Egypt risks losing cultural treasures to looters, departing minister warns

Egypt's top archaeologist has warned that antiquity sites were being looted amid the continuing political upheaval as he announced he would no longer serve as a government minister.

Zahi Hawass was quoted in the yesterday's editions of Cairo's dailies as saying he would not participate in the new government to be led by prime minister designate Essam Sharaf. Mr Hawass, the long-serving head of Egypt's antiquities office, was

elevated to cabinet-level minister on 31 January, when fallen president Hosni Mubarak named a new government led by an ally, Ahmed Shafiq.

Mr Shafiq resigned on Thursday amid calls by protesters for his removal. Mr Sharaf has been asked to announce a new cabinet. Mr Hawass said he was no longer able to protect antiquities because of what he called the absence of police protection and because he was the victim of a campaign by senior officials.

Egypt's antiquities, he warned, were in "grave danger" from criminals. He called on the youth groups behind the 18-day uprising that forced Mubarak to step down on 11 February to help protect historic sites.

"Since Mubarak's resignation, looting has increased all over the country, and our antiquities are in grave danger from criminals trying to take advantage of the current situation," he posted on his website.

He also listed some two dozen archaeology sites raided by thieves since Mubarak's removal. The sites include the warehouse used by archaeologists from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art at Dahshour, a pyramids site near Cairo. Mr Hawass also said illegal construction has taken place on antiquity sites. The list includes ancient tombs, Islamic sites and warehouses spread across the country from Cairo, to the Sinai peninsula and the southern-most city of Aswan.

The looting is part of a crime wave that has gripped Egypt since 28 January, when police mysteriously vanished following clashes with anti-government protesters. The army was called out to restore order, but it has been unable to fully take on a policing role. The police have yet to regain control, leaving a security vacuum.

Archaeology sites are a soft target for thieves because of their isolated locations and the relative ease with which low-paid guards can be bribed to look the other way.

"The situation looks very difficult today and we are trying our best to ensure the police and army restore full protection to the cultural heritage of the country," Mr Hawass posted.

Mr Hawass has, for more than decade, been the international face of Egypt's archaeology, with his trademark "Indiana Jones" hat turning him into an instantly recognisable global icon.

However, he has been the target of a recent series of heavily publicised protests by archaeology graduates who accused him of corruption and self-promotion. He, and former culture minister Farouq Hosni, have been accused of being too close to Mubarak. Mr Hosni served in cabinet for 25 years until Mr Shafiq became premier.