Malawi Museum re-opening in 2016 considered a victory over terrorism, chaos

CAIRO – 17 September 2020: The Malawi Antiquities Museum published the word of Egypt’s Minister of Tourism & Antiquities Khaled el-Anani, in the visit book of the museum’s reopening in 2016.

“Congratulations. The Malawi Museum is re-opened. This is a victory over chaos and terrorism. May God assist you to protect Egypt’s grandiose heritage,” wrote Anani.

Anani re-opened the museum in 2016 after being restored, as members of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group stormed the museum in 2013 -which contained nearly 1092 artifacts from various different historical eras-, vandalizing, looting and torching the place.

The result of that attack, which followed the dispersal of the Rab'a and al-Nahda sit-ins, was the destruction of fifty pieces.

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities has worked in full swing to bring the pieces back to life.

The antiquities were also transferred to the museum store in Ashmonin where the pottery fragments and other monuments of stone, marble, wood, and plaster were stored and prepared for restoration.

Miraculously, the working team that was formed, with the help of the accompanying antiquities inspectors, succeeded in re-assembling a large group of the shattered artifacts.

After 3 years, on September 22, 2016, the museum was re-opened, to be regarded as a victory for the Egyptian state over chaos, and terrorism.

The process of restoration cost L.E 11 million, distributed among the Minya governorate, which provided L.E 7,150,000 million of the governorate's funds, and an Italian grant of L.E 4 million in the form of show-cases for the museum within the framework of the debt swap project.

The display scenario of the museum has been changed to start with a statue depicting a family, the pillar of any society. Currently, a total of 944 pieces are displayed in the museum.