May 12, 2007
More on the dispute over Nefertiti bust
Further coverage of the arguments underway between Egypt & Germany over requests for the return of the bust of Nefertiti.
From:
New Zealand Herald
World Story
Bitter battle over bust’s true home
5:00AM Friday May 11, 2007
By Catherine FieldPARIS – More than 3000 years after her reign as queen to a mysterious pharaoh, Nefertiti has sparked a row between Egypt, which wants her bust returned for an exhibition, and Germany, which is refusing to let it leave Berlin, where it is the city’s greatest treasure.
The painted limestone sculpture of the great queen is one of the most famous depictions of beauty and female power, showing a woman with exquisite features in the prime of life.
After lying in sand on the banks of the Nile for more than three millennia, the life-size bust was brought back into daylight in 1912 by a German archaeologist, Ludwig Borchardt.How Borchardt got his find home remains a controversy. One version is that he talked Ottoman empire officials into letting him keep the bust. Another is that he smuggled it out of the country, falsifying an inventory.
In 1933, Egypt began what would be a long campaign to bring her home, but its request was quashed by Hitler.
“Nefertiti continually delights me. The bust is a unique masterpiece, an ornament, a true treasure … I will never relinquish the head of the queen,” the Fuehrer wrote.
Under a grandiose scheme conceived by Hitler to rebuild Berlin and rename it Germania, Nefertiti was to have been placed on a throne under a large dome, the centrepiece of a new Egyptian museum.
The quarrel has now stirred anew, for Egypt wants the bust to be lent for the opening exhibition in 2011 of a Grand Egyptian Museum, being built near the Great Pyramids.
“I really want it back,” Egyptian chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass told the Egyptian Parliament last week.
“If Germany refuses the loan request, we will never again organise exhibitions of antiquities in Germany … it will be a scientific war.”
Hawass said the Germans were afraid the bust would never be allowed to return to Berlin.
“They think we will be like the Raiders of the Lost Ark, that we will take it and not return it.”
Germany’s response is similar to the British Museum’s rebuttal of Greece’s demand for the Elgin Marbles, the frieze that once adorned the Parthenon.
Dietrich Wildung, head of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, said he was unfazed by the threat of an antiquities boycott, as Egypt had not lent anything since 1985 and there was already a rich collection in Germany.
He added that the bust was too delicate to be sent abroad: “Nefertiti is not a pop star that can simply go on tour.”
But Wilfried Rogasch, a German historian and museum curator, said political will was what was keeping Nefertiti in Berlin.
“People are opposed to the loan, saying the bust might not return, but that’s nonsense.”
He described the real problem as grandstanding, in which culture officials seized on certain artefacts, elevating them to the status of national treasures, to boost their political stature.
Work of beauty
- Queen Nefertiti was the co-ruler of Egypt in the 14th century BC.
- Her name means “a beautiful woman has arrived”.
- It is believed the bust of Nefertiti was made around 1350BC.
- The bust was unearthed at Amarnain, Egypt, by a German archaeologist, Ludwig Borchardt, in December 1912.
- Nefertiti’s bust was taken to Germany in 1913 and has been on public display in Berlin since 1923.
From:
Al Jazeera
UPDATED ON:
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2007
22:15 MECCA TIME, 19:15 GMT
NEWS MIDDLE EAST
‘Hands off my bust’ says Egypt prof
The man responsible for protecting Egypt’s antiquities has said he will “fight” for the return of an ancient bust of Nefertiti, an ancient Egyptian queen, now housed in a Berlin museum.Zahi Hawass also requested the temporary return of other ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone which is housed in London’s British museum.
“Some people say, ‘If we give this bust to Egypt for three months they will not return it’.” Hawass said, regarding the bust of Nefertiti, in an interview on Wednesday.
“I say: we are not ‘the pirates of the Caribbean’. We are in the 21st century, we have co-operation with all the countries and who respect our work.”
Hawass told the Associated Press that his goal was to temporarily display some of the pieces in Egypt’s planned Grand Museum, located next to the Great Pyramids of Giza and expected to open in 2012.
Too fragile to travel
He said Egypt was seeking “unique artifacts” from at least 10 museums around the world, including the Louvre in Paris and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
Hawass has also requested the British museum return the Rosetta Stone, a 1,680 pound slab of black basalt with an inscription that was the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
But many museums are reluctant to hand over some of their most prized posessions. Germany says the bust of Nefertiti is too fragile to travel to Egypt.
“Our Egyptian colleagues know very well that Nefertiti will never leave Berlin for two reasons: Firstly, due to reasons of conservation,” said Dietrich Wildung, head of Berlin’s Egyptian Museum Berlin.
“Secondly, for security reasons. Given the current international political situation, it would be completely irresponsible to allow such a piece of art to travel such a far distance.”
But Hawaas warned that if Berlin rejects a loan in exchange for the 3,000 year-old bust of the wife of the pharaoh Akhenaten, he will prove it was stolen and try to bring it back to Egypt permanently.
“If Berlin will not agree to give us the loan, we will fight back to bring this bust for good,” Hawass said.
