On Tuesday, Jordan recovered a rare artifact that Australia decided to return to the Kingdom dating back to about 12,000 years BC (i.e., 14,000 years old). It is one of three parts that formed an engraved stone architectural panel made of mudstone.
The artifact was received by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi during a ceremony held at the Australian National Gallery on the sidelines of the state visit of Jordanian King Abdullah II to Australia, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “The piece was discovered in 1983 during excavation work carried out by a joint mission from the University of Sydney and the College of Worcester, before it was transferred to the Australian National Gallery in 1985, according to arrangements agreed upon by the two countries” at that time.
She explained, “The piece acquires exceptional archaeological and historical importance. It constitutes, with the other two parts, what is considered the oldest known large-scale sculpture in the world, while Jordan preserves the other two parts in the Jordan Museum in Amman and the Dar Al-Saraya Museum in Irbid (89 km north of Amman).”
During the handover ceremony, which was attended on the Australian side by the Australian Government’s Special Envoy for the Arts, Susan Templeman, and museum officials concerned with cultural and artistic affairs, Al-Safadi stressed “the importance of Jordanian-Australian cooperation in the field of archaeological excavation and preservation,” expressing his thanks to the Australian government and the museum for their cooperation and returning the artifact to Jordan.
Jordan contains more than 100,000 discovered archaeological sites, of which more than 15,000 have been officially registered, according to the Department of Antiquities.
It also includes many sites registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the ancient city of Petra (the rose-colored Nabatean city), Qasr Amra (an Umayyad desert palace), the archaeological site of Umm al-Rasas, the Wadi Rum Desert, whose topography resembles the surface of the moon, and the bathtub (the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ according to the Christian tradition).
After its success in registering 11 elements on UNESCO’s intangible heritage lists, Egypt highlighted the registration of the cities of Cairo, Giza, and Aswan as heritage cities of a cultural nature in the international organization, according to Dr. Hala Abdel Gawad, representative of the National Committee for UNESCO, who confirmed during the conference “Intangible Cultural Heritage Forward... Opportunities and Challenges,” which was held, Tuesday, at the Supreme Council of Culture in the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, “that heritage represents the living memory of peoples, and that Egypt possesses... “A rich tangible, intangible and documentary heritage,” noting at the same time the importance of documenting, recording and transmitting heritage practices to new generations and the surrounding world.
The conference, which celebrates the World Day for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was approved by UNESCO to fall on October 17 of each year, and lasts for 3 days with the participation of more than 160 researchers. Its activities began with a Tanoura display, a review of examples of traditional arts, a documentary film on the Egyptian intangible cultural heritage was shown, and it reviewed the goals of the development plan related to traditional crafts, in addition to highlighting examples of craft works in several Egyptian cities, including Luxor, Menoufia, and the oases. And two waterfalls.
The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Culture and Chairman of the Scientific Committee organizing the conference, Dr. Ashraf Al-Azzazi, confirmed that the conference is based on a partnership between institutions and organizations concerned with heritage, led by the National Committee for UNESCO, the Misr University of Science and Technology, and the “Khair Our Country” Association. He explained in a statement to the Council that intangible cultural heritage is a living memory of a community, and this heritage includes stories, proverbs, songs, music, folk arts, traditional crafts, knowledge related to nature and the environment, and other forms of expression that give communities their cultural specificity.
He pointed out that Egypt has a diverse heritage that extends from the valley and delta to Sinai, Nubia, Upper Egypt, and the coasts, with the arts, music, crafts, customs, traditions, and various forms of cultural expression that these environments carry. He said that this diversity is a national wealth that deserves to be presented to the world as an integral part of the Egyptian cultural personality.
In this context, Egyptian efforts to register elements of intangible cultural heritage on UNESCO lists gain special importance, whether the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent preservation, or the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, in a way that enhances the presence of Egyptian heritage on the international scene.
Egypt had registered 11 items on UNESCO’s lists of intangible scientific heritage, including “The Crescent Biography,” “Al-Arajoz,” “Tahtib,” “Arabic Calligraphy,” “The Palm Tree: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions, and Practices,” “Celebrations Related to the Holy Family’s Journey in Egypt,” “Henna,” and “The Sesame Machine” in partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and “Egyptian Koshari” was the most recent item registered.
