The German Bundestag has agreed to allocate 10 million euros from the German government’s budget for 2019-2020 to complete the Atun Museum in Minya and to help implement the museum’s exhibition scenario, the head of the Museums Sector at the Antiquities Ministry Elham Salah said on Monday.
Salah explained that this comes as the culmination of efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs represented by the Egyptian Embassy in Berlin, and the Ministry of Antiquities in cooperation with the German government.
An archaeological engineering committee reviewed the latest developments at the museum on Monday, in preparation for the project’s completion following the approval of the Bundestag to finalize the museum.
The committee included Salah and the head of the Projects Sector Waadallah Abul Ela, alongside several officials from the Antiquities Ministry.
The committee discussed the new museum’s exhibition scenario, the preparation of lists for the selected pieces, determining the visitors route, internal and external lighting and wall-painting in accordance with the latest museum display methods, alarms, camera security, x-rays and fire extinguishing systems.
Head of the Projects Sector, Waadallah Abul Ela said that construction work for the museum began in 2002 by the Arab Contractors Company stopped in 2011 after the January 25 Revolution impacted economic conditions and the resources of the Antiquities Ministry. Work resumed once the former Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb decided in 2015 to allocate LE40 million.
The idea of the establishing the museum began in 1979 after a twinning agreement between the city of Minya and the German city of Hildesheim to be one of the most important aspects of cultural presentation for the city of Akhenaten at the Armana site, telling that period of history of the Minya governorate and the capital of Egypt at that time.
From 1979 to 1995, more than one site was chosen for the establishment of the museum, including Tal al-Amarna and the New City of Minya until it was agreed between the Ministry of Antiquities and Minya Governorate to allocate the current site on the eastern bank of the Nile at Minya city.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
