Sunday 29 August 2010

Tut-tut: Security gaps seen in Egypt's museums after theft of van Gogh painting in Cairo

The Egyptian Museum houses some of the world's prized antiquities, including the gold mask of King Tut that draws millions of tourists a year. But it also has an outdated video surveillance system that doesn't work around the clock and guards who snooze, read the Qur’an or are seemingly too bored to pay attention.

Security for Egypt's treasures is under scrutiny after the August 21 theft of a van Gogh painting from another museum in Cairo revealed some alarming gaps, and the minister of culture told a newspaper he lies awake at night, fearing for the safety of the country's relics.

1 comment:

  1. Very worrying indeed. It will be interesting to see what measures will be introduced to safeguard the Egyptian based "relics" for the future.

    ReplyDelete