I went to Sakkara Country Club with a friend today to arrange a stay for him and his wife next weekend. While there the manager opened his drapes and waved at a dark line in the desert next to the Club. Apparently last night a group of local sand and gravel miners trucked in tons of clay to construct a road coming in from the asphalt road to the Giza dump to the north, along the edge of the desert and then up the hills just behind the Club. Apparently the goal is to mine and truck away the hills behind the Club that hid the sight and considerable stench of the Giza dump from the rest of us. And this is on antiquities land. The dump is not but the road most certainly is, and it's highly probable that the workers on this endeavor will enjoy a bit of moonlight archaeology. So who are they paying off? The Army or Antiquities? Or both?
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Road To Hell
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4 comments:
We have a happy ending to the story, inshallah. The local families met the other night and told the members who built the road that they could not quarry in this area. The road will likely stay for a while, but since it's made of a type of clay that has potential commercial value as an equine poultice, I expect it to be disappeared relatively soon.
Hi Maryanne !
I was married to an egyptian ( who died in december from heart attack ) and his family owns the farm next to the Saqqara country club... I know this area pretty well as I absolutly loved to have a walk at this spot ! the hills behind the farm in the desert is fantastic, it`s offer beautiful view of Abousir pyramids and guizeh... I am shock by the pictures you took !!!
I want also to mention to you that just a little farther north of the Saqqara country club past the land of my family in law, the family of Ben laden ( the cousin of the famous Ben laden ) has extended his land into the desert as well. The took a big piece of land in the desert, made a wall around it and started to cultivate this land ! and this is antiquity land as well, this have been going on for more than a year ( so BEFORE the revolution )... for a while the government there has been very laxist about people doing excavation at night and stealing land... It is a shame...
I cannot go and check as I went back to Canada this summer... but would love to be informed if ever you go there again ... thanks
Marie
To be fair to the Binladens, that extension isn't theirs at all. Someone else did it. The garbage is courtesy of a million people. People have been dumping garbage behind the Club (including the Club) for ages much to my consternation.
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