance. The Sudanese Government therefore hopes that foreign specia- lists will be willing to take over part of the operations under the Service’s direction. It has also asked Unesco to have a photogrammetric map made similar to the one being prepared for Egyptian Nubia by the French National Geogra- phical Institute. In 1956-57, its Survey Depart- ment carried out a general aerial survey; and the photographs thus obtained, interpreted with the help of an expert sent out by Unesco, provide material for preparing an archaeological map. The Service does not, however, have enough staff to prepare the photogrammetric map which is essential to research. In return for any assistance that may be granted,

the Government of the Sudan has stated that, under the legislation in force in the Sudan, anyone carrying out excavations is entitled to >o per cent of the finds, except for specimens needed to complete the national collections. H.E. Mr. Ziada Arbab, Minister of Education, has also pointed out that the prehistory, history and archaeology of this area are less well known than in the case of Egyptian Nubia, so that research prospects should arouse great interest in learned circles.

belonging to eight countries, who met in Cairo in October 1919. They had to consider what excavations should be made, how the monuments could be removed to safety or preserved in &U, what other measures were to be suggested, and how much the work would cost. At the opening of the meeting, H.E. Mr. Saroit

Okacha, who had made special endeavours to ensure the success of the undertaking, read out the important Declaration by the Government of the United Arab Republic (see page IZ), specifying along what lines international aid should be organized and what forms it might take. In return for the assistance it would receive, the government stated its readiness : I. To cede to excavators in the threatened area

at least half the proceeds of their finds, with the exception of certain items which are unique or essential for completing the national collections (this reservation is in conformity with the provisions of the Recommendation, adopted by Unesco’s General Conference in I 95 6, on international principles appli- cable to archaeological excavations).

2. To authorize excavations, on the same terms, outside the threatened area, for example, in the Royal Necropolis of Sakkara.

3. To cede, with a view to their transfer abroad, certain Nubian temples and various antiquities from the State reserves, on the understanding that all sych items would be assigned to mu- seums or scientific institutions open to the public.

This Declaration and the experts’ report were considered by Unesco’s Executive Board at its fifty-fifth session (November I 9 5 9), together with a communication on the same subject from the Government of the Sudan.

The request of the Sudan A world-wide campaign

The Government of the Republic of the Sudan, in After considering all the problems connected its turn, had drawn Unesco’s attention to the monu- with the saving of the Nubian monuments, ments and sites in Sudanese territory which were the Executive Board decided to grant the Gov- threatened by the building of the dam, urging that ernments of the United Arab Republic and the international aid should also be extended to Sudan the assistance they had requested. To give Sudanese Nubia. This area, though less rich in effect to this decision, it asked the Director- famous monuments than Egyptian Nubia, in- General to launch, on behalf of Unesco, an appeal 4

for international co-operation. The two govern- ments have agreed that a single appeal should be made for assistance to both countries. Therefore, on 8 March 1960, Unesco will

launch a world-wide campaign to secure offers of participation in the work. The Director-General has set up an International Action Committee of eminent persons to help in organizing the campaign. It is also expected that national com- mittees will be formed for the same purpose in individual Member States. The Director-General has further decided that the campaign should be sponsored by a Committee of Patrons, of which His Majesty King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden has graciously consented to act as chairman.

The procedure for international co-operation

Unesco is itself giving material and technical support to the Governments of the United Arab Republic and the Sudan in their preparations for the work. Its experts have outlined the action to be taken. Henceforth, its role will be to promote a great movement of international collaboration and to act as intermediary between those taking part in the work and the two governments.

Participation should be as broad as possible. Offers may be made by governments, public and private institutions and individuals interested in the undertaking. They may take a variety of forms: financial contributions, supply of equipment, services (sending out of experts or technicians, training of prospecting teams, exca- vating, etc.).

Offers are to be addressed to the Director- General and will be transmitted by him to which- ever of the two governments they concern. Financial contributions will also be received

by the Director-General on behalf of the govern- ment to which they have been offered. The Direc- tor-General is authorized to set up a trust fund for this purpose. In the light of his own appraisal of the needs, he will allocate any funds addressed to him without being specifically assigned. In agreement with the Director-General, the

Government of the United Arab Republic has set up an advisory committee of experts from different countries. This committee will examine offers of participation forwarded to the Govern- ment of the United Arab Republic and will advise it on the allocation of work for safeguard- ing monuments, the use of financial contributions and the distribution of the material offered in return for aid.

11. The sites and monuments of Nubia

Nubia in history

Nubia lies on either side of the present frontier between Egypt and the Sudan. Under the Pha- raohs, it was divided into Lower Nubia or the land of the Uaua (stretching from north of the First Cataract to the Second Cataract) and Upper Nubia or Kush (from the vicinity of Buhen to the north of the Fourth Cataract). This is the part

of the country that Greek and Latin authors called Ethiopia. This region is historically interesting because

it offers, side by side, numerous remains left behind by communities of different origins, belonging to different cultures. It was the high- way to the centre of Africa, a place where the Mediterranean and African civilizations met, and seems to have been inhabited uninterruptedly since prehistoric times. 5

Romantic drawing by Horeau, nineteenth century. Nubia is seen in the foreground: first the two temples of Abu Simbel; then that of Wadi es Sebui with its dromos before it; in front of the peninsula, the sanctuary of Dendur; a little farther back, the great temple of Kalabsha; to the west, the temple of Dakka. Also seen are the sanctuary of Debod with three ,small pylons in front of it, and, in the middle of the river, Philae.

O n the terraces rising up along the Nile, traces are found of various Palaeolithic industries. Neolithic rndustries and rock carvings of the same period are likewise well represented. Between Neolithic and historic times, there appeared the ‘A Group’ people, as the Archaeological Survey of Nubia calls them, who where still occupying Nubia at the time of the early Egyptian dynasties. Under the Old Kingdom, whose own boundary

extended up to the neighbourhood of the First Cataract, the Egyptians organized trade with Nubia and exploited its natural resources. Egyptian objects dating from the earliest dynas- (,

ties and the Old Kingdom, probably obtained by barter, have been found among the offerings in typical A Group tombs in the Sudan. Between 2400 and 2000 B.c., a people from the

south-known as the C Group people-settled in Lower Nubia and developed a specifically Nubian civilization there, combining Egyptian influences with local traditions. Under the Middle Kingdom, the armies of

the Pharaohs, for the purposes of trade with the south, occupied the country upstream from the Second Cataract. The centre of the Sudanese market was then Kerma, south of the Third

Cataract. The Pharaohs built fortresses along the road leading to it, including Buhen, near Wadi Halfa-a quite recent discovery-which was to be rebuilt under the New Kingdom; Mirgissa, near Buhen, standing on a rock at the edge of the Nile; and, further south, Semna (West) and Kumma (Semna East), built on either side of the Nile, which, in this part of its course, flows in a narrow bed between granite cliffs. The Egyptians of the New Kingdom pene-

trated as far as the Fourth Cataract. It was at this time that so many Egyptian tombs and pious foundations were built by the Pharaohs along the banks of the Nile. After the kings of the XVIIIth Dynasty, Rameses I1 had large sanctuaries like Derr, Gerf Hussein, Wadi es Sebui, Abu Simbel (in Egyptian Nubia) and Aksha (in Suda- nese Nubia) built in stone or hollowed out of the cliffs. At the same time, Nubians were holding high positions at the court of the Pharaohs. Nubia was governed by a viceroy of Kush, through whom the Nubians were able to place the priest Herihor on the throne of Egypt in

