Egypt’s latest archaeological discovery : The riddle of the dark-eyebrows Sphinx

The sphinx where it was found 

Egypt’s ministry of antiquities announced on Sunday that one of the Egyptian archeological missions had unearthed a new sphinx in Aswan’s beautiful Kom Ombo Temple complex and one thing for sure we know: That’s very unique sphinx that making many eyebrows rise.

That sandstone sphinx was found while by accident while the archaeological mission was trying to reduce the groundwater at Ptolemaic-era-Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan governorate.

Earlier two months ago, the mission found two sandstone reliefs of King Ptolemy V.
I would like to hint out that Kom Ombo temple was built during the Ptolemaic era.

you can go back in time and check my post about my quick visit to Kom Ombo temple in 2012 here.

Some speculate that this newly-found sphinx is actually for King Ptolemy V “who was said to be a tyranny as Egypt has been always a magnet for tyrannical rulers”
This speculation is supported by the fact that the facial features of that Sphinx do not look like your typical ancient Egyptian

Happy New Hijri Year , Happy New Ancient Egyptian/Coptic Year From the amazing Luxor Temple

Happy New Hijri year 1440 and Happy New Ancient Egyptian/Coptic Year 6260 from Egyptian Chronicles to the Whole World.
On Tuesday Egypt celebrates the start of the Coptic new year or Nayrouz as well the Hijiri new year on the same day.
It is a coincidence that has only occurred 66 times according to historians and experts.
Tuesday is the first day of Muharram 1440 and is also the first day of Thout 6260
Amazingly, Jews around the globe as well as in Egypt celebrated the beginning of the new Jewish year or Rosh Hashanah 5779 on Sunday.
Interesting coincidence, I hope that those new years will be better than the previous ones for all of us.

Now on that occasion especially having the start new Hijiri year and the new ancient Egyptian/Coptic year on the same day, I decided to share with you those very few photos I took in a very short trip to Luxor temple in February 2012.

The famous Luxor temple or Luxor temples complex is not your usual ancient Egyptian temple or temples complex it is very unique ancient Egyptian temple complex or unique Egyptian religious complex.
The Luxor temples complex contain the original ancient Egyptian religious temples dedicated to the coronation of Kings and Queens, a Christian chapel and a mosque dedicated to a Sufi Sheikh.

When I saw Luxor temple, I felt that it represented Egypt religiously in a historic way.

The Luxor Temple 

We got that beautiful ancient Egyptian temple complex built during the New Kingdom era where it was dedicated to the Theban Triad of the Cult of Royal Ka, Amun, Mut and Khonsu. The Royal Ka refers to the Royal spirit of the King who is a demigod.
It is sanctuary dedicated to the Kings and their coronation as well their achievements.

Time goes on and Christianity spread in Egypt replacing that the Theban triad with the Holy Trinity and parts of Luxor temples complex began to disappear under rubble, sand, dust and mud.
Other parts of were open and a new Church with its paintings replaced the ancient Egyptian inscriptions according to mainstream Egyptology.

The Church was located at the hypostyle hall in the temples complex 

World Suicide Prevention Day : Something to worry about in Egypt

The tenth of September has become a World day to raise awareness worldwide against suicide since 2003. It is the World Suicide Prevention Day “WSPD” and I think this year we feel its importance in Egypt, at least in Cairo.

The World Health Organization “WHO” and the International Association For Suicide Prevention “IASP” aim from that day would provide worldwide an action to prevent suicide.
Recently we were hit by a wave of suicide cases in Cairo and Giza. In the past month and a half , Egypt has recorded 7 cases of people’s suicide at Metro station.

Young people throwing themselves in front of Metro trains to end their lives shockingly. Six of the cases was for young men while only one case was for a young girl who was only 20 years old.
There is no official number of people who commit suicide in Egypt.
It is another taboo like the number of Christians in the country I suppose.

I found in WHO data that the suicide mortality rate in Egypt is 4 cases per 100,000 people in 2016.
Yemen and Sudan had got the highest suicide mortality rate in the Eastern Mediterranean region according to the WHO with 8.5 and 8.1 per 100,000 people respectively.

Suicide Mortality rate by WHO in 2016
"Zoom in"

I think you know why Yemen has had a very high suicide rate.
That war does not only kill people but it also forces them to kill themselves !!

According to the Egyptian Coordination for Human Rights NGO that from January to August 2018, 150 cases of suicide for young adults between 20-35 years old have been recorded.
I found that number in a report about recent metro suicide cases in DW.
I can’t find that study on the NGO’s FB as its website is down but it did publish annually about suicide cases in Egypt.
The only official reaction we got from the government we got from the minister of transportation and not the minister of health interestingly.

