A looted mummy pulled from a tomb. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
El Hibeh archaeological site on the east bank of the Nile lies in a particularly impoverished area of Egypt, three hour’s drive south of Cairo. For the past 9 months a gang has been systematically and openly looting the site while the local police seemingly turn a blind eye.
A mummy torn open in search of artefacts lies in shredded wrapping. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
The remains at the site date from the late Pharaonic, Graeco-Roman, Coptic and early Islamic periods – approximately 11th century BCE to eighth century CE. El Hibeh is of special importance because it is one of very few relatively intact town sites remaining in Egypt. It contains extensive archaeological deposits dating to the Third Intermediate Period, Egypt’s last “Dark Age” and an era particularly poorly known archaeologically.
Dr. Carol Redmount, an eminent archaeologist based at the University of California, Berkeley, arrived in Egypt in February to continue her archaeological work at the site after obtaining permission from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities which controls all excavations in the country.
A group of looted tombs with one of the gang (circled) on lookout. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
However, twenty-four hours before departing for the site her permits were revoked by the provincial police service with no explanation. Inquiries revealed that a mafia-like gang led by an escaped criminal has been ruthlessly looting the site since at least June 2011. Dr. Redmount has not been allowed to visit the site but eye witnesses confirm that looting continues on a daily basis and have photographed the gang at work and the devastation they have wreaked upon the site, including the ripping apart of mummified bodies in an attempt to find artefacts.
The scale of the looting is highlighted by this image of the excavations in 2009 and a recent photograph taken from the same vantage point - Looting pits scar the ground. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
The site occupies about two square kilometres and includes cemeteries and the ruins of a walled ancient provincial town with a limestone temple, industrial facilities, houses and possible fort and governing residence.
“Hibeh is vitally important to understanding the character of ancient Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period, a very confusing and confused historical era for which only limited archaeological resources exist. Looting is obliteration, it destroys an irreplaceable, non-renewable cultural resource that belongs to humanity,” says Dr. Redmount.
Tossed down a slope, this ransacked mummy is left for the dogs. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
Redmount’s team of six researchers from UC Berkeley is currently unable to carry out any of its proposed academic program at El Hibeh.
“Our primary concern is the incalculable loss of precious archaeological evidence. Archaeologists dream of excavating undisturbed or even relatively undisturbed historic sites. We are losing Hibeh for posterity as we speak,” adds Dr. Redmount.
Source: Save El Hibeh Facebook Group
What you can do:
To help, please contact your local Egyptian consulate and your national Egyptian Embassy’s cultural and educational affairs office to request protection for Egypt’s archaeological sites.
- Please also contact the Minister of Antiquities and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo whose details can be found at this location: http://www.sca-egypt.org/eng/sca_contact.htm
- An article has been posted to alwafd.org and Glenn Meyer has provided a translation of the Arabic: This can be found at the Eloquent Peasant blog: http://www.eloquentpeasant.com/2012/03/09/looting-in-el-hibeh/
- For more information on El Hibeh: http://neareastern.berkeley.edu/hibeh/references.htm
- Independent verification of the scale of the looting has been provided by visitors to the site who sent photos to Dr. Redmount, including pictures of looting in progress.
Mummy head ripped from the body and thrown aside. Image: provided by Dr. Carol Redmount
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Further photographic evidence of the looting is available.
For media inquiries, contact:
1. Dr. Carol Redmount, Egypt cell: +20-102-043-4999 redmount@berkeley.edu
2. Dr. Heidi Saleh, Professor at St. Rosa Junior College, California, who is able to discuss importance of site and has worked at Hibeh, hsaleh@santarosa.edu, tel. +1-707-527-4578.
3. Mohamed Sherdy, prominent Egyptian politician, spearheading efforts to protect Hibeh and other sites, m.sherdy@editorpr.com, tel. +202-333-81069, mob. +20-100-559-9559.
4. For Arabic media contacts: Amir Bibawy, Egyptian-American journalist, +20-120-706-7555 or +1-202-329-9169.
More pictures and details can be found at the Save El Hibeh Egypt Facebook page.