In 715 B.C. the princes of Kush, whose capital was at Napata, became Pharaohs of Egypt, founding the XXVth Dynasty. They reigned over both Egypt and Nubia and carried Egyptian civilization as far as the Sixth Cataract. Every- where in Nubia temples were designed after those of the Pharaohs. Workers from Memphis came as far as Kawa to build and decorate the great sanctuary. This influence continued to be felt even after the kings of Kush had lost Egypt. About the sixth century B.c., the capital of the

land of Kush was transferred from Napata to Meroe (between the Fifth and Sixth Cataracts), and, during the so-called ‘Meroitic’ period, Kushite culture became less and less Egyptian and more African. The hieroglyphic writing changed and a cursive Meroitic script was used in official documents. A Meroitic style developed, many remains of which-still hardly studied at all-are to be found in the Wadi Halfa area. In Lower Nubia, Greeks settled in the Dode-

caschoenus (so-called because it measured twelve schenes, or 73 miles). The district later became a Roman protectorate. Many temples (among them Philae, Kertassi, Debod, Taffeh, Kalabsha

IO31 B.C.

and Dendur) date from the time of the Ptolemies or the Roman emperors and were often built upon the remains of older edifices. Greek’and Latin inscriptions give us information about Graeco-Roman Nubia. During the first centuries of the Christian

era, most of the country was inhabited by the Nobatae, who were often engaged in struggles with a nomadic people, the Blemmyes. The latter had the mastery at Philae, where they came to worship Isis. An inscription at Kalabsha tells us that they were beaten by Silko, king of the Nobatae. About 3 3 0 A.D., one of Emperor Justinian’s generals finally drove them from Philae. The Nobatae at this time were converted to

Christianity, and churches sprang up all over Nubia. Then, in the Year LO of the Hegira, the Arabs conquered the country and all Lower Nubia soon embraced Islam; the churches were turned into mosques, and the Christian kingdom took refuge to the south of Khartoum. But fortified churches and monasteries of a later date (thirteenth or fourteenth century A.D.) are also to be seen in Nubia. These were probably built at the time when the Coptic communities had to defend themselves against their Moslem neighbours.

The sites Egyptian Nabia. Systematic prospecting was begun in Egyptian Nubia as soon as the danger of a rise in the level of the present dam became apparent. With the means then available, test excavations were made throughout the threatened area, up to ground-level ILI.

It cannot, however, be said that there is nothing more to be discovered; the proof of this can be seen in the results of the last two seasons’ excavations by German and Italian expeditions. At Amada, the German school of archaealogy has uncovered new tombs and houses. At Ikhmin- di, a Byzantine city, the archaeologists of the University of Milan have discovered the city’s foundation stone in a church outside the walls, with a late Greek inscription giving the date, the reasons for building the town and the names of the architects. Farther north, the same

expedition found, in a tomb, a bronze bowl of pure Meroitic style, engraved with pastoral scenes. At Kalabsha, near the already excavated temple, the Antiquities Service has discovered a chapel and probably located a sacred lake. However, no trace has yet been found of the

viceroys’ palace in the vicinity of Aniba, the capital of Lower Nubia. Nor have the important tombs and necropolises which must be assumed to exist in various places been brought to light. Ideally, all the sites lying between levels 121 and 182 should be excavated. Further excavations at Ikhmindi, Kasr Ibrim and Sabagora would also produce much. And investigation of the terraces above the river would undoubtedly reveal many Palaeolithic and Neolithic prehistoric sites still to be explored.

Sudanese Nubiu. Unlike Egyptian Nubia, this region has never been systematically prospected. A ground survey of the area from the Egyptian frontier to Wadi Halfa and a preliminary aerial topographic survey from Wadi Halfa to Sarka- matto have revealed some hundred sites, of which only ten or so have been partially exca- vated to date. Several of these sites are of interest to prehis-

torians. At two points near the Second Cataract, pre-Chellean tools, possibly of the Kafuan indus-

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try, have been located. At little farther south, a complete sequence of Palaeolithic industries has been noted, from the Chellean to the Mous- terian. ‘Levalloisian’ faceted-platform imple- ments are generally found associated with the tools of Acheulian, Mousterian and Sebilian sites, thus offering an opportunity of studying the relationship of this industry with the others. Neolithic remains have been discovered in three places. The great numbers of rock paintings and carvings of apparently Neolithic origin indicate that many other sites from that period exist. Those already excavated have produced material susceptible to dating by the carbon-14 method. Many A Group burial grounds have never

been excavated. It is still an open question whether a B Group people with a distinct culture succeeded the A Group, as the first investigators supposed, during the time of the Old Kingdom. Further excavation may give the answer. The problem of the relationship of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom civilization to the Kerma and C Group cultures might be cleared up in the same manner. Several Middle Kingdom fortresses have not yet been explored, such as that of Dorgonarti; Mirgissa has been only partially excavated. Most of the very many New Kingdom sites, such as the temple of Rameses 11, at Aksha, have not been touched.

Front of the temple of Gerf Hussein, 90 kilometres (56 miles) south of the First Cataract. Except for the peristyle, the main part of the sanctuary is hollowed out of the Nubian sandstone, which is in very bad condition. This temple cannot be saved, as it is in too poor a state and would cost too much to preserve, but some of the reliefs can be taken away.

Upper part of the outer peristyle of the birth b house at Philae. A door in the left-hand tower of the first pylon leads to the room where the mother- goddess came to give birth to her son Horus. The human figures with cows’ ears adorning the abaci are characteristic of Hathoric capitals.

Photo Docurncntation and Study Centre on ,Ancient bgypr, Cairo. General view of the island of Philae. The monu- ments of the great sanctuary which can be seen go back to the XXXth Dynasty; the landing-stage to the south dates from the time of Pharaoh Nectanebo. Philae was the last refuge of the worship of Isis in Christian times. In the background is the island of Bigeh where, according to legend, part of the body of Osiris (left leg) was buried and where the goddess Isis went to hold funeral rites at regular intervals. Philae Detail of the bas-relief depicting Horus, the hawk- headed god, Isis’ son, with Pharaoh paying homage to him.

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Photo Unesco-Laurema

.; . .. z. . . ..

The kiosk, part of which has collapsed, at Kertassi, 45 kilometres (28 miles) south of the First Cataract. It can be transported piecemeal to a Nubian oasis to be created in the Western Desert near Kalabsha.

Quarry at Kertassi; the wall in front has a monumental doorway leading to a small recess forming a naos. This qudrry provided the stone used in the building of the Philae temples.

Bet a1 Wali, about 56 kilometres (35 miles) south of the First Cataract, on the left bank; here Rameses I1 had a speos hollowed out of the rock; the entrance hall is now open to the sky. The experts have recom- mendedcutting this temple out of the cliff. Below:

a protodoric column carved out of the interior of the rock, in the hypostyle hall, and a detail from a relief, on the outside, showing prisoners brought before the king by one of his sons at the end of a cam- paign in Asia.

