CAIRO: The statue of the ancient goddess Hathor will be moved to a museum in Sharm El-Sheikh after it was found in the desert five days after it went missing from Sarabit El-Khadem Temple where it originally stood.
Sarabit El-Khadem Temple is located at 1100 altitude above sea level in South Sinai, only 80 km away from Abou-Zaniema seaport. The area that is guarded by Sinai’s Bedouin tribes, 24 monument guards, and 10 inspectors.
Zahi Hawas, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), announced that he formed a committee headed by Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, head of Antiquities of Lower Egypt, to move Egyptian Goddess’ statue, along with five other statues, to Sharm El-Sheikh’s Museum, which has a dedicated hall for Hathor.
Hawas also stated that the Supreme Council of Antiquities has designed a project to restore the temple and make the site available for tourists with a LE 14 million budget.
Sabry Abdel Aziz, general director of the SCA’s Pharaonic Monuments, also added that this temple is considered a prime source in the history of ancient Egyptian writing and an important religious center for the goddess Hathour, dubbed “The lady of Turquoise.”
The renovation project includes setting up a permanent headquarters and a visitors’ center which includes lecture halls, a tourism service center, and an information center.
