The most beautiful woman will be kept in Germany
Monday, May 07, 2007
A silly row between Egypt and Germany threatens the diplomatic ties between the two countries. A bust of Queen Nefertititi (1400 BC), brought to Berlin as part of an archaeological dig project in Egypt in 1912 financed by a German patron, seems to have caused more stir than it probably should have.The bust of the woman thought to have been one of the most beautiful women in history, is claimed by the German government to be "cultural property" of the country, whereas Egypt, on the other hand, says the bust is part of Egyptian identity.
Funny enough, for a country so multicultural, Germany claims Nefertiti is the best newcomer. "I think Nefertiti is the best ambassador of Egypt. She is accepted here, although she is still unique and different. She must stay in Germany,"says Dietrich Wieldung, the curator of the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
The reason used by the German Ministry of Culture for not sending the bust back to Egypt is that the bust is too fragile to travel and could fall apart while on its way back to its home. It's funny how Nefertiti is too old to travel, yet it was used for odd exhibitions that required some contemporary artists to move it around using nothing other than their hands, yet transporting it using crates and other packaging used for transporting fragile museum pieces is insufficient.I didn't know about the controversy when I saw Nefertiti last summer at the Museumsinsel.. She just looked neutral, so neutral, in fact, that her empty eyes attracted my attention. Return to sender? I guess not.