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0

0 r: 1

Photo Unesco-Mariani,

The temple of Kalabsha, a few hundred metres south buildings associated with it: landing-stage, quays, of Bet a1 Wali, is, except for Philae, the largest Graeco- birth house, various chapels. The whole sanctuary Roman foundation in Nubia. Rebuilt by Augustus may be moved to the oasis which is to be created at on remains dating from the time of Amenophis 11, the same latitude. it is dedicated principally to the Nubian god Mandulis, a Nubian version of the god Horus, son of Isis. Preserved almost in its entiretv. it has manv othei Photo Documenrauon and Studv Cenrre on hncrcnr tisv~r. Cairo.

Temple of Kalabsha: the goddess Isis-Wajet (Smil- ing with youth), one of the six huge figures carved on the back of the temple in the ambulatory. 11

A Pylon of the temple of Dakka, 107 kilometres (67 miles) south of the First Cataract. Sanctuary dedicat- ed to the god Thot by the Ethiopian king Ergamenes, a contemporary of Ptolemy IV (Evergetes 11). The earlier foundations go back to Amenemhet I (XIIth Dynasty), Tuthmosis I11 and Seti I. This temple will be removed to one of the two oases to be created in the Western Desert. When it is dismantled, many blocks of stone dating from earlier periods, which had been used over again, will probably be identified.

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Dakka: detail from the stile of a door opening into the main hall of the temple. The goddess of the First Cataract, Anuket, holding the symbol of life and the long staff which was originally surmounted by papyrus fronds, is receiving homage from, Ptolemy.

Meroitic burial grounds like Jebel Dabarossa on the right bank of the Nile near Wadi Halfa and Argin on the left bank have never been excavated. Lintels found near Argin seem to indicate that a Meroitic town remains to be discovered. There are also many tumuli attributed to a so-called X Group people, which may turn out to be the Nobatae. Most of the Christian churches and monasteries have never yet been investigated at all.

The monuments Many Nubian monuments lie between levels IZI and 133 and will therefore be submerged in a few years’ time unless action is taken quickly. Some of them not only provide evidence about the past, but are unique works of art which should be kept in the setting where they were built.

Egyptian Nzlbia. This is especially true of the two large groups of temples at Philae and Abu Simbel. The island of Philae, consecrated to Isis, contains, in an area of some 3 5 0 by 135 metres, several monuments, the oldest of which go back to the XXXth Dynasty (circa 360 B.c.). The building of the whole group spread over the entire Ptolemaic period. In the middle of the island stands the great temple of Isis, with its pylon 45 metres wide and 18 metres high, bearing the name of the Pharaoh Nectanebo as well as the portrait of the last Ptolemy. The colonnade leading to the temple, with its capitals of flowers, was built by the Roman emperors. The famous hosk of Trajan is a portico of fourteen columns, which was probably used as the landing-stage €or the procession which took the goddess out of the island and brought her back to it. Small chapels also form part of this singularly harmonious general picture, in which the position of each item was determined by religious consi- derations. At the present time, Philae is under water for

more than nine months out of the year. The water has destroyed all vegetation on the island, but has also cleaned the stone by’ ridding it of its incrustations of salts. The whole group is well preserved. However, this state of affairs

will change. The island lies between the present dam and the site of the new one. When the latter is built, the water-level in this lake-like stretch will drop to level IOZ; and Philae, which stands at level 104, will be visible throughout the year. But the production of electrical energy will necessitate daily variations in the level between IOZ and 108-110; such variations are much more dangerous for the stone of the monu- ments than total submersion, as the foundations are likely to be gradually eaten away by the water. The sanctuaries must therefore be protected in sitzl, and this was one of the main problems facing the experts at their meeting in October I 9 j 9. The Abu Simbel group must also be protected

where it stands. It comprises two temples cut into the cliff about 50 metres apart, with only their fasades visible externally. Sand had, for centuries, covered the large temple, until its discovery in 1813. Along its fasade, with their backs to the cliff, are four colossal figures, about 20 metres high, representing Rameses 11. The workmanship is perfect in its details, and the expression all the more admirable for the size of the faces: each measures 4.17 metres from ear to ear; the nose is 98 centimetres long, each ear 1.06 metre, each eye 84 centimetres. The interior is hollowed out of the thickness

of the cliff and includes several halls: the largest of them (18 by 16.69 metres) has eight Osirian pillars, against which stand Io-metre colossi representing Osiris with the features of Ra- meses 11. The walls are decorated with scenes illustrating the Pharaoh’s exploits. The small temple, dedicated by Rameses to

his consort Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, is decorated outside by six colossi, IO metres high, in two groups on either side of the door. In each group, Queen Nefertari, iden- tified with Hathor, is flanked by two statues of Rameses. The ground-level of the small temple being I 2 I,

and that of the large one 125, the whole group will be submerged for ever in 1968. Even by September 1963, the maximum water-level will reach these heights, and the very fragile red sandstone of Abu Simbel will begin to disin- tegrate. The whole area between Philae and Abu

Simbel is rich in monuments, and many of them 13

are threatened. Among them are various stone- built temples, like the small New Kingdom temple at Amada. with its remarkably well- preserved reliefs, or the large sanctuary at Kalabsha (to mention only two) ; temples partially or entirely cut out of the cliff, like Bet a1 Wali, Gerf Hussein, Derr or Wadi es Sebui; rock tombs like that of Pennut at Aniba, etc. Each of these monuments provides priceless information for historians and bears witness to the art of a great period. Reliefs in the temple of Bet a1 Wali illustrate the relations of Rameses I1 with Nubia and his first campaigns in Asia. Some of the reliefs inside the speos still show the colours in

which they were painted. The great temple of Wadi es Sebui still has its sacred avenue or dromos, lined with sphinxes. The sanctuary, which has also kept some of its old colours, is adorned with very well preserved scenes carved in the rock. At Derr, on the walls of the speos dedicated to the god Ra, is an account 'of some of the deeds of Rameses 11, etc. Sudunese i\u~zu. The waters will cover the temple of Rameses at Aksha, the temple of Buhen- which still has paintings and carvings in it-two XVIIIth Dynasty temples at Semna, rock cha- pels, Middle Kingdom fortresses and some twenty Christian churches adorned with frescoes.

111. The measures to be taken

The recommendations of the experts' meeting in Cairo

Excavations. The experts at the meeting called by the Director-General in Cairo felt that the neces- sary excavations could not be carried out in the short time available without foreign help. They recommended that the Antiquities Service of the United Arab Republic should, starting in Octo- ber 1960, organize an expedition, working for two seasons of six months (October to March), in which foreign experts on prehistory would help to discover any Lower and Upper Palaeolithic remains and any possible traces of the Neolithic, and to decide on the sites where excavations were to be conducted. These sites would then be assigned by the Antiquities Service, after consul- tation with the Advisory Committee, to Egyptian and foreign institutions. The experts considered that the archaeological sites could be assigned in the same manner. In their view, several sites above level IZI which had already been explored should be investigated again, mainly with regard to the Late Period and Coptic'Nubia; for this, the collaboration of Egyptologists and Coptic and 14

Islamic scholars would be required. The first necessity would be to revise the archaeological map of the area, with the help of the photo- grammetric surveys and systematic test exca- vations.

