{"id":42594,"date":"2020-05-12T17:28:48","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T17:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=42594"},"modified":"2020-05-12T17:28:48","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T17:28:48","slug":"dubai-turns-worlds-tallest-building-into-coronavirus-charity-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=42594","title":{"rendered":"Dubai turns world\u2019s tallest building into coronavirus charity box"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nCAIRO: In a bustling square of Egypt\u2019s capital, four sphinx-like statues stand in wooden crates ahead of a planned unveiling ceremony following their controversial transfer from historical sites.
With the bodies of lions and heads of rams, the statues had for millennia graced Karnak temple in the southern city of Luxor representing the ancient Egyptian god \u201cAmun.\u201d
This month, the restored sandstone statues were moved to Cairo\u2019s landmark Tahrir Square, the epicenter of a 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.
\u201cI am against the moving of Luxor monuments. I was especially saddened by their relocation,\u201d legislator Ahmed Idris from the city told AFP.
\u201cLuxor has long been like an open museum which should be developed and its monuments\u2019 historical value are tied to the city,\u201d said Idris.
The statues will be the square\u2019s centerpieces, along with a 19-meter-tall (60-foot-tall) pink granite obelisk of the famed Ramses II.
The 3,000-year-old obelisk \u2014 of Ramses II facing an ancient deity as well as inscriptions of his titles \u2014 was moved from a Nile Delta archaeological site.
The relocations which came as part of government plans to renovate Tahrir Square have drawn wide criticism from archaeologists and activists.
Some petitioned President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to stop the transfer.
Others including lawyers from a rights group filed a lawsuit citing a 1964 Venice Charter on the conservation and restoration of monuments, saying the move could \u201cjeopardize the priceless artefacts.\u201d
Egypt signed the charter, adopted by UNESCO, in 1974.
A frenetically busy square, Tahrir in downtown Cairo has long been associated with blaring car horns, traffic jams and exhaust fumes.
It stands a short stroll away from the Egyptian Museum, a tourist magnet which holds a vast collection of precious relics.
A staging ground for major protests in Egypt, the square has undergone multiple phases of renovation since the 2011 uprising.
Its renovation plan includes unifying building facades, removing street advertisements and an overhaul of its lighting.
In December, El-Sisi said the transfer of artefacts would add \u201ca touch of civilization\u201d to the site.
But fears have grown over possible damage to the monuments.
\u201cThe high pollution in Tahrir Square will ruin the antiquities and accelerate their deterioration,\u201d Egyptologist Monica Hanna said in a Facebook post in December.
\u201cA monument\u2019s value is diminished when removed from its original historical context and becomes an ornament rather than a monument,\u201d she said.
Egyptian architect Ayman Badr has said the square does not need \u201cto be adorned with historical elements\u201d as it \u201calready holds historical value.\u201d
Antiquities and Tourism Minister Khaled Al-Anani has dismissed warnings that the monuments could be vandalized or be affected by pollution.
Ancient relics in Egyptian museums or public spaces often suffer damage by graffiti, engravings or just being frequently touched.
\u201cNo-one will be able to touch them. They will be placed on a high pedestal and surrounded by a water fountain,\u201d Anani told a private television channel in March.
He said they would undergo regular restoration and maintenance.
The statues were not among those lined up on the famed Kebash (rams) avenue linking Karnak and Luxor temples, according to the minister.
Mahmoud Zaki, a tour guide from Luxor, also sided with those defending the transfers.
\u201cWe exhibit artefacts abroad for foreigners to enjoy… and now it\u2019s a great honor that antiquities from Karnak temple adorn Egypt\u2019s most popular square,\u201d he told AFP.
An unveiling ceremony is planned but an official date has yet to be announced.
\u201cIt\u2019s nonsensical that (Egyptian) obelisks could be found in public spaces across the world and none of them stands in Egypt\u2019s most popular square,\u201d said antiquities expert Ali Abu Deshish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAIRO: In a bustling square of Egypt\u2019s capital, four sphinx-like statues stand in wooden crates ahead of a planned unveiling ceremony following their controversial transfer from historical sites.With the bodies of lions and heads of rams, the statues had for millennia graced Karnak temple in the southern city of Luxor representing the ancient Egyptian god…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42594\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}