|
The museum is built on a hill
on the road
heading south from Aswan before the turnoff to the Unfinished
Obelisk. The facility sits amid gardens that feature
antiquities, a waterway representing the River Nile, a cave
fitted out with pre-historic wall carvings, and a Nubian house .
Since February, 1981, a number of symposiums and seminars was
held for contribution to this great project. It was the first
time in the history of the (USECO) to decide launching an
international campaign to establish local museum. This, however,
could be ascribed to the magnificent monumental treasures Egypt
has.On February 4 th, 1986, the foundation stone of the museum
of Nubia was laid down, playing new effective role that was
derived from the spring of culture and civilization at both home
and international levels. To the Egyptians, the museum is to
display life over centuries. As for foreign visitors, the museum
will show the history of such unique area, as a source of
knowledge for researchers from around the globe.The
International Museum of Nubia is located in Aswan on an area of
50,000 square meters, 7000 of which are excluded to building,
while the rest designed to be the yard of the museum.The
building has three floors for displaying and housing, in
addition to a library and information center. The largest part
of the museum is occupied by the monumental pieces, reflecting
phases of the development of the Nubian culture and
civilization.Three thousands pieces of antiq., representing
various ages; Geological, Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic,
were registered. The open-door exhibition includes 90 rare
monumental pieces, while the internal halls contain 50
invaluable pieces dating back to the pre-history times, 503
pieces belong to Pharaonic time, 52 of Coptic era, 103 of
Islamic age, 140 of Nubian time, in addition to 360 pieces
having the tang of Aswan.The work in this unique edifice lasted
for 11 years straight, and cost LE 60 million The museum of
Nubia gained this unique position simply because it harbors
unique monuments not in any elsewhere.It houses the statute of
Ramsis II, which was laid at the very forefront of the Museum,
statute of Amenras the spiritual wife of Amen, she is of Nubian
origin. It, also, has the head of the Shpatka, of the Nubian
origin, made of rosy granite, head of black granite of Tahraqa,
the Nubian King, whose reign during the 7th century BC was said
to be full of prosperity. There is a temple of his name with
gold-plated pillars.
There are, also, four mummies for nobles, which were found in
Kashmatkh town in Nubia. The museum, as well, houses several
models and styles of the Nubian heritage, the panorama of the
Nile, depicting live image of the River Nile streaming through
its banks. There is also a model for the Nubian-style house,
typically copied to mirror the nature of life in Nubia. All
pieces exhibited in the museum reflect the character of the
Nubia over history and display how it merged with the Islamic
civilization on one hand and the mother civilization of Egypt on
the other. So, the museum of Nubia plays vital role not only at
the level of promoting Nubia to the entire world but also at the
level of maintaining monuments and supporting researchers,
interested in Nubia, from around the globe.This, however could
be achieved through the museum's study center and the
documentation centers which publish more information on the
"Land of Gold" in Egypt, the past, the present and the future.
Nubia Museum, which hosts 3000 monumental pieces of several
times, ranks tenth in the list of the museums inaugurated in
Egypt over the past three years. An array of important museums,
however, has been inaugurated; Mohamed Nagui Museum, Modern
Egyptian Art Museum, Museum of Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil and his
wife, Museum of Ahmed Desouki, Port Said Museum for Modern Arts,
Taha Hussein Museum, and the Mummification Museum in Luxor.
Built to preserve the archaeological and cultural record of a
civilization from prehistoric times to the present, the Nubian
Museum, designed by Mahmoud El-Hakim and funded by the Egyptian
government, is an important center for African and Middle
Eastern archaeology and museology, as well as a vital community
museum. The 108,0000-square foot (10,000-square-meter) museum
faces the Nile in the manner of traditional Nubian houses. An
open triangle motif on the main facade derives from traditional
Nubian architecture and is one of a number of such elements
subtly incorporated into the design.
Entering at ground level, visitors are led down to the main
exhibition area, where they find the museum's centerpiece: a
statue of Ramses II (1304-1237 B.C.), builder of the great
temple at Abu Simbel. The scheme draws visitors through the
museum building and out to an exterior exhibition area, designed
to represent the Nile Valley.
This area includes a cave housing prehistoric drawings of
animals, and also features a traditional Nubian house, an
outdoor theater for five hundred people, two shrines, a
musalla(place of prayer), and several graves, said to be
Fatimid, Roman, and Coptic in origin. A canal symbolizes the
River Nile, which is surrounded by local flora and fauna.
The institution is popular among the residents of Aswan, who are
proud of their museum and feel that it reflects their way of
life. The museum plays an important role in informing both
Egyptian and international visitors about Nubian culture,
preserving the record of an ancient civilization while providing
a focal point for today's community.
I highly recommend the museum to all who
visit Egypt. It is worth a detour to Aswan especially to see it.
Reserve at least three hours for your visit, and do not miss the
beautiful garden, which also contains some stone antiquities of
various kinds. A few Fatimid tombs which were already present on
the hill have been restored and are incorporated in the garden
What about their future? Of course the nostalgia (mostly for the
old generation) for their country is enormous
The Nubians lost their ancient homeland in the 1960's, but
their culture and heritage remain forever
|
