Last week that there was nothing interesting in Egypt that Al Ahram newspaper posted the news of Naomi Campbell’s wedding in Luxor in the first page as it seemed !!??
I do not understand why this news was posted in the first page , what pride Egypt will gain from hosting the wedding of ill mannered troubled supermodel from her Russian boyfriend !!?? Egypt and the Karnak temple do not need Naomi Campbell to give them more fame for God sake !!
Already why we are transforming our historical landmarks in it to wedding halls in the first place instead of preserving them considering the climatic changes effects on places like the Karnak temples complex for God sake !!??
At first the Mohamed Ali Mosque and now the Karnak complex !!?? Is this how we are perserving our great heritage !!??
Inferiority Complex or 3oqdet elkhawaga
ReplyDeleteDisgusting. This is what we get from the all for sale/rent line of thinking of those running this country.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 10:31:00 PM, Naomi Campbell is a boring moderately attractive airhead, but she's a rich boring moderately attractive airhead, and if she wants to spend loads of money in Egypt, what's really disgusting is the likes of you complaining about it. Dumbass attitudes like yours assure Egypt will stay at the bottom of the economic heap.
ReplyDelete@Z, If Karnak etc. are endangered by Ms. Campbell's wedding party then you are right to be outraged, but I very much doubt it. Why not just cordon off the sensitive areas, take the silly bint's money, put it to good use, and stop whining.
Off topic, here's something you might like. An awesome sattlelite pic of showing the shores of the Nile lit up, and Cairo ablaze. Alexandria, the Red Sea, and Israel are obvious. Cyprus, Turkey and the Earth's curved horizon are in the distance. Click it for full size -- huge!
"Inferiority Complex or 3oqdet elkhawaga"
ReplyDeleteAnonymous you're halfway to figuring out the 'root problem' that dogs Sudanese-Egyptian relations at the dialectic, academic and political levels.
Because money talks. Hawass receives for that arrangement a fat paycheck from that Russian groom and will use it for preserving and digging out more artifacts - or not.
ReplyDelete@Jason: You arent Egyptian and certainly has no relation to our temples so, put your shoes in your mouth and shut it, as we say in Egypt.
ReplyDeleteI dnt care for Campbell herself, actually despite her personal problems I liker her style of modelling and she is one of the long gone super models. Her character, line of work ect isnt the point here. The point is that as a matter of principle not every thing is for sale/rent. This is how as a citizen I view this issue. Its fine to rent out some banquet rooms in some not so important palaces but its not fine to rent out thousands of years old monuments. True it wouldve been a different story if she was given a license for a nearby area of no archeological importance with the temple at the background. But that is not the case. Also, besides the fact that we spend millions of dollars to preserve such place, a normal citizen wont be granted such license. Again, this reflects on how Egyptians are treated as 3rd class citizens. Add to all that the fact that we have a regular habit of having valuable historic items getting stolen or missing, and you should get a full picture.
So, going back to your stupid comment, where did you read me objecting to having any one spending money in my country? My comment was about the temple thing, idiot. As for "Egypt will stay at the bottom of the economic heap", Egy is apparently doing well, according to foreign reports and if you are from EU or US u really shldnt be talking about words like bottom, and economy bec thats where u guys are headed.
There are two mentalities here
ReplyDeleteOne that looks to every thing we have as an opportunity to make money and fuel the economy
The other look to what is left to us from our grandparents as something to protect and deliver unharmed to our sons. It is not really ours we are simply keeping it safe to the next generation.
In Europe they hardly have this conflict since the European managed to almost completely damage many cities in two world wide wars.
This is also not a conflict in USA and Canada since there nothing "old" there to start with.
So in short this conflict is not really something that most westerners would feel strongly about it. Maybe after 3000 years or so when they will have old stuff of their own they would appreciate the challenge we Egyptians deal with when a rich girl want to use our oldest temple as a background for her wedding reception.
I finish by saying that being proud and poor could feel better to some Egyptians than being rich and feel abused and humiliated.
Does everybody know that Karnak temple hosts the Karnak sound and light daily show since 1972? I think hosting one wedding ceremony will not hurt the temple. I just hope that the bride will not get mad at her groom and start throwing stuff at one of the obelisks:)
ReplyDeleteI am disconcerted to find myself in perfect agreement with Hazem.
ReplyDelete@Hazem:Yes, I knw about the sound & light show. Do you know that these shows are made in such a way as to not affect the site itself? offered to all? You are missing the point here, this is not a profit or lets make some money issue, its not even about foreigners and locals, its again for those of you who see every thing in dollars sign, a matter of principle. Following your limited line of thinking, tell me plz where do we draw the line? Is it ok to allow any one who wants to hold a wedding there to do so, since we allowed this one? are we only going to allow those with money? how about if this wasnt campbell and it was instead a rich Saudi for example? Im sure you and Jason wouldnt have wrote what your wrote.