Egypt is also seeking artifacts suitable for display at the 2010 debut of the Atum Museum in the Nile Delta city of Meniya.
Legal battle
Hawass has sought help from UNESCO in retrieving the artifacts, but it is unclear what Egypt can do to win back the artifacts, beyond exerting public pressure.
Recourse to the courts in the various museum’s countries would mean a costly legal battle whose outcome could not be guaranteed.
The British Museum confirmed on Thursday that it had received a letter from Hawass seeking a loan of the Rosetta stone and that the request would go to the museum’s trustees for consideration.
“We have received the letter … and will consider it at the appropriate moment,” Hannah Boulton, a museum spokeswoman, said.
The Louvre also confirmed it had received a letter from Hawass, in this case requesting a zodiac-themed ceiling painting from the Dendera Temple.
“We will treat it, as well as any other loan request,” Bénédicte Moreau, a spokeswoman for the museum, said on Thursday in a written statement.
Hawass has also sent letters requesting the bust of Anchhaf, the builder of the Chephren Pyramid, from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the statue of Hemiunu, the nephew and vizier of the pharaoh Khufu – the builder of Egypt’s largest pyramid – to Germany’s Roemer-Pelizaeu museum.
From:
International Herald Tribune
Egypt’s top archaeologist says he will fight for Nefertiti bust in Germany
The Associated Press
Thursday, May 10, 2007CAIRO, Egypt: Egypt’s antiquities chief told The Associated Press in an interview that if persuasion does not work, he will fight for an ancient bust of Nefertiti now in a Berlin museum that Germany says is too fragile to loan to Egypt.
Zahi Hawass rattled the world’s museums last week with requests to hand over masterpieces of ancient Egypt, including the Rosetta Stone — some for loans, others permanently.
Hawass said in the interview Wednesday that the goal is to display the pieces in two new museums, particularly the Grand Museum, which is opening in 2012 next to the Great Pyramids of Giza and it to be Egypt’s main antiquities showcase.
But the bombastic archaeologist — known for the Indiana Jones-style hat he wears as he unveils new discoveries — has met resistance from museums reluctant to part with their most prized artifacts.
“Some people say, ‘If we give this bust to Egypt for three months they will not return it,’” Hawass said, regarding the bust of Nefertiti. “I say: We are not the pirates of the Caribbean. We are in the 21st century, we have cooperation with all the countries and who respect our work.”
At the top of his list of requests for loans are the famed 3,300-year-old bust of Nefertiti — the wife of the pharaoh Akhenaten, now at Berlin’s Egyptian Museum and the Rosetta Stone at London’s British Museum — a 1,680 pound slab of black basalt with an inscription that was the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
But Hawass said Egypt was seeking “unique artifacts” from at least 10 museums around the world, including the Louvre in Paris and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.
“We would like these 10 pieces to be at the opening of the Grand Museum in the year 2012 to invite everyone to show the whole world the cooperation between all of us,” he said.
But while he touted cooperation, he also threatened that if Berlin rejects a loan, he will prove the bust was stolen and seek to bring it back to Egypt permanently.
“If Berlin will not agree to give us the loan, we will fight back to bring this bust for good,” Hawass said.
Dietrich Wildung, head of Berlin’s Egyptian Museum Berlin, said German officials have for years insisted the 3,000-year-old bust is too fragile to travel. “The structure of Nefertiti’s material, plaster over limestone, is very sensitive,” he told Associated Press Television News.
“Our Egyptian colleagues know very well that Nefertiti will never leave Berlin for two reasons: Firstly, due to reasons of conservation … Secondly, for security reasons. Given the current international political situation, it would be completely irresponsible to allow such a piece of art to travel such a far distance,” Wildung said.
Hawass refuted Berlin’s assertions.
“I’m going to give them all the guarantees, insurance, transportation, guarantee completely that the bust will come safe,” he said.
Besides the Grand Museum, Egypt is also seeking pieces for the 2010 debut of the Atum Museum in the Nile Delta city of Meniya.
But it is not clear what Egypt can do to win even a temporary handover of the artifacts beyond public pressure. Hawass has sought UNESCO’s help in retrieving them. Another recourse would be courts in the museum’s countries — but that would mean a costly legal battle whose outcome is uncertain.
The British Museum told AP on Thursday that it has received the letter from Hawass seeking a loan of the Rosetta stone and that the request would go to the museum’s trustees for consideration.
“We have received the letter … and will consider it at the appropriate moment,” said Hannah Boulton, a museum spokeswoman. Boulton said the museum loans many objects but must take into consideration a number of factors including where the item is going, for how long, as well as its popularity and fitness for travel.
A spokeswoman for the Louvre said the museum had also received Hawass’ letter requesting a zodiac ceiling painting from the Dendera Temple. “We will treat it, as well as any other loan request,” Bénédicte Moreau said Thursday in a written statement.
Hawass has also sent letters requesting the bust of Anchhaf — the builder of the Chephren Pyramid — from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, and the statue of Hemiunu — the nephew and vizier of the pharaoh Khufu, builder of the largest pyramid — in Germany’s Roemer-Pelizaeu museum.