Monuments. The experts gave priority to the study of the various proposals for preserving Abu Simbel and Philae in situ. For Abu Simbel, they favoured the plan to build an earth- and rock- filled dam abutting on the rock face at two points 700 metres apart, to the north and south of the temples. The whole group of rocky spurs out of which the temples are cut would thus be pro- tected from the water. The distance between the temple facades and the crest of the dam, 300 metres, would be great enough to leave the appearance of the site as far as possible unimpaired. At Philae, the experts were in favour of creating

an artificial lake which would never rise above level IOZ and would be cut off from the Aswan reservoir by low earth- and rock-filled dykes. The experts pointed out that these two pro-

jects could be undertaken only after preliminary topographical, geological and hydraulic surveys and studies had been made, for which specialists would be needed. By agreement between the

Wadi es Sebui, 150 kllometres (94 miles) south of the First Cataract. Inner court of the temple (which was dedicated by Rameses I1 to the gods Amon-Ra and Ra-Horakhti). This is the only temple which still has its dromos. On either side of the peristyle are the shafrs of Osirian pillars. The double doorway built in the old Pharaonic entrance was that of the Coptic church installed inside.

Photo Christmne Desroches-Noblecourt

Temple of Wadi es Sebui. During the Coptic period, a niche in the back wall of the Holy of Holies was ornamented with a picmre of the apostle Peter. Yet the Pharaonic effigies were allowed to remain: Rameses I1 still venerates the sacred boat of the sun god and offers flowers to the lord of the shrine. The carved blocks would have to be cut out of the rock. The pylons are in too bad a condition to be dismantled. The colossi, some of which are broken, and the statues of the dromos can be removed to a museum. w

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Interior of the Tomb of Pennut, hollowed out of a cliff near Aniba, 230 kilometres (144 miles) south of the First Cataract. A small room qf the funerary chapel remains ; it contains painted low-relief figures, accompanied by inscriptions. This room will have to be cut out of the rock and moved to the neigh- bourhood of the proposed oasis.

Photo Unesco-Mariani

A covered street in the Byzantine city of Ikhmindi. These piled stones show how an ancient settlement looks before systematic excavation. But the efforts of excavators will not be fruitless. Even if the work of levelling does not bring treasures or art objects to light, it will certainly yield information about this still little known period in the history of Christian Nubia. Besides the city’s foundation stone, other material essential to an understanding of the way in which the towns of the period were laid out has already been discovered; it will thus be easier to explore similar sites elsewhere in Nubia profitably. Ikhmindi, on the left bank of the river, is 120 kilo- metres (75 miles) from Aswan and not far from the small temple of Maharraqah.

The rock of Ibrahim, about forty metres high, some 230 kilometres (144 miles) from Aswan, bears the remains of a huge fortress, the ruins of which should be re-excavated. This fortified city once sheltered the Roman soldiers of Petronius, and later the Bosnians whom the Sultan Selim installed there in the sixteenth

4 century. In Pharaonic times, it defended the whole region. On the blocks of stone re-used in the cons- truction of its public buildings, the names of Tuthmosis (XVIIIth Dynasty) and Taharka (XXVth Dynasty) have been discovered. The nearby burial grounds should likewise be excavated ; they will certainly yield tombs of the late Pharaonic period, Meroitic graves and Christian and Arab tombs. The church, which was converted into a mosque, will be taken down and reassembled elsewhere.

Photo Unesco-Laurcnza

Photo Unesco-Laurenza. Kasr Ibrim caves. In the lower part of the immense cliff, four niches were hollowed out and decorated under the New Kingdom. The first two go back to Tuthmosis I11 and Rameses 11, the third to Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis 111. The last is dedicated to Amenophis 11: the king is seen receiving tribute from the peoples of the south. As the white line marking the winter water-level indicates, two of the niches are submerged almost throughout the year. Several decorated niches exist along the banks of the Nile; not all of them can be saved. The chapels of Abu Oda and Jebel Shams, farther south, can be cut out of the rock and moved to a nearby site.

- - Y ... . n2-I”’ ’ . -. ,... . I 17

Government of the United Arab Republic and Unesco, a consulting engineer has been appointed to carry out this preliminary work during 1960. Only when the results of these studies are avail- able will it be possible to make an accurate esti- mate of the cost of the projects. Provisional estimates would indicate that between 30 and 60 million dollars may be needed for Abu Simbel, and 4 million dollars for Philae. The experts drew up a list of some twenty

monuments to be transferred. The rock temples will be cut out of the cliff and transported in one or more sections, as may be decided by the technicians responsible for the work after consul- tation with the Egyptian Antiquities Service. Free-standing temples will be dismantled, trans- ported and reassembled. In order to obviate difficulties due to the poor condition of the monu- ments, a mission consisting, for example, of a geologist and an architect specializing in restora- tion work should spend at least two months on a preliminary study. The experts recommended that every effort

should be made to assign to each of the monu- ments removed a setting comparable with that of the place where it originally stood. The Egyptian Antiquities Service will have the

responsibility of drawing up a list of rock carvings and inscriptions, deciding how they are to be transferred, and choosing those to be offered in return for foreign aid.

Docmzentation. The experts also considered that the work being done by the Documentation and Study Centre (epigraphic, archaeological, photo- graphic and other surveys) should be continued. They estimated that, for this purpose, the centre

would need the assistance of about forty experts (epigraphists, archaeologists, architects).

Work planned by the Sudan The Sudanese Antiquities Service first intends to have a ground survey made simultaneously on both banks of the Nile by two separate teams. Since there are so many sites to be explored and so little time remains, it wishes to send out two excavating teams on each bank, with a prospecting team making a general survey ahead of them. Known sites would be excavated during the first season, while the prospecting teams would pre- pare for the second year’s work. The latter, with the help of prehistorians and epigraphists might also survey the rock carvings and inscriptions, photographing and copying them and possibly removing some of them to safety. Most of the monuments in Sudanese territory

are built of sun-dried brick and cannot be dis- mantled. But the four stone temples of Aksha, Buhen, Semna West and Kumma should be moved.

These are the measures whereby it should be possible to save, so that men may know and admire it, a heritage shared by all. The task is too great for the resources of the countries con- cerned but it is a matter of importance far beyond their frontiers. A unified effort throughout man- kind can and must make it a success: can, because the most highly qualified experts have unhesitat- ingly pronounced the undertaking feasible; must, because the representatives of the twenty-four countries on the Executive Board have unani- mously judged it necessary.

18

Abu Simbel Abu Simbel is 280 kilometres (175 miles) from the First Cataract. Both the great temple and the small temple are foundations of Rameses 11. The king’s image is to be seen everywhere on the walls and pillars; his mother, wife, daughters and sons also appear. The experts consider that the two sanctuaries surrounded by steles carved in the rock must be preserved in their original setting. They have recommended that an earth and rock-fill dam be built so as to keep intact the cliffs in which the temples have been hollowed out. The trees which are a feature of the landscape and the stretch of water not far from the terrace of the great temple could remain. A pumping station, as for all dams, would provide protection against the inevitable slight infiltration. As a first step, the mountain and sub- soil must be entirely consolidated and made water- tight. A preliminary study will be made before the plans for the work are prepared. The Govern- ment of the United Arab Republic is bearing two- thirds, and Unesco one-third, of the cost of the study. With the proposed dam, the sun’s rays will no longer reach as far as the inner sanctuary, but somewhat later in the day, will still touch the faGade and will

just enter the large sanctuary. The gentle slope of the dam will, as far as possible, avoid giving the site the enclosed tank appearance which might be created by other methods of protection in sittr. The temples and chapels in the neighbourhood, dismantled or cut out of the rock, could be given new positions in the oasis planned to the west of Abu Simbel.

