| A Children's LEGO Exhibition has recently opened | | | | a host of less famous but no less impressive |
| at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, inspired by a | | | | historical finds. Most recently has been the |
| Lego exhibition entitled "The secrets of the | | | | discovery of 14 New Graeco-Roman Tombs in |
| Pharaohs," which toured Europe years ago. | | | | Bahariya Oasis. Dating back to the third century |
| The exhibition has been recently inaugurated in a | | | | BC these include one with a female mummy |
| special ceremony at the Egyptian Museum by His | | | | adorned with jewellery. The Greco-Roman tombs |
| Royal Highness Prince Henrik, Dr. Zahi Hawass, | | | | were found in a cemetery in the Ain El-Zawya |
| Head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. | | | | area of Bawiti, a town in the Bahariya Oasis. This |
| Wafaa Al Saddik and the Danish Ambassador to | | | | site was initially intended for the construction of a |
| Cairo. | | | | youth centre, but has now been turned over to |
| | | | | Egypt's antiquities authority. |
| The Lego pieces are properly displayed together | | | | "Within the tombs we have uncovered four |
| with authentic monuments dating back to | | | | masks made of plaster, a gold chip with |
| different Ancient Egyptian eras. The museum also | | | | engravings of the four sons of Horus, a collection |
| includes a small workshop area for children to | | | | of metal coins, as well as clay and glass vessels," |
| design different Lego shapes. The models includes | | | | said Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the |
| a statue of a sphinx, a model of the mask of the | | | | Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) |
| boy pharaoh King Tutankhamen and a model | | | | Another discovery within the tombs was a 97 cm |
| showing the pyramids construction, and a statue | | | | tall female mummy with jeweled eyes that was |
| of Ramses II. Introducing Lego to Egypt is such a | | | | cast in coloured plaster dressed in Roman attire |
| great and creative initiative, which will certainly | | | | and wearing jewellery. |
| encourage children to know more about their | | | | Bahariya Oasis is well known as home to Egypt's |
| ancient history in a simplified way. Displaying | | | | Valley of the Golden Mummies, where a collection |
| authentic pieces along Lego ones, will surely help | | | | of 17 tombs with about 254 mummies was |
| children visualize how these statues originally | | | | discovered in 1996. I visited this on my last trip |
| looked like. | | | | and it was amazing, particularly as the so called |
| If ‘off the beaten track' Egypt appeals to you | | | | museum is more like a warehouse and I was the |
| more I would highly recommend the western | | | | only person there! |
| desert which is much less visited and is home to | | | | |