Whatever Else Happened to the Ancient Egyptian Quarries? an Essay on Their Destiny in Modern Times
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GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORWAY SPECIAL PUBLICATION n 12 Whatever else happened to the ancient Egyptian quarries? An essay on their destiny in modern times Per Storemyr Geological Survey of Norway, 7491 Trondheim, Norway/CSC Conservation Science Consulting, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland. Present address: Herrligstrasse 15, CH-8048 Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected] Through selected case studies, this essay describes the fate of ancient Egyptian stone quarries over the last 50 years. It focusses on the many-sided causes of destruction and neglect of these important archaeological sites in an attempt at raising key conservation issues. Such issues are particularly related to how to deal with modern development, such as urban growth and quarrying, which are expected to remain the largest threat for the ancient quarries also in the future. Introduction and the special geography of the country. scribing the fate of some important an- Much of the deterioration has taken place cient quarries when cities have expanded This essay will examine what has hap- over the last 50 years or so—a period and modern quarrying has occurred. pened to Egyptian stone quarries over the that has brought unprecedented change These case studies have been previously last 50 years. Why is this important? It is to the country. Looking at how ancient presented in a comprehensive report no secret that Egypt’s archaeological heri- quarries have fared in this period may (Storemyr et al. 2007, including prima- tage in general suffers tremendously from aid conservation because this has to tar- ry references, see also bibliography and the adverse effects of modern develop- get the many-sided causes of damage and other sources at the end of this essay), ment as well as from neglect, looting and destruction—causes closely linked with and are reworked here for the purpose of natural decay. This is, of course, not just political, economic and social issues. trying to answer the main question, as an Egyptian phenomenon, but Egypt’s The core part of the essay deals with seen from the perspective of an interest- heritage is particularly vulnerable because selected case studies undertaken within ed outsider: is there any hope for ancient of the huge amount of archaeological sites the QuarryScapes project and aims at de- Egyptian quarries in the future? Storemyr, P. (2009) Whatever else happened to the ancient Egyptian quarries? An essay on their destiny in modern times. In Abu-Jaber, N., Bloxam, E.G., Degryse, P. and Heldal, T. (eds.) QuarryScapes: ancient stone quarry landscapes in the Eastern Mediter- ranean, Geological Survey of Norway Special Publication,12, pp. 105–124. 105 n PER STOREMYR A vibrant country in trouble and Toshka projects, which ultimately Heritage management and aim at turning the Western Desert green ancient quarries In 2000 professor of economics at the across a huge area west of Abu Simbel and American University in Cairo, Galal Amin, beyond. What has all this to do with ancient quar- published the English version of What- The use of the fringes of the Nile Val- ries or, for that matter, any other type of ever Happened to the Egyptians?; a critical ley and even the remote desert is symp- cultural heritage in Egypt? A simple, gen- but entertaining account of the profound tomatic of the current land-use develop- eral answer is that the destiny of cultural changes, not least in social structure, that ment policies. In this partially hyperarid heritage, or its status in terms of condi- have taken place in the country from the climate, the Delta, the narrow stretches tion, legal protection and conservation, 1952 revolution to the present. The book along the Nile River and the environs of reflects the political, economic and social became a bestseller, and in the follow-up a few Western Desert oases are the only development of a country, including the Whatever Else Happened to the Egyptians? places where agriculture could tradition- rapid changes in land use. First, Egypt from 2004, Amin took another bemused ally be undertaken. This special geogra- has a staggering amount of archaeologi- look at the ‘quantitative’ changes in Egyp- phy implies that 99% of the population cal sites—the entire Nile Valley, its desert tian society throughout the same time uses only about 5% of the total land area flanks and many remote desert areas are span—a period in which the population of the country. Driven by population practically a continuous series of archae- grew from some 20 to nearly 80 million. growth, there thus seems to be little else to ological landscapes, which almost every- Amin’s books and many others portraying do than put the desert to use, though crit- where include ancient quarries, some of modern Egyptian society, from novelist ics would maintain that Egyptians may very great lateral extent. This means