General view of the site of Abu Simbel. Philo of Byzantium would certainly have included this spot among the Wonders of the World if he had known of its existence. The study being made by the Documentation and Study Centre for Ancient Egypt will probably reveal what political and religious, as well as aesthetic, reasons Rameses I1 had for choosing this site.

Photo Docurnencarion and 5rudy Lenrrc on Ancient txypt, Cairo.

Photo Unesco-Laurenza.

Fasade of the great temple of Abu Simbel. The fasade is 33 metres high and 38 metres wide. It may be compared to a pylon cut into the pink sandstone. Above the monumental entry flanked by four colossi, the morning sun god, Ra-Horakhti, is depicted. On the leg of the first colossus to the left of the door, a Greek inscription (the oldest in Egypt) reveals that the armies of Psammetichus I1 passed this way.

20

Osirian pillars of the inner entrance hall of the great temple. They line the central bay leading to the hypostyle hall, and are as famous as the colossi of the fagade. Their colour is almost entirely gone, but they have preserved the likeness of Rameses. In this photograph, they are lighted by the sun’s rays which, in the morning, strike into the interior of the temple, which extends 63 metres into the rock.

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN F O R THE PRESERVATION

OF’THE M O N U M E N T S OF N U B I A

A N APPEAL LAUNCHED O N 8 M A R C H 1960 BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

O F UNESCO

U N E S C O

W ORK has begun on the great Aswan dam. Within five years, the Middle Valley of the Nile will be turned into a vast lake. Wondrous structures, ranking among the most magnificent on earth, are in danger of disappearing beneath the waters. The dam will bring fertility to huge stretches of desert; but the opening up of new fields to the tractors, the provision of new sources of power to future factories threatens to exact a terrible price. True, when the welfare of suffering human beings is at stake, then,

if need be, images of granite and porphyry must be sacrificed unhesitatingly. But no one forced to make such a choice could contemplate without anguish the necessity for making it. It is not easy to choose between a heritage of the past and the present

well-being of a people, living in need in the shadow of one of history’s most splendid legacies, it is not easy to choose between temples and crops. I would be sorry for any man called on to make that choice who could do so without a feeling of despair; I would be sorry for any man who, whatever decision he might reach, could bear the responsibility for that decision without a feeling of remorse. It is not surprising, therefore, that the governments of the United Arab

Republic and Sudan have called on an international body, on Unesco, to try to save the threatened monuments. These monuments, whose loss may be tragically near, do not belong solely to the countries who hold them in trust. The whole world has the right to see them endure. They are part of

a common heritage which comprises Socrates’ message and the Ajanta frescoes, the walls of Uxmal and Beethoven’s symphonies. Treasures of universal value are entitled to universal protection. When a thing of beauty, whose loveliness increases rather than diminishes by being shared, is lost, then all men alike are the losers. Moreover, it is not merely a question of preserving something which

may otherwise be lost; it is a question of bringing to light an as yet undis- covered wealth for the benefit of all. In return for the help the world gives them, the governments of Cairo and Khartoum will open the whole of their countries to archaeological excavation and will allow half of whatever works of art may be unearthed by science or by hazard to go to foreign museums. They will even agree to the transport, stone by stone, of certain monuments of Nubia. A new era of magnificent enrichment is thus opened in the field of

Egyptology. Instead of a world deprived of a part of its wonders, man- kind may hope for the revelation of hitherto unknown marvels. So noble a cause deserves a no less generous response. It is, therefore,

with every confidence that I invite governments, institutions, public or private foundations and men of goodwill everywhere to contribute to the success of a task without parallel in history. Services, equipment and money are all needed. There are innumerable ways in which all can help. It is fitting that from a land which throughout the centuries has been the scene of- or the stake in-so many covetous disputes should spring a convincing proof of international solidarity. ‘Egypt is a gift of the Nile’; for countless students this was the first

Greek phrase which they learnt to translate. May the peoples of the world unite to ensure that the Nile, in becoming a greater source of fertility and power does not bury beneath its waters marvels which we of today have inherited from generations long since vanished.

U n e S C 0

Donations to save the monuments of Nubia may be sent to Unesco, place de Fontenoy, Paris-7e or to any of the banks listed below. Cheques, money orders, etc., should be made payable to Unesco (Nubia Account). Donations may be made in any currency.

International campaign to save monuments of Nubia

Les dons destints h la sauvegarde des monuments de la Nubie peuvent stre adressts ?i l'Unesco, place de Fontenoy, Paris-7e, ou stre versts l'une des banques dont la liste suit. Les chtques, man- dats, etc., doivent etre ttablis h l'ordre de 1'Unesco (Compte Nubie). Les dons sont recevables en toutes monnaies.

Campagne internationale pour la sauvegarde des monuments de la Nubie

Afghanistan, D a Afghanistan Bank, Kabul. Albanie, State Bank of Albania, Tirana. Argentina, The First National City Bank of New

Australia, Commonwealth Trading Bank of Aus-

Austria, Creditanstalt-Bankverein, Wien I. Belgique, Banque de la Socittt gtntrale de Belgique,

Bie'lorussie (RSS de), Banque d'8tat de YURSS,

Bolivia, Banco Central de Bolivia, La Paz. Bre'sil, The First National City Bank of New York,

Bukarie, Banque nationale de Bulgarie, Sofia. Burma, Lloyds Bank Limited, Rangoon. Cambodge, Banque de l'Indochine, Phnom-Penh. Canada, The Royal Bank of Canada, Ottawa, Onta-

Ceylon, The Chartered Bank, Colombo I. Chile, The First National City Bank of New York,

China, Bank of Taiwan, Taipeh.

York, Buenos Aires.

tralia, Sydney, NS W.

Bruxelles I.

Mos kva.

Rio de Janeiro.

rio.

Santiago de Chile.

Colombia, The First National City Bank of New

Costa Rica, Banco Anglo-Costarricense, San

Cuba, The First National City Bank of New York,

Denmark, Kjobenhavns Handelsbank A/S, K$ben-

Ecuador, Banco Central del Ecuador, Quito. El Salvador, Banco de Comercio de El Salvador,

EspZna, Banco Hispano-Americano, Madrid. Ethiopia, State Bank of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Finland, Helsingfors Aktiebank, Helsinki. France, Socittt gtntrale, Agence AG, Paris ;

Germany (Federal Republic of), Deutsche Bank AG,

Ghana, Barclays Bank DCO, Accra. Grdce, Banque commerciale de Grkce, AthCnai. Guatemala, Bank of London 8c Montreal Ltd.,

Guine'e, BNCI, Konakry.

York, Bogot6.