Mary Keith, a spokeswoman for the Museum of Fine Arts, said Thursday the museum had not received any inquiries from Egypt but would review any request.
Hawass also said he is requesting items from the New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Italy’s Turin Museum.
One of Hawass’ most bitter ongoing battles is with the St. Louis Art Museum over the 3,200-year-old funerary mask of Ka Nefer Nefer, which depicts a young lady. He has threatened the museum repeatedly for not heeding his requests to return the item and says he has documentation that proves it was stolen from Egypt in 1913.
“We want to tell the whole world about this crime that the museum of St. Louis is doing and even wrote the children in St. Louis to tell them, Don’t go to this museum because it has a stolen artifact,” Hawass said Wednesday.
The St. Louis museum says it bought the mask from a dealer in 1998 for about $500,000 after checking with authorities and the international Art Loss Register to see if the item was stolen. The museum also approved the purchase with the Egyptian Museum, Saint Louis museum director Brent Benjamin has said.
For years Hawass has sought the retrieval of items he says were stolen from Egypt, with recent success in the return from France of stolen hair from the mummy of Ramses II.
- Germany refuses Nefertiti Bust return request : February 22, 2011
- Egypt’s request for the Nefertiti Bust return rebuffed : February 25, 2011
- Egypt asks British Museum for Rosetta Stone return : June 22, 2007
- Egypt to hold talks over Nefertiti bust : December 13, 2009
- Berlin’s dispute with Egypt over Nefertiti : May 4, 2007
- Could Egyptian artefacts be returned as loans? : May 1, 2007
- Has the time come for the Nefertiti bust to return to Egypt : November 6, 2009
- Egypt requests that disputed artefacts are returned as temporary loans : May 1, 2007
Edgard Mansoor said,
04.12.08 at 1:59 pm
The Fuehrer said that Nefertiti continually delights him, that the bust is a unique masterpiece, an ornament, a true treasure, and that he “will NEVER relinquish it”.
This is all fine, but by refusing to lend the Nefertiti bust to Egypt , the German government and Mr. Wildung are simply complying with Hitler’s order, or aren’t they ?
Saying that the bust is too fragile to travel from Germany to Egypt is only an excuse for not lending it to Egypt, when more than 80 or 90 years ago it had travelled from Egypt to Germany under suspicious circumstances and especially under WORSE conditions than it would if it is to travel today from Germany to Egypt.
Furthermore, if Hitler cared for the bust more than he cared for the Jews, Justice demands that his wish MUST be TOTALLY destroyed, otherwise I would say the German government and Wildung are still governed by “Nazi rules”. Like Hitler, Wildung said: ” The Nefertiti bust will NEVER leave Germany”.
Nobody wants to abide by Hitler’s or Wildung’s orders. The Bust MUST return to Egypt and in order to destroy Hitler’s wishes ONCE AND FOR ALL, it MUST NOT return to Germany. No excuses will be acceptable.
Let’s see now if the German Government and Wildung have the courage and decency to defy and destroy Hitler’s wish, or rather Hitler’s command.
In the meantime, Egypt is lucky to own a Nefertiti head more beautiful than the Berlin bust. It’s the one that was owned by the late ex-King Faruk and had been confiscated when he abdicated and went into exhile in Italy. (The Metropolitan and Boston Museums have a picture of it; perhaps the Brooklyn Museum also has it, but I doubt that they would want to show it). And for some reason, the Egyptian Museum is also not exhibiting the Head. Maybe one should ask the authorities of this Museum as to why they are not exhibiting it .
But that’s not a reason for Egypt for not wanting to retrieve the Nefertiti bust. People like it simply because it is easy to grab its looks, just like Hitler did. But should they grab the spirit, they’ll find out that hidden behind the paint, the woman is cold and stern.
The Vatican Egyptian Museum had a Nefertiti head which had been offered to His Holiness Pope John Paul II as a gift by the Mansoor family in memory of their deceased parents.
After the donation, an article appeared in the Italian version of the “Osservatore Romano” of January 10, 1980, and in the English version of February 4, 1980, under the title of ” Gift from the Mansoor Brothers”.
Mosignor Gianfranco Nolli, who at the time was the Director of the Vatican’s Egyptian Museum, wrote: ” Everyone will remember the splendid bust of this queen that is in the Berlin Museum; but this representation (the Nefertiti head offered to the Pope by the Mansoors) EXCELS the famous masterpiece, not for the colors which are completely lacking here, but because of the intensity of the expression and the interiority of sentiments conveyed by this head bare of all ornaments, but pulsating with exceptional vitality…”
It is “easy to grab the looks” of a work of art, but “difficult to grab the spirit” said a Chinese philosopher.
The late Dr. Etienne Drioton, formerly Director General of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities, and who occupied the Chair of Champollion after he left Egypt, had said when he had seen the Vatican’s head for the first time: ” Oh! la belle vieille Nefertiti ” because even in her old age she looked beautiful. He had grabbed the spirit of the sculpture.
The head had been withdrawn from public viewing in the Vatican Egyptian Museum after the advice of an inexperienced and/or jealous Egyptologist” who had claimed the head is a forgery As a result, my family succeeded in recovering the head, being that it was unsafe in unfriendly hands.
