Hawass Demands Return of Temple of Debod to Egypt

Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass demanded that Temple of Debod in Madrid be recovered to protect it from unstable weather, stressing: "If the temple is not well protected, it must be returned to Egypt immediately."

Hawass added that the Egyptian government gave this temple to Spain in 1968 during the era of late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, in appreciation of the Spanish role in saving the artifacts of Nubia.

This came during a press conference held in Spain on the sidelines of lectures given by Dr. Hawass to promote Egyptian tourism globally. The lecture was attended by Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo and 1500 people.

Hawass gave his books to the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister and The Director of Institutional Relations of Real Madrid, Emilio Butragueño.

Noteworthy, the temple was originally built 15 km south of the city of Aswan in southern Egypt.

In 1960 AD and during the construction of Aswan High Dam that was threatening many archaeological sites and ancient temples, UNESCO, in cooperation with the Egyptian government, requested global community to protect this legendary history from destruction, and in appreciation of the efforts and assistance of Spain in helping to save and preserve "Abu Simbel" temple, The Egyptian government gave the Temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.

Contributed by Basant Ahmed