Rabaa Sit-in dispersal trial : Death sentences , life sentences and Shawkan is a free at last…somehow "Updated"

A Cairo Criminal court put an end on Saturday for the infamous trial known in the media as “Rabaa Sit-in dispersal trial” after nearly 3 years in court and 2 years in pre-trial detention since August 2013
The Criminal Court sentenced 75 defendants to death while 47 defendants to a life sentence in prison “25 years without the possibility of a parole” and 374 defendants to 15 years in prison.

Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan in court
"Reuters"

The court also sentenced 22 minor defendants and one defendant “adult” to 10 years in prison and 215 defendants including photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid aka Shawkan were sentenced to 5 years while the lawsuit is expired for 5 defendants as they passed away.

The defendants except 22 minors are to be isolated from other prisoners in prison, to be expelled of their government jobs if they have any, to be banned from managing their money and assets and to be put under police surveillance for 5 years when they are released.
The prosecution had referred the 739 defendants to Criminal court in August 2015 for a number of charges above them attempting to change the main system of the state and organizing an assembly of more than 5 people at Rabaa Adawaya square in order to endanger the peace and general security as well to terrorize and scare the public and to endanger their lives.

The defendants were also accused of committing assault crimes against citizens who came near their assembly or their political opponents for penetrating their assembly as well resisting official authorities from policemen who were dispersing their sit-in.

They were accused of murder, destroying and occupying public properties and building by force as well as obstructing and blocking traffic.

Now there is good news in that case that Shawkan and the 214 other defendants are going to be released because they have spent 5 years in total in detention pending investigation at last.

Award-winning Shawkan was arrested along two foreign reporters during Rabaa Sit-in dispersal in August 2013. The foreign reporters left detention on the same day according to news reports.

But there is also bad news, Shawkan and the 214 defendants will spend the next 5 years since their release under police surveillance, which means half of their day “12 hours” will be spent at a police station.

Seen in Egypt’s North Coast : New Alamein’s Dome

The New Alamein Dome 

Seen in Alamein: The Alamein Dome as installed by State-owned City Edge Developments Company to attract travelers on the highway to the new city’s Waterfront skyscrapers. “You are reading it right”

That Dome should be turned in to a colorful spectacular at night. I have not seen it, to be honest.

Updated 

It turned to be a nightclub and apart of a beach club called Seacode Beach Club. I am amazed that this Beach club and Dome Night Club are too close to the presidential palace being built there. Needles to expect that Dome Night Club and Seacode Beach club won't exist too close from the Presidential palace when it is inaugrated.

Aside from hosting official buildings like the Presidential Palace, the New Alamein is aspired to be something like the new Dubai of the Mediterranean with extremely long skyscrapers as the ancient sea has not seen such thing as far as I know.

Here is more interesting info about that project or it is known North Edge Towers.

It is being developed and sold by City Edge Developments Company, which is a partnership between the New Urban Communities authority and Housing and Development Bank.

Both are affiliated by Egypt’s Ministry of Housing and urban communities but the new company is meant to give the project more modern slickly sophisticated appeal to its potential target customers. 

Despite City Edge Developments Company is a state-owned Company technically speaking yet its official website lacks an Arabic version.

Once again : Sectarian mob attack in Al-Minya "Updated"

Once again sectarian mob attacks erupt in Al-Minya and once again we will find the same old headlines on how the authorities save the day using the old techniques used before despite those techniques prove that they never put an end to sectarian attacks and clashes.

This is Dimshaw Hashim village from Google Earth

On Thursday, an angry mob of Muslim men attacked, looted and torched fours houses of Christian citizens in “Dimshaw Hashim” village in Al-Minya governorate of Upper Egypt after the spread of a news about how the Christians were going to construct a church there several days prior to the attack.

Luckily only two Christian men were injured in the attack along with a firefighter according to the statement issued by Al-Minya Coptic Orthodox Diocese on the same day.
On Friday, State-owned Akhbar Al-Youm news website published news that the “security forces dispersed a fight between two groups in Dimshaw Hashim village arresting a number of people from both sides” without giving any further details.

On Saturday, security forces went and arrested 38 men from the rural village we have heard about for the first time in Cairo in that sad incident.
On Sunday, the Prosecution General ordered the detention of 19 suspect 4 days pending investigation for inciting riots and attacking others.

Update: 

It turned out all the 19 suspects are Muslim men and not mixed arrests of Muslims and Christians to force the Christian families in the village to accept reconciliation and give up their legal rights. This is a good sign for change and it sends an important message. 

This is not the first attack of its kind in Al-Minya governorate against the Christians in its rural villages over the construction of churches this year after ratifying the Church Constructions law in 2017.

It is not the first attack and it won’t be the last as long as the State and the government insist on the same old official and unofficial solutions and reactions.