DPA: Villagers decry forced relocation away from ancient tombs

By Pakinam Amer
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday December 2, 2006

By Pakinam Amer, Luxor- Ismail Abdullah, a father of six, says his crumbled house and his small farm, located on top of an ancient monument, are not only his home but his family heritage.
He will not leave, he says, defying orders of the city council that decided to relocate around 3,200 families to the new city of al- Talib, in order to protect ancient monuments that Qarna village west of Luxor is built on and around.
Early Saturday, a preview of the displacement took place as international and local press watched. Four houses were razed by bulldozers as the initiation of the displacement plan was announced over a loud speaker.
Ismail stood to watch. Minutes before, he has been vocal about his dismay.
"I'm not happy with the president or his wife because of this," he said. "These are the houses of our grandfathers and great- grandfathers."
Although the villagers are being given new apartments, Ismail says that the new dwellings are too small. "That's why I will not leave, but I'm afraid that if I don't (the police authorities) will wrongly accuse me of illegally dealing in antiquities (in order to force me out). If this happens, I will lose everything," he said.
There have been reports of pillaging of ancient tombs by Qarna residents. The villagers, located in what is known as the Valley of the Kings, are famous for unearthing riches, secretly digging burrows through their own homes and uncovering ancient artifacts that they usually sell to foreign dealers, archaeologists or Egyptology experts.
Officials have been unable to control this illicit trade - as burrowing was allegedly taking place within people's houses, the authorities did not even know that some of the tombs existed.
Inside some of Qarna's houses, one can see spaces of earth hollowed out and remains of what appear to be walls pulled down to reveal an entrance to an ancient tomb or the outline of ancient dwellings dating to pharaonic times.
When some of these structures were discovered in houses, the Luxor city started forcing the evacuation of the buildings and even destroyed parts of them to force residents to leave.
The city claims that "hundreds more ancient tombs" dating to the pharaonic era are located beneath the village, some belonging to pharaonic nobility.
A trip to Qarna showed that several monumental sites were indeed unearthed. Some of the tombs are hiding below rubble, while other monuments could be seen among garbage dumps.
The residents consider themselves "guardians" of these tombstones.
On Saturday, and after the four houses were removed to mark the beginning of the relocation plan, four families were taken by minibus to al-Talib, about 10 kilometres away. They were given three-bedroom apartments as friends and family who had hopped along cheered.
Family members told the press that the old place was "a garbage dump."
In contrast to the new, government-built community, the old village is indeed primitive and lacks essentials including a sewage system and access to clean water.
But many people sounded distrustful of the looming move.
One family man, as he showed journalists around his new, furnished apartment, said that the "government brought us all this." A bystander, a local from Qarna, whispered for only some of the press to hear: "Yes, and then they will take it back" after the journalists leave.
The skepticism, however, was not confined to the bystander.
Although the Luxor council's justification for the land seizure is the preservation of antiquities, people are upset and suspicious of the government.
"This is just a show," a local said, refusing to give his name. "They're doing all this to impress the journalists."
Many of the villagers complained that they did not have "guarantees" that they would be granted the new dwellings once they leave their homes behind - as decrepit as some of their houses are.
The villagers did not receive confirmation, dates by which they should evacuate or documents and contracts. The government promises that warranties will be given to people only when they start moving.
An earlier city decision to raze some of the village was blocked by residents who went to court to block the relocations, arguing successfully that their replacement housing had not yet been built.
That defence evaporated this year with the completion of the new flats for the villagers. Meanwhile, though, city authorities had refused to let them repair and revamp their deteriorating homes.
In the state-run national media, the main reason for the mass relocation was said to be the protection of villagers from possible "life-threatening" floods.
The flood excuse is only "a cover," one housewife said.
"It is the antiquities that they care about," she said, watching an old, crumbled house being bulldozed.
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency

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