Jost.

La Habana.

havn.

San Salvador.

Compte courant postal no 11.723-16, Paris.

Frankfurt a m Main.

Guatemala.

Haiti, Banque nationale de la Rtpublique $Haiti,

Honduras, Banco de Honduras, Tegucigalpa,

Hongrie, National Bank of Hungary, Budapest. India, Lloyds Bank Ltd. New Delhi I. Indonesia, Bank’ of Indonesia, Djakarta. Iran, Bank Melli, Head Office, Tthtran. Iraq, Ottoman Bank, Baghdad. Israel, Bank Leumi Le-Israel, BM, Haifa. Italie, Banco di Roma, Roma. Japan, The First National City Bank of New York,

Jordan, Ottoman Bank, Amman. Korea, The Bank of Korea, Seoul. Kuwait, British Bank of the Middle East, AI

Laos, Banque de l’Indochine, Vientiane. Liban, The First National City Bank of New York,

Liberia, The Bank of Monrovia, Monrovia, Libya, Barclays Bank DCO, Tripoli Luxembourg, Banque gtntrale du Luxembourg.

Malaya (Federated States of), The First National

Maroc, BNCI (Afrique), Rabat. Mixico, The First National City Bank of New

Monaco, Lloyds Bank (Foreign) Ltd., Monte-

Nepal, Nepal Bank, Katmandu. Netherlands, Amsterdamsche Bank NV, ’s-Gra-

New Zealand, Bank of New Zealand, Wellington,

Nicaragua, Banco National de Nicaragua, Managua. Nigeria (Federation of), British Bank of West

Norway, Den Norske Creditbank, Oslo. Pakistan, Lloyds Bank Ltd., Karachi. Paraguay, The First National City Bank of New

Port-au-Prince.

DC.

TBkyB.

Kuwait.

Beyrouth.

Luxembourg.

City Bank of New York, Kuala Lumpur.

York, Mtxico DF.

Carlo.

venhage.

Cr.

Africa, Lagos.

York, Asunci6n.

Perk, The First National City Bank of New York Lima.

Phil@pines, The First National City Bank of New York, Manila.

Pologne, Bank Handlowy w Warszawie SA, Wars- zawa.

Repkblica Dominicana, Banco de Reservas de la Rep6blica Dominicana, Ciudad Trujillo.

Rdpublique arabe unie, The First National City Bank of New York, Cairo (Ggypte); Banque de Syrie et du Liban, Damas (Syrie).

Roumanie, Banque d’fitat de la Rtpublique popu- laire roumaine, Bucuresti.

Saudi Arabia, The First National City Bank of New York, Jeddah.

Sierra Leone, Barclays Bank DCO, Freetown. Singapore, The First National City Bank of New

Somaliland, Banco di Roma, Mogadiscio. Sudan, Barclays Bank DCO, Khartoum. Sweden, Stockholms Enskilda Bank, Stockholm 16. Suisse, Banque populaire suisse, Zurich. Tchicoslovaquie, Sthtnf Banka Ceskoslovenska,

Thailand, The Siam Commercial Bank, Bangkok. Tunisie, BNCI (Afrique), Tunis. Turquie, Banque ottomane, direction, Ankara. Ukraine (RSS d’), Banque d’8tat de I’URSS,

United Kingdom, Lloyds Bank (Foreign) Ltd., IO

URSS, Banque d’atat de l’URSS, Moskva. Uruguay, The First National City Bank of New

U S A , The First National City Bank of New York,

Venextiela, The First National City Bank of New

Vitt-nam, Banque franGaise de l’Asie, Saigon. West Indies (Federation of the), Barclays Bank DCO, Port of Spain (Trinidad).

Yougodavie, Banque nationale de la Rtpublique ftdtrative populaire de Yougoslavie, Beograd.

York, Singapore.

Praha 3.

Mos kva.

Moorgate, London ECz.

York, Montevideo.

1 5 Wall Street, New York ~ j .

York, Caracas.

Printed in France by Paul Dupont, Paris.

21

Faqade of the small temple consecrated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. The queen, between two statues of the king, seems to be walking out of the mountain. The royal couple’s children are shown at their feet. 22

Photo Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.

The crowning of Nefertari. The queen’s head- devoted to the queen; her husband appears when dress is supported and protected by the two goddesses. tradition requires, for example, when he is crushing This scene on one of the walls of the pronaos has the empire’s enemies, and he is then accompanied kept its colours, as have most of the reliefs in the by his consort. The style is evolving towards long, temple. The wall decoration is almost entirely elegant forms. 23

0

0 4 1

Semna. A wall partly rebuilt by Pharaoh Ameno- phis I1 shows the king offering a vase to the god Knoum of the First Cataract.

4 Aerial view of the fortress of Mirgissa in the Sudan. It stands on a steep rock near the Nile south of Buhen. A postmaster’s records, dating back 4,000 years, were recently discovered there. The surround- ing wall is of dried brick. The same site contains the ruins of a small temple built by Sesostris 111. 25

Photo The Oriental Institute. Chicago. The fortresses of Semna and Kumma, 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of the Second Cataract, date from the Middle Kingdom. Each of them has a small temple founded by Queen Hatshepsut and King Tuthmosis 111. Temple south of Buhen, founded by Hatshepsut

and Tuthmosis 11, completed by Tuthmosis 111. Some of the protodoric columns which surrounded three sides of the main part of the sanctuary have survived.

26

Declaration by the Government of the United Arab Republic concerning the international action to be taken

to safeguard <he monuments

Whereas the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has signified its agreement, in principle, to the proposals of the Government of the United Arab Republic concerning international action for the study and protection of the archaeo- logical monuments of ancient Nubia threatened by submergence as a result of the construction of the Aswan High D a m ;

Whereas a meeting of experts appointed by the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was entrusted with the task of drawing up a plan of international action for this purpose;

Whereas this plan of action is to be submitted to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educa- tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization, for consi- deration at its next session, with a view to a final decision regarding the assistance which might be given by this Organization to the proposed interna- tional action;

The Government of the United Arab Republic, Desirous of expressing their gratitude to all such

governments, public foundations and institutions and private undertakings and persons as, in response to an appeal by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, shall have taken part in this international action, Hereby declare as follows:

I. Those taking part in the international action may adopt one or other of the following procedures: (a) They may assume scientific, technical ' and

financial responsibility for the missions which are sent to undertake excavation work, in the threatened area, on sites where inadequate or no surveys at all have as yet been carried out.

(b) They may assume scientific, technical and financial responsibility for the preservation, in their original setting in the threatened area, of monuments which cannot be removed.

(c) They may assume scientific, technical and financial responsibility for the transfer, from the threatened area, of specified items (re- moval of a temple or part thereof, reliefs of a speos, a chapel, a wall painting, a statue, etc.).

(d) They may provide scientific, technical or financial assistance for the work of the Docu- mentation and Study Centre for the History of the Art and Civilization of Ancient Egypt,

and sites of ancient Nubia

established by the Government of the United Arab Republic with the aid of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and responsible for surveys of the threatened monuments and sites and for the assembly and co-ordination of all refer- ence material on them.

(e) They may make financial contributions to- wards the carrying out of one or other of the above-mentioned tasks or towards the whole series of operations involved in the safeguard- ing of the monuments.

