Egyptian Archaeology Authority Partners with OPPO for Digital Heritage Documentation

Mr. Sherif Fathi, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, chaired the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. During the meeting, Dr. Hisham Al-Laithi, Secretary-General of the Council, reviewed the work that was accomplished in various sectors during the past month, which witnessed a number of important archaeological discoveries by Egyptian and foreign missions in a number of archaeological sites throughout the Republic.

Al-Laithi pointed out that the work of scientific registration of the tomb of Amun-im-hab in the Al-Asasif area on the western mainland in Luxor has been completed, in addition to the start of the work of registering another group of tombs in the Saqqara archaeological area, after the completion of the scientific registration of the first group there.

He also reviewed the latest developments in the restoration project of the first edifice of the Ramesseum Temple in Luxor, which is being implemented in cooperation with the mission of the Korean National Heritage University in South Korea.

The Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities approved a number of cooperation protocols, including renewing the cooperation protocol with the Aga Khan Cultural Services Company – Egypt, regarding the project funded by the European Commission to restore the Al-Tanbugha Al-Mardani Mosque and rehabilitate the tourist trail in the region, in order to complete the rest of the project components, which include infrastructure development and the development of heritage and traditional crafts within the scope of the visit route, in order to achieve a positive economic return for crafts owners, in light of the expected increase in the number of visitors.

The Council also approved a proposal for a cooperation protocol with the OPPO mobile phone company, with the aim of supporting efforts made to highlight the cultural and civilizational identity of Egypt, through the launch of the cartoon character “Ollie” in an ancient Egyptian costume.

The protocol aims to launch a long-term initiative in the field of photographic documentation and supporting young talents, allowing talented Egyptian youth to document museums and archaeological sites using mobile phones only, and under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, ensuring historical accuracy and preserving cultural identity.

This is achieved by organizing field trips to archaeological sites and museums, and enabling participants to experience advanced photography techniques in OPPO phones to produce innovative visual content that highlights Egyptian heritage.

A number of decisions of the Permanent Committees for Egyptian Antiquities and Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities were also approved regarding the registration of a number of artifacts resulting from the work of archaeological missions’ excavations, as well as the loan of part of the tapes and covering of the Kaaba located in the stores of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization to the Al-Azhar Library Museum, in addition to approval to register King Farouk’s Rest House in the Pyramid Antiquities Area among the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities.