Mallawi Museum, the home of ancient deities

CAIRO – 4 March 2021: Mallawi Museum announced the selection of the piece of the month through a poll launched on the official page of the Mallawi Museum under the heading “You Choose”.

Four pieces were nominated for one piece to be chosen for special display throughout the month of March. The pieces represented the four ancient deities Bes, Maat, Bastet and Apis.

Bes - Mallawi Museum

The ancient Egyptian religion was associated with the doctrine of resurrection and eternity due to the Egyptians’ strong belief that death is nothing but a transit journey from the world of temporary life to the world of permanent and eternal life.

Maat - Mallawi Museum

There were many deities in ancient Egypt that were distinguished by their transcendence. Each region had its own idol, inspired by the surrounding Egyptian nature.

Bastet - Mallawi Museum

 

Mallawi Museum was established on June 23, 1962, in Minya, during the era of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It consisted of two floors with four halls, in which the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, and Coptic antiquities were displayed, as well as the antiquities of Tuna el-Gabal, Ashmonin, Tell Al-Amarna and the antiquities of Middle Egypt.

Apis - Mallawi Museum

The museum was exposed to theft after the dispersal of the Rabaa and Al-Nahda square sit-ins in 2013. It took three years to restore and develop the museum. The museum now includes 944 artifacts, including 441 old pieces and 503 new pieces from the Bahnasa, Ashmonite and Minya stores.

The total cost of the museum development works reached L.E 11 million, distributed among the Minya governorate, which provided L.E 1,150,000 of the governorate's appropriations, and an Italian grant worth LE 4 million in the form of showcases for the museum, which came within the framework of the debt swap project.