They survived millennia of violence — from the Romans to the Nazis — but couldn’t get through this week of Egyptian rioting unharmed.
Two mummies were seriously damaged by an out-of-control mob at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo yesterday before civilian volunteers saved the vaunted treasure trove of ancient artifacts from greater damage by forming a human chain around the building.
“I felt deeply sorry today when I came this morning to the Egyptian Museum and found that someone had tried to raid the museum by force last night,” said Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s top archeologist and star of The History Channel show “Chasing Mummies.”
After the looters got inside and ripped the mummies’ heads off, young civilians took it upon themselves to save the priceless artifacts by grabbing batons and surrounding the building to keep anything from being stolen. Cops later arrived and locked the area down.
“Egyptian citizens tried to prevent them and were joined by the tourism police, but some [looters] managed to enter from above and they destroyed two of the mummies,” Hawass said.
The museum was still in danger yesterday, however. A building next door which houses the offices of President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party was on fire and about to collapse.
“What scares me is that if this building is destroyed, it will fall over the museum,” Hawass said as he watched fire trucks try to extinguish the blaze in the National Democratic Party headquarters.
In addition to the mummies, about 10 other smaller ancient artifacts were taken from their cases and damaged. The museum is noted for housing many King Tut artifacts, including his death mask. No Tut items were harmed.
The museum in Cairo wasn’t the only world-famous Egyptian historical site under threat as rioting against Mubarak’s 30 years of rule continued yesterday.
The army was forced to close down the Giza plateau, the site of the three pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, so that they would not be harmed.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers reportedly blocked off the site, which was devoid of tourists.
Rioting also broke out near ancient sites in Luxor and Alexandria, forcing tourists to flee.