Скачать или смотреть Cultural Racketeering in Egypt

Egypt is one of the most archaeologically rich countries in the world, with a recorded history dating back over 5,000 years. While looting of Egypt's ancient sites has occurred for thousands of years, never have these attacks occurred in such a systematic and organized fashion as they are today. Since the 2011 Revolution, Egypt has been a victim of cultural racketeering - the systematic theft of art and antiquities by organized criminal syndicates for profit. Thieves are plundering Egypt’s history by robbing from its past and stealing from its economic future.

Criminals are pillaging Egypt’s museums, archaeological sites, storerooms, and religious institutions for ancient artifacts for profit. These stolen historic items are smuggled out of their country of origin to “consolidation points” such as Israel, Switzerland, and Turkey, where they are then distributed through trafficking networks to countries where Egyptian antiquities are highly sought after. The high demand for these artifacts in market nations like the United States is contributing to the looting of our shared history. And the financial losses are not confined to Egypt's cultural heritage alone. Tourism – once dominated by travelers to Egypt’s archaeological sites - made up 11% of Egypt’s GDP prior to 2011. However, tourism has suffered greatly since the 2011 Revolution, as its share of GDP has dropped to 6.7%. The tremendous drop in tourism revenues have contributed to the worst economic crisis in Egypt since the Great Depression.