For her part, Dr. Nahla Imam stressed the importance of celebrating the World Day for Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was approved by UNESCO, and stressed in her speech during the conference that registering heritage elements on UNESCO’s lists is not the only goal; Its preservation requires cooperation between state institutions, civil society organizations, and heritage bearers, who represent the basic foundation for its continuity. She pointed out that Egypt received financial support to preserve some heritage crafts, including araguz, stressing its effective role in implementing the International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
She called for strengthening cooperation between heritage experts and educational institutions, including UNESCO-affiliated schools and universities, while preserving cultural specificity in light of global openness. She explained that the National Committee coordinates work with the UNESCO, ISESCO, and ALECSO organizations, implements joint projects and events, as well as supports heritage documentation efforts, and submits reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also referred to the registration of Cairo, Aswan, and Giza as heritage cities with UNESCO, stressing the importance of networking between the relevant institutions and Egyptian heritage.
Dr. Mohamed Shabana, a member of the scientific committee of the conference, confirms that the registration of the three Egyptian cities, Cairo, Giza and Aswan, as cultural cities in UNESCO is due to the large cultural and heritage industries they contain, such as the film industry in Giza and other cultural industries in Cairo and Aswan.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the conference seeks to highlight many elements of the intangible Egyptian heritage that forms part of the conscience of Egyptians throughout the ages,” noting that the research presented at the conference will lead to various recommendations related to registering new elements in UNESCO. Pointing out that there is a new element that is being sought to be registered with UNESCO, which is the Egyptian oud instrument, its manufacture and its special characteristics. “The Egyptian oud is an independent school in musical playing, in its tones, and in its manufacture, which is what we seek to confirm and register as part of the intangible heritage,” as he put it.
In her speech, Dr. Abeer Anani, representative of the Misr University of Science and Technology, explained that the cooperation between the university and the Ministry of Culture is an extension of a partnership that began last year. She pointed out that a group of her students had created an application for translating the hieroglyphic language, for which they received an award from the Ministry of Culture, and they are scheduled to present their project during one of the sessions on the second day of the conference at the university’s headquarters.
Dr. Dina Soliman, who specializes in the antiquities of Egypt and the ancient Near East at the Faculty of Archeology and Tourist Guidance at the Misr University of Science and Technology and participated in the conference, believes that highlighting the registration of Cairo, Giza and Aswan among UNESCO’s cultural heritage cities is an opportunity to reconsider Egyptian heritage as an integrated system, not limited to historical monuments and buildings, but also including customs, traditions, and social practices that Egyptians have passed down through generations.
She added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “This step gains its importance from its emphasis on the cultural diversity represented by the three cities. Cairo contains accumulated layers of history, architecture, and traditional crafts, while Giza is linked to an exceptional archaeological heritage that reflects the status of ancient Egypt, and Aswan is characterized by a cultural and human specificity that is evident in the Nubian heritage, folk arts, and inherited social practices.”
She concluded, “Preserving intangible heritage should be an essential part of any strategy to develop these cities, through documenting oral narratives, supporting artisans, transferring traditional knowledge to new generations, and involving local communities in identifying and preserving elements of their heritage.” International registration is not an end in itself, but rather a responsibility that requires developing sustainable plans to ensure the continuation of this heritage in people’s lives.”
After 4 years of absence, the Egyptian artist Ahmed Helmy returns to the cinema again through his latest film, “History,” which he is counting on to restore his right path as a box-office star. Most of his films topped the highest grosses, and through them he achieved remarkable public success. However, a group of his most recent films did not achieve the usual revenues or the desired success, such as “Fantasy of Mata” and “One More,” which were shown in the years 2019 and 2022.
Next November 11 is scheduled to screen the movie “History,” which co-stars Amina Khalil, Majed Al-Masry, and Khaled Al-Sawy, along with Rahma Ahmed, Sherine, and Mohamed Abdel Azim, and some acting stars appear as guests of honor. The film was produced by Ahmed Badawi, with the participation of the Saudi Big Time Fund, written by Ahmed Abdel Rahman, and directed by Mazen Ashraf.
