In this article and the one that follows, we will bring to light a very important story in the history of the Egyptian heritage – the campaign to save Nubia’s monuments.
We cannot talk about Nubia and the famous temple of Abu Simbel without mentioning Dr. Tharwat Okasha and UNESCO’s contribution to safeguard one of the world’s most precious monuments.
The story started in the early 1950s when Egypt decided to build the high dam in Aswan after the 1952 Revolution, spearheaded by a group of Egyptian officers lead by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
One of the consequences of building the High Dam was the creation of a 180-milelong lake behind it. This lake would have drowned tens of important Nubian monuments, among which were the great two temples of Abu Simbel.
Okasha was a revolutionist, but shortly after the events of 1952, he asked Nasser not to include him in political life, so he was made Egypt’s Ambassador in Italy. Then, in 1958, Okasha was the surprise choice as Minister of Culture.
A Few weeks after his appointment, he was visited by the American ambassador in Egypt, accompanied by the Director of the Metropolitan museum. They suggested buying one or two of the Nubian temples, since they were going to disappear beneath the surface of the lake anyway, and move them to New York.
Okasha spontaneously said that the Egyptian temples were not for sale, and a few days later, after deliberations with President Nasser, he flew to Wadi Halfa with Dr. Ahmed Badawi, Director of the Antiquities Documentation Center, to visit the concerned temples.
Of course, he became emotional when he saw for himself the wonderful monuments that were going to disappear forever.
At that time, UNESCO had already started in Egypt a center for the documentation of the Nubian monuments. One of the center’s consultants was Madame Derouches Noblecourt, who advised Okasha to contact UNESCO about this, especially as Mr. René Maheu, the Deputy Director of UNESCO, was passing through Cairo on his way to Africa.
Okasha invited Maheu to visit a black-and-white photography exhibition of the 17 Nubian temples at Abdeen Palace during his transit in Cairo.
Maheu, impressed by the exhibition and the whole story, promised that, when he returns to Paris, he would immediately discuss the matter with the General Director of UNESCO, Vittorino Veronese.
A Few days later, Veronese was on phone with Okasha, asking him to write an official letter to the executive board of the UNESCO, suggesting UNESCO should help safeguard the Nubian temples. This letter heralded a new way of thinking about world heritage at UNESCO headquarters.
