9/9/2024–|Last updated: 9/9/202402:33 (Mecca time)
Egyptian archaeologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass has called for the return to Egypt of the head of the pharaonic queen Nefertiti from the new Berlin museum and launched a petition on his website last Saturday to mobilize support for this.
In 1912, a German archaeological mission discovered the famous limestone bust of Nefertiti at Tell el-Amarna in Minya Governorate, about 300 kilometers south of Cairo, and shipped it to Berlin the following year.
Tell el-Amarna is the capital city of Akhenaten, the husband of Nefertiti, the pharaoh of the 18th dynasty who reigned until around 1335 BC.
Akhenaten called for the worship of the god Aten and the exclusion of other Egyptian gods. His reign also brought about a radical change in Egyptian art.
Hawass demanded the return of Nefertiti’s head in the petition he launched yesterday Saturday, claiming that it had left Egypt illegally after its discovery.
He added: “We are announcing today that Egypt is requesting the return of the bust of Nefertiti. This is a national committee, not a government committee.”
Hawass has asked those who wish to return Nefertiti’s head to register their desire to sign the document on his website.
“What I need from everyone here is to go to my website… and sign. A signature to show that you want this bust back,” he said.
The Egyptian archaeologist said he was not calling for the legal restoration of antiquities that left Egypt.
The Hawass campaign mainly focuses on recovering 3 pieces: the Head of Nefertiti, the Rosetta Stone and the Tower of Dendera.
It has not yet been possible to obtain a comment from the officials of the New Museum Berlin on the launch of this petition.
As the world celebrates two centuries since the discovery of the Rosetta Stone by Frenchman Jean-François Champollion and 100 years since the discovery of the tomb of the child king Tutankhamun, voices are being raised demanding that the Egyptians’ contribution to these achievements be made public. These demands reflect the Egyptians’ desire to restore their country’s heritage and reclaim the treasures of their antiquities that they believe the West has “stolen.”
Egypt has repeatedly demanded the return of its antiquities exhibited abroad, including the head of Nefertiti, exhibited at the Berlin museum, and the Rosetta Stone, exhibited at the British Museum and today considered one of the most popular and famous important exhibits at the museum located in London.