River cruises, land tours canceled as evacuation from Egypt begins

by Chris Owen on

While at least 2,400 U.S. citizens are seeking evacuation from Egypt today, only two charter planes arranged by the U.S. Department of State have taken left the scene , one landing in Cyprus and the other on the way to Athens, Greece. It looks like it is going to take some time to make those evacuation plans happen.

“People should be prepared for a very long wait,” Janice Jacobs, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for consular affairs told CNN.

With an estimated 52,000 Americans in Egypt, 2,400 have requested assistance evacuating. The US Department of State has issued a warning against traveling to Egypt and noted that those interested in evacuation People interested in evacuation via U.S. government-chartered transportation should contact the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo by sending an e-mail to EgyptEmergencyUSC@state.gov or by calling 1-202-501-4444.

Egypt land tours and Nile river cruises have been suspended with tour operators Abercrombie and Kent, Trafalgar tours, Uniworld, Avalon Waterways, Grand Circle Travel and Gate 1 Travel all canceling operations.

“It’s an absolute zoo, what a mess,” Justine Khanzadian, 23, a graduate student from the American University of Cairo told AOL Travel.

MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines, both scheduled to call at Alexandria, Egypt have modified their itineraries. The Norwegian Jade called at Istanbul Sunday. MSC Magnifica called at Limassol, Cyprus on Sunday and is calling at Haifa, Israel today. MSC Splendida will call at Izmir, Turkey.

Some of the popular tourist attractions in Alexandria, Egypt include Pompeii’s Pillar, The Tombs of Al-Anfushi, The Graeco-Roman Museum and The Museum of Fine Arts, known for its rich collection of sculptures, paintings and architectural works.

Flickr photo by Deanster 1983

Airlines, Cruise Lines stay clear of chaotic Egypt

by Chris Owen on

A number of airlines have canceled flights in and out of Egypt and cruise lines have canceled calls to ports as unrest grows.

Norwegian Cruise Lines and MSC Cruises, both with scheduled stops in in Alexandria, Egypt have canceled those calls, modifying itineraries. Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Kuwait Airways and Egypt Air have altered flights or suspended service to the region indefinitely.

The situation is grim. Demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak and the right to a free election have been seen looting,

After warning against travel to Egypt, evacuation flights are being organized by the US Embassy in Cairo and will leave Monday. India and Turkey are evacuating their citizens today. In a statement, the US Embassy said

“The U.S. Department of State recommends that U.S. citizens avoid travel to Egypt due to ongoing political and social unrest. On January 30, the Department of State authorized the voluntary departure of dependents and non-emergency employees. Violent demonstrations have occurred in several areas of Cairo, Alexandria and other parts of the country, disrupting road travel between city centers and airports. Disruptions in communications, including internet service, may occur. The Government of Egypt has imposed a curfew from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez until further notice.”

Protests in the last five days against Mubarak’s 30-year rule have caused the Egyptian army to be deployed in an attempt to control demonstrations. With at least 74 killed, two mummies destroyed, burning buildings and ongoing battles between protesters and police will effectively shut down tourism, a major factor in the Egyptian economy.

On CNN this morning, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US is standing by the existing Egyptian government “for now” urging an open discussion that could lead to peace.

Flickr photo by ChrisCruises

Travelers scramble in Cairo

by Chris Owen on

The situation for travelers overwhelming Cairo International Airport was critical as foreign tourists and Egyptians scrambled to find outgoing flights. Most without reservations, between 1,500 and 2,000 travelers were looking for any available flight at the airport’s main departure terminals.

The Associated Press reports that airlines have canceled a number of flights, the United States is cautioning citizens against travel to Egypt, and tourism agencies are giving travelers the option to reschedule.

Egypt does not need to lose the tourism business, estimated at $10 billion a year. Egypt’s military has closed off access to the country’s treasured pyramids in Giza, normally a very busy tourist area.

Tour operators of the Association of French Tour Operators suspended all departures for this weekend to Egypt and travelers already on the ground are being diverted to less volatile areas.

Flickr photo by Unbathed

Rioters destroy two mummies in Egyptian Museum in Cairo

by Sean McLachlan on


Rioters broke into Cairo’s famous Egyptian Museum yesterday and destroyed two mummies, Reuters reports.

The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, got on state television to say that a crowd tried to break into the museum but were fought off by tourist police and regular citizens. While the battle went in front of the entrances, some other rioters broke in through the roof and destroyed the mummies. The ticket office was also ransacked.

It’s unclear at this stage if anything was stolen or if this was a simple act of vandalism. Egyptian fundamentalists have long objected to displays of mummies and ancient religious idols, so the attack may have had a religious motivation. The two mummies were not identified but were referred to as belonging to the Pharaonic period, as opposed to later Greco-Roman mummies.

The museum stands next to the headquarters of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party, which the rioters had set on fire. If I remember correctly, there’s a large open space between the two buildings and so there is little danger of the fire spreading.

[Photo courtesy user Zubro via Wikimedia Commons. This is in the Louvre and is not one of the mummies that was destroyed. You get 100 Archaeology Points if you can tell me another reason this couldn’t be the mummy that was destroyed.]

Germany and Egypt fight over bust of Nefertiti: will Zahi Hawass’s crusade ever end?

by Sean McLachlan on

You win some, you lose some.

Zahi Hawass is a man who is used to getting his way. The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities has been fighting to repatriate stolen Egyptian artifacts for years, and more often than not he wins.

This time, though, he’s suffered a setback. He’s trying to get the Neues Museum in Berlin to return the famous bust of Nefertiti. He claims it was stolen by a German archaeologist a century ago who covered it with clay to hide its true value. Museum officials told the BBC it was legally exported and that it’s too delicate to move anyway.

The bust is the centerpiece of the Neues Museum’s amazing display of Egyptian artifacts, one of the best collections in the world. Nefertiti was the wife of the mysterious pharaoh Akhenaten, who put the Sun god Aten above all others in the Egyptian pantheon. Vengeful priests erased his name from monuments after his death in 1338 BC.

This won’t be the last battle in the war for Nefertiti. Dr. Hawass’s predecessors have been trying to get the bust back since 1930. What really needs to be done is for museums, governments, and archaeologists to get together and come up with a binding agreement on how to deal with these issues. Perhaps a neutral International Antiquities Court could be set up via the UN? At the moment Dr. Hawass has little power to force Germany or any other country to return artifacts, other than threats (which worked with the Louvre) or constant badgering. With a proper system in place, Dr. Hawass could get a good night’s sleep.

But having seen the inner workings of far too many museums and academic departments, I don’t hold out much hope for an amicable agreement. Too many people are trying to cling to their little bit of turf.

[Photo courtesy Philip Pikart]