Germany, Egypt Make In Roads Into Nefertiti Dispute

November 20, 2007 5:00 p.m. EST

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - A dispute between Cairo and Berlin over an ancient Egyptian statue appears to be cooling off, Egypt's Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass said. The row is over whether Germany would return the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti to the North African nation.

Egypt had threatened to boycott all ancient Egyptian exhibitions and museums in the European nation, if the statue was not returned to Cairo.

The statue, currently housed in Berlin's Altes Museum, will have a joint committee established to discuss whether Germany will give the statue back to Egypt for display within two years.

"The letter that we received from Berlin says that the statue is very fragile," and that a joint Egyptian-German committee should decide if it can travel in the next two years, Hawass said.

"The statue, in my opinion, is in good condition and should travel to Egypt within two years," Hawass said during a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the German archaeological institute in Egypt.

Nefertiti is famous for being one of history's great beauties. She was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaton, who converted the ancient kingdom to monotheism in order to worship the sun god, Aton. His rule lasted little more than a decade.

Hawass hopes the statue will be in Egypt for the opening of a museum in central Egypt at Minya, near the ancient city Akhenaton built as his capital.