ReplyDeleteEven in the West, that doesnt have as ancient temples and monuments there is line that is drawn. You dnt get to do your wedding at historic and protected sites, only a country where money can buy you any thing and a country where those running it have no shame in whoring the country out for any one willing to pay up, you get this.
If Egyptians want to preserve their history, they have to police themselves by ceasing to inscribe their names, initials, etc on archeological sites. I have witnessed people defecating and urinating on Fatimid archeological buildings!
ReplyDelete"whoring the country out for any one willing to pay up"
ReplyDeleteThis is perhaps the stupidest and most self-destructive bolus of shit I have ever read on this blog and that's saying a lot. Whoring the country out for any one willing to pay up is called "tourism". Egypt has the world's greatest antiquities and people from all over the globe are clamoring to spend great sums of money for activities ranging from modest tours to camel rides to elaborate weddings. But no. Anonymous can't stop wanking about how rich people are bad. Enjoy your poverty, your pyramids, and your finger up your ass.
@Jason: Im not sure you are from which country exactly but Im pretty sure wtever you call ancient there cant be booked for a wedding. Dnt push your nose into our businesses and find it ok for those responsible for our ancient stuff, to do as they wish for money. Tourism is one thing and allowing this is another thing. Exactly, Egypt doesnt need this sort of propaganda, the Karnak doesnt need it either. Would be a great business if they rent out a pieces of land that has the temple as its background not the temple itself.
ReplyDeleteIm certainly not poor and have nothing against ppl using their money to enjoy life but I have every thing against renting ancient temples. The only one with a finger up his arse is you, no logic, no class and no history.
@ "If Egyptians want to preserve their history, they have to police themselves by ceasing to inscribe their names, initials, etc on archeological sites. I have witnessed people defecating and urinating on Fatimid archeological buildings!"
ReplyDeleteA)not all Egyptians do that, B) poverty and lack of proper education have ppl loose their connection with such items and C)What did you do when you saw this? Did you go and talk to them? did you yell at them, tried to call on an official there to do something? Probably not, so dnt come here using this story commenting on an irrelevant story, if any thing, those with better education shld knw that using your money to get to do your wedding in an ancient temple is wrong and it is equal to to those urinating and scribing their names on the temple walls, all leads to faster deterioration of the temple but the wedding is done in a nicer way.
"Tourism is one thing and allowing this is another thing."
ReplyDeleteAllowing a wedding? The chance to get married in beautiful, exotic locales is a major incentive for tourists. It's one of the things spendy tourists do. What do you care if Ms. Campbell gets married in Karnak? You are just jealous of her wealth. In fact, you make that obvious when you say
"Would be a great business if they rent out a pieces of land that has the temple as its background not the temple itself."
Actually, you don't want her to get married in the temple because she's rich. Or perhaps because she's black. Or rich and black. It's certainly not because you object to tourists entering the hallowed site. They enter it with their cameras every damn day, idiot. Look for yourself. See? It turns out your conceit that a backdrop is fine but entering is unacceptable is a feeble post-facto pretense to disguise your jealousy of rich supermodels in a righteous cloak of fake probity. You're a leftist grievance-mongering self-parody. There are many like you in Egypt, unfortunately. Thank God for Egypt your ilk are not in charge of tourism, making rules that require visitors to view the antiquities from behind chain-link fence.
@ Anon 11/08/2010 05:52:00 PM
ReplyDeleteHave you ever wandered the streets of old Cairo and seen the desecration of ancient Fatimid,Mameluke and Ottoman archeological buildings some of which are still inhabited and smelling of urine and feces.
And when you have finished your visit to Old Cairo, head to the Giza pyramids and observe the Arabic names and initials on the surface of its stones.
You should have more respect for your archeological places and police these sites yourself before going off the handle over a stupid wedding.
@Jason: now calm down, take a deep breath and may be one of those pills you are used to taking to prevent you from writing bs and showing how stupid you are.
ReplyDeleteSeriously what is your IQ? I bet your parents are proud of their idiot son. Yes, I confess Im jealous of Campbell and her wealth thats why I dnt want her to have her wedding in our ancient temple and I confess you are so smart that you have blown my cover by inferring from me saying use a piece of land w a view of the temple as a venue, that it all comes down to jealousy, being poor and also racist. That last one is actually so funny, so do you mean Im racist towards Campbell only or also her BF who happens to be white, hmm may be Im racist against black and white couples. Wow, how smart you are, wow.
Besides the fact that you are sticking your nose in an Egyptian affair.