The events of the work take place within a social comedy framework, in which Ahmed Helmy plays the character of a man who lost his parents since his childhood, and was raised by an alternative family, while he is exposed to a series of comic and human paradoxes that affect the course of his life and reveal different aspects of his personality.
Helmy meets in his first collaboration with the artist Amina Khalil, and this is also the first collaboration between him and director Mazen Ashraf, for whom this work is his second film after his first film “5 Rounds.”
Ahmed Helmy had finished filming another movie this year, entitled “The Weakest of His Creatures,” co-starring Hend Sabry. It was written and directed by Omar Hilal, in his second movie after “Foy, Foy, Foy,” and produced by Mohamed Hefzy. It takes place within the framework of a black comedy, and it was decided to postpone its release until next summer.
Critic Khaled Mahmoud believes that Helmy's restoration of his artistic brilliance after a period of decline may open the door not only for him to return to what he was, but will also contribute to most of the stars of his generation regaining their status.
Mahmoud added, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “Helmy is a popular star who achieved a remarkable audience through smart choices, but his past films did not achieve the same public success, and did not witness his unity with the characters he presents like his previous films, in which he did not rely only on his talent, but on the intelligence and uniqueness of the idea, which put him in a different position to which the audience responded greatly.”
Mahmoud pointed out that “the scourge of Egyptian comedy stars is that they do not work on developing the project they present and prefer the safe zone, for fear of a change that might happen or make a mistake, but it is important for Helmy to overcome that and regain his position through choices that are taken into account for him, and the movie (History) may be another opportunity and not the last, like some of the stars of his generation; Because Helmy’s position as an actor has not been occupied by anyone, and there is a good situation linking him to the audience, but the absence of 4 years was not in his interest, nor in the interest of cinema, nor the audience.
In the same context, cinema halls will receive, during the coming period, a number of new films, including the film “Nor was it on my mind” starring Nour Al-Nabawi and Yasmina Al-Abd in her first cinematic starring alongside Ashraf Abdel-Baqi and Marawan Al-Maslamani, directed by Ahmed Emad, and scheduled to be shown on October 28. Most of the film’s scenes were filmed in the city of Luxor (southern Egypt), where the hero is a tour guide who leads a tourist group and falls in love with a girl in the middle of historical temples.
Also on the same day will be shown the movie “Nassib”, starring Yasmine Sabry and Moatasem Al-Nahar. Its release has been postponed until the end of the month, which is relatively far from the timing of the release of her movie “Family Wanted” with Karim Abdel Aziz, which was released on the 7th of this month, and has topped the film revenues since the first day of its release. As for the movie “Naseeb,” its events revolve around a beautiful girl who finds herself in front of more than one groom, and embarks on a journey of searching for the right person who can share her life. The film was written by Ahmed Abdel Fattah, and directed by Ahmed Khaled Amin.
Critic Khaled Mahmoud pointed out that cinematic performances are continuing well after the summer season, which witnessed remarkable diversity and films with large productions that achieved similar revenues, such as the film “DOGS 7.”
However, critic Ahmed Saad El-Din believes that the choice of timing for showing the film “History” was unsuccessful, as it was released on the opening day of the Cairo Film Festival. He said, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the film makers should have realized that the public’s orientation would be towards the festival, which shows films from different countries of the world, which negatively affects the Egyptian films that are shown at the same time.”
He pointed out that “the film’s revenues are determined from the first week,” noting that “Ahmed Helmy is one of the stars whom the audience expects to present interesting topics, as they are accustomed to from him, through films that respect the viewer’s mind, but his last two films did not meet with the same public response that his previous films received.”
Ahmed Helmy’s films topped the box office in Egypt several times, such as “Sayea Bahr” 2004, “Zaki Shan” 2005, “Industrial Bump” 2006, “Keda Reda” 2007, “Sorry for the Disturbance” 2008, “A Thousand Congratulations” 2009, “Black Honey” 2010, “XLarge” 2011, and “Ali.” My Corpse » 2013.
