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Egypt Evicts Squatters From Site of Ancient Tombs
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?r=279&c=720407&l=1009&ctl=15242E7:A6F02AD83191E1607303E525D9B1E4489574F7DCC14957C0 Egyptian officials
say most of the squatters have agreed to resettle in a new,
government-built village several kilometers from Qurna





Egyptian girls dressed as Pharaonic princesses perform during a
ceremony marking the beginning of the displacement process in Qurna
village in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor in Egypt Saturday, 2
Dec. 2006Egyptian authorities have begun evicting squatters from a
village built over ancient pharaonic tombs near the tourist town of
Luxor.

Bulldozers began tearing down mud-brick houses in the village of Qurna
Saturday as part of a government plan to open the site to
archaeologists and, eventually, tourists.

Egyptian officials say most of the squatters have agreed to resettle
in a new, government-built village several kilometers from Qurna. But,
many villagers resisted the relocation offer, complaining the new
homes are too expensive and far away.

Egypt spent more than 50-years trying to persuade squatters to leave
the ancient necropolis on the West bank of the Nile.

Archaeologists believe that the tombs that lie beneath the village
contain hidden treasures. They also accuse the squatters of damaging
the site by looting artifacts.

Egyptian authorities have agreed to preserve some of the villagers'
mud-brick homes, which are brightly-colored and have become a tourist
attraction in their own right. Some information for this report was
provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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