2. Subject to the approval of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, offers for participation shall be addressed to that Organization and transmitted by it to the Govern- ment of the United Arab Republic, which will submit them, for its study and advice, to an Advi- sory Committee of Experts of different nation- alities, the membership and terms of reference of which will be laid down by this Government in agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This commit- tee shall be consulted on the location of opera- tions for the safeguarding of cultural prospect, the utilization of financial contributions and the distribution of the grants in return offered by the Government of the United Arab Republic, as described hereunder.

3 . Offers should contain particulars regarding the proposed form of participation and the nature of any grant in return which may be desired.

4. The Government of the United Arab Republic undertake to grant to parties, whose offers of parti- cipation have been accepted, all possible adminis- trative, customs, material and other facilities to ensure that their contribution to the operations involved is as effective as possible.

J . Guided by the provisions of the Recommendation, adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orga- nization on J December 1956, and, in particular, by paragraph 23 of this Recommendation, concern- ing the assignment of finds, the Government of the United Arab Republic will apply the following provisions in favour of the parties which have effectively contributed towards the international action, as a grant in return for this contribution 27

and in the light of the recommendations of the Advisory Committee of Experts: (a) The Government will cede at least half the

proceeds of their finds to parties which have carried out excavations in Nubia, in the threatened area, on the understanding that certain items which are unique or essential for completing the collections most representa- tive of the civilization, history or art of Nubia shall, in accordance with the provisions of the above-mentioned Recommendation, be assign- ed to the museums of the United Arab Repub- lic (Province of Egypt).

(b) The Government will, furthermore, authorize excavations outside the threatened area, in the sites of Lower, Middle and Upper Egypt, not at present forming part of recognized conces- sions. Assignment of these finds will be .as specified in sub-paragraph (a) above in the case of excavations carried out in the threatened area. The proposed sites include the Royal Necropolis of Sakkara.

(c) Lastly, the Government is prepared to cede, with a view to their transfer abroad, certain

Nubian temples and a large collection of antiquities from other regions of Egypt, which are State property. The items which may be ceded include the Temples of Debod, Taffeh, Dendur, Ellesya, Derr and certain inscriptions on rocks and in quarries in the threatened area, together with statues, steles, etc., now in the State reserves.

6. The transfer abroad of proceeds of excavations or temples and other antiquities ceded with a view to such transfer shall be in accordance with the conditions laid down in paragraph 23(c) of the above-mentioned Recommendation. In particular, this property must be allocated within a specific period of time to museums or scientific centres open to the public, with the proviso that if, without the consent of the Government of the United Arab Republic, these conditions are not fulfilled or cease to be carried out, the released objects will be returned to the Government.

Done at Cairo, on I October 1959 The Minister of Culture and National Guidance for Egypt, SARO~T OKACHA

Extract from a letter from the Minister of Education of the Sudan

Khartoum, 24 October 1959

7. [...I In our country, according to the Antiquities Ordinance (I 9 5 z Ordinance z)1 every excavator has always been, and is still, entitled to 50 per cent of the objects discovered by him; but this is the only counterpart w e can offer. W e do not possess impor- tant reserves in our museum which w e could cede; w e have no attractive sites like Sakkara to offer as a favour in return if the finds from an endangered site are insufficient; furthermore, w e have not enough temples and chapels in the threatened area to allow some of them to be transported to foreign countries. So the only hope that is left to us, after the UAR’s offer, lies in the fact that the prehistory, history and archaeology of the area endangered in our territory are

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to accomplish the above-mentioned work that our Government applies to your Organizatian in order that they may launch an appeal for financial, technical and scientific participation in the action our Govern- ment is planning for this purpose. It would be of the utmost help to us if participants would be prepared to undertake-under the general direction of our Antiquities Service-a specific part of the work to be done, for instance the prehistoric and archaeological survey of a definite part of the threatened area, or the removal of a certain temple from that zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ZIADA ARBAB Minister of Education, Republic of the Sudan

I. The relevant provisions in this Ordinance are as follows:

help us I. Upon the ending of the excavations and at such time or times, if any, during the course thereof as he may think fit, the Commissioner [for

to undertake, in the short time available, the necessary Archaeology] shall select and claimon behalf ofthe Sudan Government such of the antiquities discovered as are in his opinion indispensable either for the scientific completeness of the Sudan Government

and documentation, necessary to ensure that at least Museum or for the purpose of illustrating the history of art of the Sudan. a part of the history of our country-and thus of the z. Upon the ending of the excavations the Commissioner shall divide the

world in general-will be safeguarded for future antiquities other than those selected under suh-section 1 of this section into tvo groups as nearly as possible equal in intrinsic and archaeolo- gical value and shall allow the licensee to choose one such group.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . much less-known than Egyptian Nubia and for~this they might attract enough scholars 17.

work of survey, prospection, excavation, removal

generations. 8. It is because w e need considerable aid from abroad 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Monumental gate of Debod, a small temple zo kilo- rnctres (I? miles) from Philae. On the fasade, Augustus and Tiberius are portrayed in the company of the gods. Several peculiar architectural features (including two communicating niches) add to the interest of the monument.

Temples and objects offered as a counterpart by the United Arab Republic

The Government of the United Arab Republic is prepared to offer, in return for foreign aid: the temple of Debod, built by a Nubian king contem- porary with the first Ptolemies, with a monumen- tal gate and sanctuary dating from the time of Evergetes I1 and Cleopatra; the Taffeh chapel of the Roman period; the temple of Dendur, built

(continued on page 30)

Great rock temple of Derr, zoo kilometres (123 miles) from Aswan, dedicated by Rameses I1 to the god Ra- Horakhti. The Government of the United Arab Republic is offering the whole monument to those taking part in the work for saving it. The reliefs and pillars can be taken away and will be important items in various museums. They will have to be cut out of the rock. Traditional scenes of the reign of Rameses-which no museum yet possesses-providc a rich store of historical, artistic and religious data. Scenes from Nubian life are also found.

Dendur, a small sanctuary 77 kilometres (48 miles) from Aswan, dcdicared by Augustus to several divinities and to two heroes who had perished by drowning. It still has most of its component parts: platfiorm serving as a quay, monumental entry, sanctuary proper.

Photo. Christime Desroches-Noblecourt.

29

Among the busts and statues from the reserves of the great temple at Karnak which are being offered in return for foreign aid (including a monumental statue of Sesostris I portrayed as Osiris, and images of New Kingdom sovereigns) is this very fine head of the great Tuthmosis 111.

The religious reform which the heretic king Ame- nophis IV tried to impose at Thebes left but few traces behind, among them the pseudo-Osirian colossi of the temple which he consecrated to the rising sun, east of Karnak. The Government of the United Arab Republic is offering four fragments of these colossi; one of them still has the head and bust (I. 34

30 metres high).

by Augustus and later converted into a Christian chapel; the great temple of Derr, a foundation of Rameses 11, dedicated by him to the god Ra; the rock temple of, Ellesya. It also offers many objects from the State

reserves, including: a bust of Amenophis I1 in red granite, three sandstone heads and a bust of Amenophis IV, a sandstone statue of King Senu- sert I, represented as Osiris with the crown of Upper Egypt, and a sandstone head of the same king (all these items being from Karnak) ; tables for offerings, wooden statues, alabaster vases, earthenware, jewellery found in the Sakkara tombs; a granite statue and a bust of the goddess Sekhmet from Gurnah; sarcophagi from the same site; alabaster vases and tables from the Step Pyramid of Zoser at Sakkara, etc.