that Alaa Al-Aswany’s bestseller The Yacobian never be willing to move into the desert there is an almost unavoidable conflict Building (2004) and historian John R. in great numbers. Crowded Cairo, one of between preservation and modern de- Bradley’s highly critical Inside Egypt (2008), the world’s largest cities with an estimated velopment, and that the poorer-known to Ibrahim and Ibrahim’s geographical population of some 20 million, has ex- (and, hence, unprotected) sites may be textbook Ägypten (2006), give a picture panded 35 km into the Western Desert destroyed or their environs at least heav- of a vibrant and multifaceted country, but in the course of 30 years, but (for many ily impacted by almost any kind of de- also a country facing many political, eco- reasons) outlying areas still remain virtual velopment project. nomic and social problems. Large popula- ghost towns. Also substantial cities, such Second, though the problems of tion growth, massive poverty, a widening as New Minya, New Asyut and New As- destruction of archaeology generally is gap between rich and poor, nearly three wan, pop up in the desert adjacent to Nile thoroughly recognised by the Supreme decades of emergency law, inflated bureau- Valley and agricultural schemes expand Council of Antiquities (SCA, the cultur- cracies, endemic corruption and people’s into almost every sizeable flat-lying tract al heritage authority of Egypt, part of the profound dissatisfaction with governing of land outside the fertile Nile floodplain. Ministry of Culture), conservation and elites are some of the many issues taken up Mining, quarrying, petroleum production management efforts have traditionally by the authors mentioned above. and new roads round off the picture of a been directed towards monumental heri- Simultaneously, over the last 50 country in which the desert is no longer tage (pyramids, temples, tombs, some years, tremendous changes in land use as serene as it used to be. It is also increas- settlements), which are admittedly also have taken place, guided by president ingly traversed by some of the almost 13 much needed. Non-monumental sites, Nasser’s (1956–1970) socialist reforms, million tourists that visited the country in where tourists seldom venture, are given Sadat’s (1970–1981) ‘open-door policy’ 2008 (an all-time record), though most lesser priority, which is not surprising and Mubarak’s (1981–present) contin- of these spent resort holidays along the because it is often difficult to recognise, ued liberalisation in the economic sector. Red Sea coast or visited mainly the classi- let alone communicate, the significance The profound changes are the results of cal monuments in Giza, Luxor and other and value of such sites. And most have attempts at relieving population pres- places. Tourism is the most important little potential for tourist revenue, at sures by building new cities and villages, source of foreign revenue and sprawling least in comparison to a pyramid. Hard expanding the amount of cultivable land, new hotels and resorts litter the Red Sea to ‘see’, such sites may be large, complex and making room for industrial and tech- coast, the Mediterranean shoreline and and sometimes remote, which implies nological development. The High Dam at main tourist centres in the Nile Valley. that their conservation demands special Aswan (completed in 1971) is the best- A mixed blessing, the tourist industry competence and is often costly in terms known enterprise—a project that wiped means work for many, but also increasing of survey, monitoring and management. out Old Nubia by creating Lake Nasser differences between rich and poor and an Such competence and basic resources but secured the agricultural and energy undermining of traditional ways of life. (e.g., survey equipment, cars) are gener- needs of the country. New, celebrated and Also, the sprawling luxury resorts are an ally lacking at the local/regional heritage criticised projects followed in the wake of immense contrast to the harsh realities of preservation offices, and thus foreign the High Dam, such as the ‘New Valley’ everyday life for most Egyptians. missions usually aid in such matters, but 106 WHATEVER ELSE HAPPENED TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN QUARRIES? AN ESSAY ON THEIR DESTINY IN MODERN TIMES n of course, only at those sites where they System, a part of the SCA) for making, ation can be regarded a great deal worse, have special interests. maintaining and publishing an official notwithstanding the fact that >10% are Third, most Egyptians have consider- country-wide site inventory, as well as a part of other legally protected archaeo- ably more acute everyday problems than small SCA department for actually put- logical sites, many more are known by the caring about such archaeological sites. ting the ancient quarries on the conserva- heritage authorities, and that three quar- At the bottom line, comparatively well tion agenda, have been of greater impor- ries are developed (or under development) educated heritage inspectors are so un- tance.