The bottom line is this: The wish of the Fuehrer about the Nefertiti bust MUST be erased from the face of the earth; but what he did to the Jewish people must, and will never be forgotten, just as it must never happen again.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
04.25.08 at 5:30 pm
Abbas II Hilmi AKA Sir Abbas Hilmi Pasha was the ruling Khedive of Egypt at the time the Nefertiti bust found its way out of Egypt and into Germany. The officials of the Berlin Egyptian Museum claim that Abbas Hilmi had given Borchardt permission to take possession of the bust. Let us see now if this is true or false.
The Khedive Abbas Hilmi had spent many years in Europe in his young age. As a result he acquired a strong European education. He visited England and France; studied in Switzerland and Austria, and besides the Arabic and Turkish languages which of course he mastered, he had a good conversational knowledge of the English, French and German Languages.
Because of the troubling political situation between the British and the Egyptians between 1911 and 1914 when he was deposed, and even before that, and especially that, like his predecessors, he was a great admirer of attractive ladies, it is extremely doubtful that Borchardt could have dared ask the Khedive to let him take possession of the Nefertiti bust..
Borchardt knew that very well, and he also knew that it was out of question to ask Gaston Maspero, who at that time was the Director General of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, to let him take the bust to Germany.
If “der Fuhrer” had fallen in love with Nefertiti at first sight, you can well imagine how the Khedive would have fallen in love with the bust HAD HE SEEN IT, and Borchardt must have also known that too. Had he dared ask the Khedive to let the Nefertiti bust go, he would have probably been thrown in jail with the blessing of Maspero and the British government.
The conclusion is that the German officials and Wildung’s big lies have been exposed. The Nefertiti bust had simply been smuggled out of Egypt. The arab worker who saw the bust first got well paid to keep his mouth shut. Then in order to have a big piece of luggage, containing of course the bust of Nefertiti, out of Egypt without being checked, a few hundred pounds were distributed here and there in the right place, so that everybody closes their eyes as Nefertit leaves her homeland in the hands of her kidnappers. In those days, bribery was a la mode.
At the end of World War II, Berlin had practically been erased from the face of the earth, and der Fuhrer had gone up in smoke. Knowing that Germany was badly in need of substantial amounts of money to rebuild the country, it had been rumored in 1946 that a foreign Museum (thought to be the MET) offered ten million dollars for the bust. Rumors also claimed that the German officials laughed at the offer and responded: “We’ve made MUCH MUCH more than that just by selling Nefertiti’s post cards and posters. No gentlemen; thank you for the offer; you just keep your money and we keep our “Nofi”. In berlin, Nefertiti is nicknamed: Nofi. They kind of spoiled her.
Wildung knows that the Nefertiti bust is a gold mine. It is the biggest money-making attraction the country ever had. And without the “Nefertiti Show”, the Museum’s income would drop down by 90%, and salary raises would drop to zero. If he wants Hawass to believe that Borchardt had permission to take the bust, he must come up with solid concrete proofs. He may have time to falsify a written authorization signed by the Khedive and bearing his seal, giving Borchardt permission to take the bust. Otherwise, no Mr. Wildung. The world has been fooled once before by the Fuhrer.
Wildung has no choice but tell the truth, apologize, give up his false claim and he may even earn the respect of the world. I say “he may” only.
If Egypt takes the Berlin Museum to the “International Court of Justice” in The Hague, the Museum’s chances of winning the case are NIL. If they want to win, they must produce solid evidene such as an official release permit signed by the Khedive and bearing his seal, as it is only logical that Borchardt would have had to have such a permit in order to get the Nefertiti out of the country without problems.
On May 11, 2007, the New Zeeland Herald reported that “in 1933, Egypt began what would be a long campaign to bring the Nefertiti back home, but its request was quashed by der Fuhrer”. The question is: will the present administration of the Berlin Museum follow in the footsteps of a Nazi maniac ? or is it a disguised Nazi administration that would stand by the Fuhrer’s command ?
Wildung can save his skin by denying Hitler who wasn’t even a German, being that he was Austrian-born. This made him a usurper, and if Wildung & Co. refuse to return the Nefertiti bust to Egypt, they wil be no less Art usurpers than their past adopted master.
Wildung has already been branded an “intellectually dishonest Egyptologist” by the late Honorable George Xanthos, Judge of the Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the County of Los Angeles. Judge Xanthos must have had a good reason for exposing Wildung the way he did; and we, the Mansoors accuse him for resorting to lies in order to hurt our reputation and destroy our livelihood. Just search “dietrich wildung” on your computer and see for yourselves.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
05.03.08 at 7:22 pm
The case of the Nefertiti bust in the Berlin Egyptian Museum calls for more comments: On May 7, 2007, the newscaster of the BBC in Berlin said that after the bust had been discovered by Borchardt in 1912, it had been allowed to be taken to Germany by Borchardt under the terms of an agreement reached in 1913.
But nothing was ever mentioned about a WRITTEN agreement made between whom. If such an agreement had been made between Borchardt and the Khedive Abbas Hilmi or whoever were involved in the agreement, the German officials MUST provide proof of it.