Jason, I asked one question, name one country that allows weddings in its ancient sites. Name one, name one place in your country, assuming that your country (if my memory serves me right you are American) has any thing that could be referred to as ancient or has the same value as that of the smallest of temples we have.
Sure, tourists are allowed bec well countries share their temples and historic sites with other humans, bec in the end there is a sense of shared human history and not only for the money. Im sure this is a point that ppl like you who lack on any real ancient civilisation cant get through their heads. Now, a wedding, a private ceremony doesnt fall within the public goals of allowing tourists in or holding public affairs there. BTW, Im also against holding concerts ect in such ancient places and yes this includes the Pyramids.
If someone wants to make it a business project they can easily find an area that has no historic importance and have it as a venue with the temple at the background. This means the bride gets her historic venue w/o damaging the ancient temple.
Im not sure how my wealth has any thing to do with this topic. To be honest your insisting on this makes me feel you are actually poor, not that it has anything to do with this topic and not that there is anything wrong with being poor.
Id actually say you are the racist one here, you think any thing should go in a poor country and that we should be thankful that this couple decided to do their wedding in Egypt. Typical stupid colonial line of thinking.
@Last Anon: Again the fact that some do it and the fact that some officials see our historic places as money pots, ONLY doesnt make the wedding ok. Actually, wt you wrote is grounds for not allowing the wedding. Also, like Jason you arent Egyptian so, why are you commenting and thinking you could have a saying about a purely Egyptian matter?!! If this couple was holding this wedding in an ancient temple in your country what would have been the reaction of the public and experts? Dnt come here and bark about what we should and shouldnt do with our own stuff, while you wouldnt allow this to happen in your own country.
Last but not least, FYI, ppl do complain and report such incidents and even papers run coverage when a historic place is left in ruins, that was how many places got taken care of the sad reality is that the same corrupt and money hungry mentality of officials that allows this wedding is the same one that doesnt actually care for preserving historic places.
@ Anon 11/09/2010 04:54:00 AM
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you think that I am not an Egyptian 'ya gahel, ya homar'
@Last Anon: your insults only reflect on your lack of sense and inability to reply to what I wrote. How old are you, 5?!!
ReplyDeleteI dnt care if your Egyptian or non-Egyptian, u r nt an important person for me to care for which nationality you carry. Now, I reply based on what the person writes so, go back and read what you wrote, when you refer to "Egyptians should" ect it implies you arent Egyptian. Also, you are clearly one of those who see themselves as above the rest of Egyptians, better than them may be. Point is, you referred to wrong acts, I asked what did you do when you saw them and I got no reply on that. So, you are nothing but a person who's pretending to be all classy and disgusted from what you saw but did nothing except that you used what you saw in a story-telling post that leads to nothing really. in fact, you are just the same as those ppl you mocked for their actions around ancient sites, only difference is that you "think" you are better while you arent.
@ Anon 11/10/2010 03:48:00 AM
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of me does not change the fact that you are still a 'gahel and a bigger homar'
I am an Egyptian and a professor in Egyptology. I think it is wonderful that Naomi Campbell is getting married at Luxor Temple. Why? Because Egypt needs more wealthy tourists who spend more but tread lighter on our monuments. 10 busloads of Russian package tourists on a daytrip from Hurghada would put far more pressure on the monuments than this wedding party will, but the amount that will be spent by this wedding party will be far greater. Have some class and manners, people (Egyptian and otherwise), and realize that this is an opportunity to show our country in a good light. Your negative remarks are not helpful toward developing a luxury tourism market in Egypt that would be of benefit to all including the monuments.
ReplyDelete@Last Anon: It is sad really sad that those who should be involved the most in protesting against this any thing for sale/rent line of business are coming here and teaching us a lesson on how to behave. Sure, ITA with you that we need a higher class of tourists but I promise you wont get them by turning our monuments into wedding venues. You get them by providing better and more innovative services, by having ppl like you learn how to deal with the tourists instead of having shitty tour guides wanting to cash in from the tourists, reducing the harassment of both local and foreign tourists, producing locally made souvenirs of good quality and stop the let's rip them off parties that take place in Egypt, offering more innovative outings and activities and most important stop messing with the environment and cultures in the touristy areas, not every thing must have a big cement building to be called a luxurious hotel.
ReplyDeleteBTW, assuming that rich guests must be more careful with the monuments is absurd, the couples have invited a +150 guests, God knows if Campbel wont get drunk her self and decide to throw something at her guests. So, let me ask you this, Mr. expert, if this was a wedding for a rich couple from the Gulf, would u have come here and defended the decision?!! Since more money seems to equal more careful with monuments, then Id say lets give our bros and sisters from the GCC the honour and cash in no?