Alabaster vessels found in underground chambers of the Step Pyramid of King Zoser at Sakkara. The most recent of these items go back to the IIlrd Dynasty.

Phoro tgyptian Antiquities Scrvicc.

Sarcophagus in painted, stuccoed wood, dating from the end of the N e w Kingdom, with the likeness of a noble lady, buried in a tomb which had already been used under the XVIIIth Dynasty for Kheru- ef, a high official of Amenophis 111.

This is one of the most original of the ancient Coptic items offered, bearing crosses which are not always found on the monuments of this period. The lintel m7as discovered at Karnak.

Photo hgyptian Antiquities kerviu.

This offering table is among various objects from Sakkara which are being offered, dating from the IVth Dynasty to the end of the VIth.

Access to temples threatened with submersion

The periods during which the ground-level of the various temples will be above water are given below, on the basis of information supplied on 12 December 1959 by the President of the Sadd el Aali Department. Each temple’s name is followed by a figure indicat-

ing, in metres, the altitude of its ground-level; next are indicated the days of each year during which the ground will be dry if the floods should be abnormal and, in parentheses, the days if the floods should be normal. From 1968 onwards, the ground-level of all the temples is expected to be permanently under water.

P M a e IO^] 1960: zo July-31 August (20 July-io September); 1961 to 1963 : zo July-5 August (15 July-5 August); 1964: z5 July-5 August (15 July-5 August); 1965 and thereafter: never.

Debod [ 1051 1960: zo July-z5 August (IO July-30 September); 1961 to 1966: 20 July-5 August (15 July-5 August); 1967 and thereafter: never.

Kertassi [I I 51 1960: I 5 June-r 5 September (IO June-5 November); 1961 and 1962: 1 5 June-Io September (IO June-zo Oc- tober); 1963: 1 5 June-z5 August (IO June-zj August); 1964: 1 5 June-15 August (IO June-15 August); 1965: I July-15 August (20 June-15 August); 1966: 5 July-15 August (zj June-15 August); 1967: IO July-15 August (I July-15 August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Taffeh [IOZ] Never.

Bet al Wali [IZZ] 1960 to 1963: at all times; 1964: I January-Io October (I January-3 I October) ; I 965 : I June-5 September (25 May-Io October); 1966: IO June-5 September (5 June-5 September); 1967: 20 June-5 September (IO June-5 September); thereafter: never.

Kalabsha [I I 01 1960: 5 July-31 August (zj June-zo October); 1961 and 1962: 5 July-zo August (zj June-25 August); 1963: 5 July-zo August (25 June-zo August); 1964: 5 July-5 August (25 June-Io August); 1965: 15 July- 5 August (5 July-5 August); 1966: 15 July-5 August 32

(IO July-5 August); 1967: 20 July-5 August ( 1 5 July- 5 August); thereafter: never.

Dendur [ I I ~ ] 1960: 1 5 June-ro September (IO June-5 November); 1961 and 1962: z5 June-5 September (IO June-15 Oc- tober); 1963: 1 5 June-zj August (IO June-zj August); 1964: 1 5 June-Io August (IO June-13 August); 1965: I July-r5 August (20 June-15 August); 1966: 5 July- 15 August (zj June-15 August); 1967: IO July-15 Au- gust (I July-I 5 August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Gerj Hussein [IZJ] 1960 to 1963: at all times; 1964: I January-25 October (I January-15 November); 1965: I May-zo September (25 April-31 October); 1966: 20 May-zo September (I 5 May-zo September) ; I 967: 5 June-zo September (I June-zo September); thereafter: never.

Maharraqah [I I 41 1960: I 5 June-Io September (IO June-5 November); 1961 and 1962: I) June-5 September (IO June-Io Octo- ber); 1963: 1 5 June-zy August (IO June-z> August); 1964: 1 5 June-Io August (IO June-Io August); 1965: I July-rj August (20 June-15 August); 1966: 5 July- 1 5 August (zj June-15 August); 1967: IO July-15 August (I July-I 5 August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Dakka [IIO] 1960: 5 July-25 August (zs June-zo October); 1961 and 1962: 5 July-zo August (25 June-25 August); 1963: 5 July-ro August (zj June-zo August); 1964: 5 July-5 August (25 June-Io August); 1965: 1 5 July-5 August (5 July-5 Aug-ast); 1966: 1 5 July-5 August (IO July-5 August); 1967: 20 July-5 August (15 July- 5 August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Wadi es Sebui [IZI] 1960 to 1963: at alltimes; 1964: I January-Io September (I January-zo October); 1965: 25 June-31 August (5 June-Io September); 1966: 1 5 June-31 August (IO June-31 August); 1967: zj June-31 August in both cases ; I 968 and thereafter: never.

Amada [IZ~] 1960 to 1964: at all times; 1965: I January-5 November (I January-5 December); 1966: IO April-Io October (I March-5 November); 1967: 5 March-Io October (I March-5 November); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Derr [IZI] 1960 to 1963: at all times; 1964: I January-Io Septem- ber (I January-zo October); 196j: zj June-31 August (IO June-Io September); 1966: 1 5 June-31 August (IO June-31 August); 1967: zs June-?' August (IS June-31 August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Ehya [I I 01 1960 to 1962: j July-j August (zj June-zo August); 1963 and 1964: j July-5 August (zj June-j August); 1965; 1 5 July-j August (j July-j August); 1966 and 1967: 20 July-> August (IO July-j August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

I h r h (Chapels) [I I 3-1 I j] 1960: 20 June-no August (15 June-zo October); 1961 to 1963: 20 June-rj August (15 June-zo August); 1964: 20 June-j August (15 June-Io August); 1965: 5 July-j August (25 June-Io August); 1966: IO July- j August (I July-Io August); 1967: 15 July-j August (5 July-Io August); 1968 and thereafter: never.

*4niDn [IZ~] 1960 to 1963: at all times: 1964: I January-Ij October (I January15 November); 1965: I &larch-rj Septem- ber (zj February-31 October); 1966: 20 May-ry Sep- tember (I j May- I j September) ; I 967: 5 June-1 j Sep- tember (zj May-15 September); 1968 and thereafter: never.

Abu Simbel [ I Z ~ ] 1960 to 1963: at all times; 1964: I January-15 October (I January-rj November); 196j: I March-Ij Septem- ber (zj February-31 October); 1966: 20 May-Io Sep- tember (IS May-Io September); 1967: 5 June- IO September (zj May-Io September); 1968 and thereafter: never.

A d a [14j]; A b i i Odu [I~o]; Ballatja [I~o-1601 Until 1968, the ground-level of these three temples will at all times be above water.

Cover: photos by Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt Titer page: photo by IGN Published in 1960 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Place de Fontenoy, Paris-7e. Printed in France by Paul Dupont, Paris.

(3) Unesco 1960 CUA.60/D.ZZ/A