An agreement by words of mouth cannot be accepted in any Court of Justice, since from previous experiences, it is well known that individuals from all aspects of life, especially rich and/or influential, or powerful people, such as Chairmen of the Board of big corporations, government high officials and even heads of states, etc..have been exposed as being hypocrites and first class liars, even though they were sworn under oath.
Therefore, without a factual WRITTEN agreement, the Nefertiti bust had to have been smuggled out of Egypt
But what was the object of making a bronze body for the Nefertiti bust if the idea behind it was not to make money ? Wildung claims that it is simply an attempt to pay HOMAGE to the Queen. Well ! did it ? If that was the case, this bronze body would have been clad in a dress such as that worn by a present-day Queen, or in a dress such as one worn by a lady of a high society on her way to the opera, and not as I said before, like what Mr. Hugh Eakin said it so well in the NYTime of June 21, 2002, that “to make it worse, the Hungarian bronze is clad ONLY in a close-fitting transparent dress, depicting Nefertiti as essentially a nude”.
Then, at another time, the bombastic Wildung said that portraying Nefertiti on the bronze body was “to show the continued relevance of the ancient world to today’s art. If that’s the case, then the bronze body had to have been intended for exhibit to the public at the Venice Biennale, and it did. But what good was it to show the body without the bust. This is the most ridiculous thing a Big Museum director could say.
Now then, had the bronze body been exhibited for free ? or had an entrance fee been charged ? or have copies been made of the video showing nefertiti on the bronze body, and post cards have been sold ? and who gained what from all of this ?
Certainly money had to be the object, and for sure the famous bronze body was not going to be shown for free after all what had been done; and if the video had been duplicated, showing the Nefertiti bust fitted onto the bronze body, it was not going to be given “gratis”.
What did Wildung gain from all this ? fame ? The truth is that all this was unnecessary crap, meaning nonsense, not like the crap or elephant’s “dung” used in Ofili’s infamous painting of the “Holy Virgin Mary” which sadly enough had been exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum with the blessing of the Museum’s director, and which not surprisingly had scandalized Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Dr. Philippe de Montebello, and the public.
So, for once, Wildung & Co. should have taken into consideration the ONLY thing that “merciless Hitler” ever said in his life, that of exhibiting the Nefertiti bust on a throne. Shame on you Wildung ! instead, you and one of the Hungarian artists preferred to install the bust on a bronze body that looked like frozen after having been dipped in a pool of mud, or a cadaver covered allover with scabs and ready for the grave.
And you call this a comparison or marriage between a beautiful antique work of art and a despicable modern work of art ? The public should see your picture with the Hungarian artist holding the bust of Nefertiti from under her chin as if both of you are strangling the poor helpless Queen. To see this nefarious picture, please search “ANTHRO 193 Nefertiti”. then click on the posting titled “Nefertiti”, and sub-titled “Some even suggest that the Nefertiti head be returned to Egypt… etc”.
The fact that the German officials and Wildung refuse to lend the bust to Egypt is proof of bad faith knowing that Borchardt never got permission to take possession of the bust. They feel guilty and they know that Egypt will not return the bust. Who can blame Egypt for wanting it to be returned home ?
Mr. Alexander Schudy of the “Berlin Network for Development Co-operation” is an intelligent and honest gentleman, and I have no doubt that there are millions of German Citizens like him who would agree with him. When the Nefertiti bust will return to Egypt, they will of course miss it, but their conscience will feel at ease. Thye’ll also know that Nefertiti would be telling them: “come visit me in Egypt and see where I’ve lived.
Nobody wants to be reminded of criminals such as Stalin, Al Capone, Adolf Eichman, Idi Amin Dada, Moussawi, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, El Zirkawi, and others , and on top of the list “Adolf Hitler”. Why then would Wildung & Co. want to revive the Fuhrer’s memory by complying with his wish ?
Hitler said he will NEVER relinquish the Nefertiti bust. This alone is the best and sufficient reason to free Nefertiti from the grips of his Excellency Bernd Neumann and Widung, the so-called Eminent International Leading Egyptologist. And don’t they tell us that if she’s sent back to Egypt she will not get there in good health. They better remember that 90 years ago, she travelled with Borchardt, and today, travelling from Germany to Egypt will be the most pleasant and most confortable trip she will ever make.
Once she’s back in Egypt, I am sure that Dr. Hawass will be kind enough to lend her not only to Germany, but also to many other countries whose citizens can ill afford to travel abroad to admire her.
More to follow if Nefertiti is not back home soon, safe and sound.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
05.10.08 at 1:18 pm
For more comments, please go to http://www.elginism.com/20070512/735/
Thank you,
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
05.10.08 at 5:52 pm
For more comments, please go to
http://www.elginism.com/20070502/726/
Thank you,
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
05.12.08 at 1:15 pm
In January of 2008, the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) returned the Euphronius calyx-krater to Italy.
“The time has come now to make loans NOT war” said Lee Rosenbaum in an article in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 21, 2008. The krater was not being loaned to Italy, but RETURNED back to Italy FOR GOOD.
You would think that Wildung would follow the good example set up by the MET and return the Nefertiti bust to Egypt ? Be it only as a loan.
