Bibliotheca Alexandrina celebrates hosting the Global Egyptian Museum
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Alexandria— On 19 September 2006, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), will celebrate the signing of an agreement by which The Global Egyptian Museum (GEM), a web-based database currently containing over 11,000 objects from twelve museums in eleven European Countries, will be officially handed over to the Centre for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CULTNAT).
The Centre for Computer-aided Egyptological Research (CCER) CCER is located at Bikkeldam 11, 6631 BL in Horssen, The Netherlands, a foundation specialized in matters related to the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Egyptology, created the GEM website, headed by Professor Dirk van der Plas, transferred ownership, management, and hosting of this project to Egypt.
CULTNAT is a scientific and research center affiliated to the BA. It is supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. CULTNAT’s main mission is to document and disseminate information about Egypt’s cultural and natural heritage.
GEM was created in 2003-2006 to register and connect the estimated two million artefacts from Ancient Egypt that are kept in about 850 public collections dispersed over 69 countries outside Egypt, representing the cultural heritage of the Nile Valley and the Delta over 5000 years.
Information in the database can be accessed in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. CULTNAT added the Arabic language as well as artefacts from museums in Egypt to the current website.
GEM is being supported by the International Committee for Egyptology (CIPEG) of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-UNESCO). CIPEG invites all public and private collections to participate in the GEM.
The www.GlobalEgyptianMuseum.org site is freely accessible and has special pages for the general public as well as for children aged 8-12.