10. Cultural heritage

‘Cultural heritage’ discusses the impact of the events of the Arab Spring in 2011 on pharaonic cultural heritage. The first real indication of any threat to Egyptian heritage arrived on 28 January 2011, when protesters set fire to the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in downtown Cairo, which was immediately next door to the Egyptian Museum. In addition to theft from museums or archaeological sites, there was also the phenomenon of ‘land-grabbing’ either for agriculture or building projects. There have been some very innovative approaches to cultural heritage management in Egypt, including the establishment of Egypt's new museums, such as regional museums and the Grand Egyptian Museum.