But no ! Wildung wouldn’t do that. Not Wildung. Wildung gives orders. The Fuehrer, the so-called big head of the Nazis said “Nefertiti stays”, and Wildung, the so-called International leading Egyptologist also says “Nefertiti stays”. What’s the difference between what Hitler said and what Wildung said ? None at all. Hitler MUST loose Nefertiti. Wildung will no longer be the Director of the Berlin Egyptian Museum as of August 1, 2009, and he will have no choice but let the Nefertiti go. Like Hitler, Wildung MUST loose Nefertiti.
It’s a question of money: In early December of 2007, the “Guennol Lioness”, a 5000 years old Mesopotamian limestone sculpture, 3 & 1/4 inches high, sold at auction for $57.2 million. One can’t imagine how much the Nefertiti bust would be worth. By comparison, it would probably be worth more than 1/2 a billion dollars, if not more.
But that’s not the point. The Nefertiti bust attracts thousands upon thousands of visitors to the Berlin Egyptian Museum, and those visitors pay money to take a few minutes look at her. Then, they buy her pictures, posters, small reporductions of her bust, eat in the Museum’s restaurant, tour Berlin and Germany. Everybody makes money, and Wildung gets a better salary, a big raise. If Wildung had nothing to gain, he wouldn’t give a damn about his so-caled beloved Nferetiti.
MONEY TALKS
Wildung refused to let Professor Andreina Colonna to present a paper about the Mansoor Amarna Princesses during the 4th International Egyptian Conference, because AS ONE EGYPTOLOGIST ADMITTED ” he claimed that Dr. Colonna wanted to speak about the sculptures in order to raise their value. Understandable ! He had nothing to gain. Why would he agree with Prof. Colonna’s request ? So, not only he turned down her request, but since he had nothing to gain,he says the sculptures are forgeries.
O.K Hitler, I mean O.K Wildung. You don’t want Egyptian-German relations to go sour. On your knees man. Say you’re sorry. Shed only one tear, not a crocodile tear, but for a change a real honest to goodness tear,and call it a tear of joy seeing Nefertiti say goodbye.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
07.06.08 at 9:02 pm
On Saturday July 5th 2008, Adolf Hitler’s wax figure at Madame Tussaud’s new branch in Berlin has been decapitated. Could this be a sign for Wildung to deny Hitler, stop talking like him in an authoritarian manner and let go of the Nefertiti bust to prove that he is really determined not to obey his 75 years old order of “I will never relinquish the Nefertiti bust” !
Today, Berlin is the fastest growing city in the world in Jewish population according to Dr. Wilfried Rogash, a Berlin Historian. So! better be careful Wildung; don’t you use language like Hitler anymore or else you’ll be in trouble, and you better believe this is not a joke.You can’t fool anybody anymore; you have offered many excuses as to why Nefertiti shouldn’t leave Germany, and none of them have worked.
Don’t you understand that if the Nefertiti bust had left Egypt for Germany 95 years ago, under worse conditions than it would if it leaves today, it can very well leave Germany for Egypt just the same ? and if she really belonged to Germany, you wouldn’t have had to offer any excuses for not letting her leave Germany. The reason why you want to keep her is very clear now: She’s a big money-maker. Admit it Mr. Wildung.
If you keep on offering more excuses, you’ll only be fooling yourself, and you’ll end up being a poor looser. One more reason why you should let her go NOW is that your placing her bust on an ugly body, a body that does not give her credit, proves that you’re a man of bad taste., and you don’t deserve her. Your picture standing in front of her, looking at her straight in the eyes proves you’re embarrassed and ashamed to look at her body; and you have the temerity to ask :”I wonder what she would make of all this fuss ?” Why don’t you ask Akhenaten ? are you afraid of him ?
When the 2 Hungarian artists brought you this famous bronze body, couldn’t you see how repulsive it was ? Didn’t you see how ugly is her bosom ? how stiff her torso and her whole body are ? did you look at her knees ? Were you sleeping or what ? Were you dreaming like when you confused Nefertiti with Nefertari in your famous book ” EGYPT, from Prehistory to the Romans” ! Remember……… your writing : “the famous bust of Nefertari” (instead of Nefertiti !!), page 124. Of course you remember. Wake up then ! stop dreaming and face reality. Prove that you’re a grown up man.
What you should do now is apologize for your behaviour and stubborness. You’ll then be forgiven and everything will be forgotten. You have no choice !
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
07.07.08 at 8:19 pm
To see Wildung’s picture in living colors, facing Nefertiti, and asking her: “What would you say of all this fuss” , and not daring to look at her body knowing it doesn’t look attractive, search on your computer: “Nefertiti bronze body” , then click on the site that says:
” Al Ahram Weekly/Egypt/Ancient beauty sabotaged”
and it will get you there.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
08.21.08 at 11:56 pm
On hearing of Rommel’s death, Sir Winston Churchill said : ” He deserves our respect. Although a loyal German soldier, he came to hate Hitler and all his works and took part in the conspiracy to rescue Germany by displacing the maniac and tyrant “.
