Last year, Dr Zahi Hawass spoke to Heritage Key in a video interview about the restoration work being carried out at the Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides) synagogue in Cairo by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (see the video at the bottom of this page). With the project nearing completion, the SCA chief has today announced that a planned celebration to mark the reopening of the restored monument has been cancelled.
Dr Hawass explained that the decision comes in the aftermath of Israeli authorities prohibiting worshippers from praying in the Al-Aqsa mosque in the West Bank.
The famous monument represents the Augustan golden age of the early empire and was excavated from several metres under Rome's busy main shopping street, via del Corso, during Italy's Fascist era in the 1930s. The fragments were reassembled and finally housed in a wooden structure in piazza Augusto Imperatore.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 18:09
Saqqara might be one of Egypt's oldest archaeological sites, but it's certainly one of the hottest right now. And the omnipresent Zahi Hawass has been enlightening fans on the latest breakthroughs and theories circulating the ancient necropolis. The first of these centres on the giant Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt's first pyramid. Eleven burial shafts have been excavated, homes to each of the Old Kingdom pharaoh's daughters. As such it was the only Old Kingdom pyramid built for the king's family.
Newport Castle is a ruined 14th century castle in the centre of the the city of Newport, south Wales. It is this castle that - in the Welsh language - gives Newport its name, Castell Newydd, shortened to Casnewydd ('New Castle'). However, the castle was never a particularly important centre of government (it was only active for 200 years) and it exists today in a state of severe disrepair, with large parts demolished to make way for roads and railways. In 2003, it was sealed off from the public altogether because it is too hazardous to enter.
Only the castle's east side remains, squeezed between a busy modern road and roundabout and neglected for centuries. The high tidal range of the River Usk has caused considerable damage to the castle's remains over the years. The best hope visitors have of seeing its existing remains are from the nearby Newport Bridge or Riverfront Theatre. A footpath once ran nearby, but it too was closed in 2006.
While no plans for a physical restoration of Newport Castle are in any advanced stage, a virtual reconstruction of the building has been created by the University of Wales Newport's Institute of Digital Learning (IDL) and will go online on the IDL's Second Life island soon, alongside other virtual Welsh heritage sites and artefacts, including the Newport Ship.
The Newport Ship is a large 15th century wooden sailing vessel, discovered by archaeologists buried in the west bank of the River Usk, at the site where - at the time - the city's Riverfront Arts Centre was being built. It is currently undergoing a £3.5 million restoration at the expense of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Welsh Assembly Government and Newport City Council, following a campaign by local people for funds to be found for its preservation.
All of the ships remains have been lifted from the site, and are currently undergoind painstaking restoration and conservation work at a local industrial unit described by the local council as "the biggest wood conservation centre in the UK." Eventually, it will be rebuilt to the fullest possible extent and put on display for the public at an as-yet undesignated site (plans for display in the basement of the Riverfront Arts Centre have been shelved due to the ship's vast size).
Submitted by veigapaula on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 23:54
The Christian Monastery of Saint Anthony, or Deir Mar Antonios, is the the first ever monastery, and lies at the coast of the Red Sea, to the east of the Fayum oasis. Dedicated to St Anthony, it was founded in 356 AD immediately after the saint's death, and is now the oldest Christian monastery still active in the world. Near the monastery (2 km away) there is also St. Anthony's cave, where he lived as a hermit.
This video provides a rare glimpse inside this wonderful monastery, filled with art and the postumous home of a hermit saint, Saint Anthony. Monasticism was a reality in Egypt after the first followers of Jesus entered the country and from here, from the land of the extinct pharaohs, monks and monastic life spread out to all the rest of the world.
When visiting King Tutankhamun's tomb - or its virtual counterpart King Tut Virtual - did you ever notice the strange brown spots on the wall paintings? They definitely were not there when Howard Carter discovered KV62 in 1922, and nobody knows what is causing them, not even Dr. Zahi Hawass: "I always see the tomb of King Tut and wonder about those spots, which no scientist has been able to explain." Now the Getty Conservation Institute - specialised in conservation techniques for art and in particular for ancient sites - in cooperation with the SCA will start a five-year conservation project to determine what is causing this damage to the ancient wall paintings.
Father Maximous el-Antony guides us through the Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt, founded in 356AD and one of the oldest monasteries still active today - and tells us more about its past and the current restoration works.
Today Saint Anthony's Monastery is a beautiful self-contained village with gardens, a mill, a bakery and five churches, the most famous of which is St. Anthony's Church. Egypt's monasteries are experiencing a revival, and the monk population of St. Anthony's has grown considerably in recent years. For more information about the current reconstruction works, watch the video and read Paula Veiga's blog.
Normally as white as a bleached bone, the 
Egypt’s Minister of Culture, Farouk Hosni, and Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), along with the governor of Luxor, Samir Farag, will embark today on an inspection tour along the Avenue of Sphinxes that connects the 
Saqqara
When visiting King Tutankhamun's tomb - or its virtual counterpart King Tut Virtual - did you ever notice the strange brown spots on the wall paintings? They 
