Dear Friends,
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most of us are locked up inside and working from home to curb the virus. We hope that all of you are safe and healthy in these bizarre circumstances and we wish you the best in these difficult times. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones.
As was to be expected, like all other missions, the Leiden-Turin excavation team had to cancel its campaign planned for Spring 2020. Egypt has suspended all international air traffic, hotels and tourist facilities are closing. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that all museums and archaeological sites in Egypt will be closed from March 23. Friends of Saqqara wishes all our Egyptian friends and colleagues strength in overcoming this crisis now that so many will have no income.
Our Friends of Saqqara pubquiz is postponed since all public gatherings have been suspended in the Netherlands until 1 June 2020; the Dutch government will re-evaluate corona measures on 6 April. This implies that our annual Saqqara Day planned for 6 June 2020 might be postponed also. We will evaluate in the days to come. News on the activities of the Friends of Saqqara Foundation will soon follow. In the meantime, we would like to suggest you attend the Online Events of our colleagues at the EES (in English), and visit a tour by Gabriele Pieke on the exhibition „Yesterday – Tomorrow“ in the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museum in Mannheim (in German), and a virtual tour by Lara Weiss on the exhibition “Saqqara: Living in a City of the Dead” in Leiden (in Dutch). Remember, you can also visit the tombs of Horemheb and Maya at home in our Virtual Tours!
Take care of yourself and each other,
On behalf of the entire board of Friends of Saqqara,
Vincent Oeters
Chairman