What does Wildung say about that ? Would he still revive the maniac’s memory by repeating after him “I will not relinquish the Nefertiti bust? ”
Don’t say anymore she will never get back in good health, people are smarter than you think. If she came in, she’ll just go out just as she came in. Do you understand that?
Rommel hated Hitler. So, be careful Mr. Wildung; don’t obey what the tyrant said 75 years ago. Don’t remind the German people of Hitler. The bust of Nefertiti will always remind the German people of what Hitler said and no one wants to abide by Hitler’s wish.
You have no choice but get rid of her. Like it or not, she will go back just as she was brought in. Do it now before the problem reaches inflated proportions; you will then be in trouble. Sooner or later she will go back home; do it now before it’s too late.
Don’t think about it, just do it.
Edgard Mansoor
Edgard Mansoor said,
10.07.08 at 6:52 pm
A man who says “Nefertiti will never leave Germany” is a blind Nazi follower of Hitler. If Germany does not want nazism to be revived, it must order the return of the Nefertiti bust to Egypt, and kick Wildung out of the Berlin Museum.
Hitler said he will NEVER relinquish the Nefertiti bust. Who is Wildung to say like Hitler that the Nefertiti bust will NEVER leave Germany. Who is he to say that his Egyptian Colleagues “know very well that Nefertiti will NEVER leave Germany”. Who is he to give such orders or say such nonsense ? and who is is to accept that Nefertiti be shown on an ugly body fit for a call girl ?
When Wildung is kicked out of the Berlin Museum, and the Nefertiti bust is returned to Egypt, it is only then that Egypt and Germany will have good friendly relations, and the Egyptian Government will invite German Egyptologists again in Egypt to take their place of honour among other International Excavators instead of them being left out because of Hitler’s and Wildung’s crazy orders.
Germany is a Great Country that doesn’t need to be reminded of a Nazi killer; and the Berlin Egyptian Museum is a Responsible and Respectable Great Institution that MUST NOT keep on its soil an object, be it even a great work of Art that would remind the German people of the past even if Hitler’s leadership is part of Germany’s history.
Anyone who wants to learn about Hitler’s atrocities can go to the holocost Museum, and not go to the Museum to look at something that he wanted becuase of his selfishness. Anytime a Jewish person sees the Nefertiti bust in the Berlin Egyptian Museum will be reminded of Hitler’s order. A Jewish person will not mind seeing Nefertiti in Egypt, her home country, but in the Museum ! O No ! not after what Wildung said, and what Hitler said.
I am moving now to another subject that will expose the real dark side of Wildung : The Berlin Egyptian Museum must be led by an intelligent human being and experienced Egyptologist, and not by a foolish and selfish man who is disgracing the Museum’s reputation by wanting to destroy a most important collection of Amarna Art that has originated from the workshop of “BEK”, the best and most favored artist of the Amarna period, because he cannot put his hand on it.
Wildung is no more no less than a foolish and jealous Egyptologist who condemns authentic works of art just for spite, and because he has nothing to gain by admitting that the collection is authentic.
Search “mansoor amarna collection”, 3 separate words, and it will lead you to the story. Join also the ” Thoth-Scribe ” website (it’s free) and read what I have to say, and start wondering about this character called Wildung. I shall be posting a story about this ” Terrorist of the World of Art” before Ocotber 15th, 2008, a story that will make you scratch you head day and night.
But Wildung doesn’t want to let the Nefertiti bust go, because it is a money-making tourist attraction, claiming that she cannot make the trip back to Egypt because her health does not permit it.
Wildung can no longer fool the public. He is only fooling himself in trying to believe what he says. Didn’t the Nefertiti bust leave Egypt 95 years ago and arrived in good health in Germany ? The answer is yes.
And if it leaves Germany today to go back to Egypt, will it arrive in good health ? The answer is yes. In fact it will arrive in better health and in better condition than when it left Egypt to go to Germany, because when it leaves Germany it will leave in a more comfortable and in under better conditions than when it left Egypt FAST because it had been smuggled out illegally.
The Nefertiti head and Wildung must go their separate ways. The Jewish people demands it; Justice demands it; and Egypt demands it. Can Wildung say no ? can he say Hitler must be obeyed ?
Edgard Mansoor
Sereena Teamene Moana said,
10.22.08 at 6:54 am
Kia ora
I am a Maori Women from Aotearoa New Zealand and my family and I are seeking ideas on:
*providing protection, preservation and conservation of our cultural values of significance to ensure our grandchildren have these values
*We are strongly in support of any form of peaceful restoration of all things of significance and
*Zahi Hawass is a man that I see as a great role model for Indigenous peoples in their pursuit in seeking protection measures to ensure cultural values of significance
We have been using Zahi Hawass’s ideals as a guide in the formation of measures to provide conservation, preservation and protection in all things of cultural significance.
UNESCO and Zahi Hawass are the resources of information that we have been using as our guidance, in our pursuit of the welbeing of all things of cultural significance.
Edgard Mansoor is correct and Germany should allow Zahi Hawass and the people of Egypt full access to their ancestor.
Germany is living in the shadow of Hitler and they should prove that they are nolonger ruled by nazi ideals and return the egyptian ancestor to her people/home of origin.
This will open up doors of friendly communication that may encourage open door sharing of all artifacts by all museums around the world/never say never!!!
Edgard Mansoor said,
01.20.09 at 8:07 pm
Ms. sereena T. Moana can only be right about what she’s saying and hoping for, and many people like her, say same thing; but who is listening? If justice must prevail, Wildung and the people like Wildung must give up Hitler, forget about him completely, and even eliminate his memory from Germany’s history. Hitler had said he will NEVER give up Nefertiti, and in different but similar words, Wildung said that Nefertiti will NEVER leave Germany. And what does Hitler remind the world of, but turmoil, destruction, and the biggest crime ever committed against humanity: the holocaust of the Jews in Germany, Poland and elsewhere?
How can Wildung be permitted to talk like Hitler? How dares he revive his memory? Anyone who talks like Wildung MUST be a fool.
Does anyone wonder about the real reason why Wildung is so much in love with Nefertiti? Listen to this: When the Ambassador of Egypt told him that Egypt wants back the Nefertiti bust, Wildung answered: “Well ! what do you expect me to do? close the Museum? Of course, without the Neferetiti bust, the Berlin Museum will almost go bankrupt.
This Nefertiti bust is Germany’s ( not only Berlin’s ) biggest money-making attraction. Tourist from allover the world go to Germany to see it, and in turn, they give business to hotels, restaurants, other Museums, Zoos, cabarets, night clubs, gift shops, and visit many paying tourist attractions. And that’s not counting the extra money the Museum make by selling the Nefertiti post-cards, posters, calenders, miniature replicas, and other gadgets bearing her picture.
It is not enough that he prostituted the poor Nefertiti by fitting her bust on an ugly naked bronze body that looks like a fresh cadaver. But now, her lovely face is advertised on posters allover Germany, and perhaps even exported on the many manufactured gadgets.
This is in order not to mention Wildung’s “end-of-the-year” big bonus for protecting Queen Nefertiti by claiming FALSELY that she cannot make the trip back home, when in reality, 90 years ago, she made the same trip from Egypt to Germany, under worse conditions than she would today if she made the same trip from Germany to Egypt. One must be malicious and a hypocrite to claim that it is dangerous for the Nefertiti bust to be returned to her Country of origin.
After World War II, Germany was literally bankrupt. In order to help the country, one U.S. Museum believed to be the Metropolitan Museum of art (according to rumours) offered to buy the Nefertiti bust for $15 million dollars. You will all remember that at the time, one dollar was worth more than ten times today’s dollar.
Germany’s answer was: “No thank you; you keep your money and we keep our Nefertiti; we have made more money than that just by selling her post-cards”. As you see it’s a question of money. Today, Egypt needs more money than Germany does. Therefore, it is only fair that the bust be returned to where it was smuggled from behing the back of the authorities.
There is no doubt that sooner or later Nefertiti will find her way back to Egypt. Hadn’t Wildung made such foolish excuse as he did, he would have been well received and welcomed in Egypt. Now, he is in exhile, he’s no longer welcomed. He can go if he wants to. No one will hurt him; but everybody will look at him with a suspicious eye.
Edgard Mansoor
Amr Hefni said,
02.12.09 at 11:14 am
A BBC article (in Arabic) recently posted on February 11th 2009 details how the german Egyptologist Borchardt, smuggled Nefertiti bust illegally from Egypt, it was detailed in a recently found document.
Can someone find an english translation for this article??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/sci_tech/newsid_7884000/7884007.stm
Many thanks,
Amr Hefni
Amr Hefni said,
02.12.09 at 1:28 pm
Here it is in english
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7883102.stm
Edgard Mansoor said,
06.03.10 at 3:34 pm
Dear Readers,
You don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t join Thoth-Scribe and see what will happen to the Berlin Nefertiti bust and to the Mansoor Amarna Collection. Just type (search) “Thoth-Scribe on your computer and follow the instructions, and when you become a member, you can join the debates.
Membership is FREE. You’ll love the discussions and you’ll learn more about ancient Egypt, about Egyptologists, about Museums, about the “MUSEUMS’ MAFIA” and the intrigues involving them, and the crimes Museums’ Directors and Curators sometime commit to protect their positions and reputations at the expense of honest and innocent people.
One thing you’ll love about Thoth-Scribe is that Mr. Jack Dean, the “Moderator”of this site is one of the most educated, most intelligent, most fair, and most honest gentleman I have ever known. You’ll find that out when you watch him speak.
And you’ll understand why I say that if and when you join, follow the debates, and voice your opinion about what you read and about what’s discussed. Try it; you’ll be happy you did.
Cheers,
Edgard Mansoor
P.S: The Louvre and Vatican Egyptian Museums have desecrated the memory of deceased people by listening to dishonest Egyptologists and by withdrawing from public viewing, gifts made to honor the deceased. Visit the Mansoor amarna collection at “http://www.mansooramarnacollection.com” and you’ll read all about it.
And search also “Edgard Mansoor” to see the Nefertiti heads of the Vatican Egyptian Museum and Denver Art Museums.
Thank you. E.M