Illegal digging at Beheira archaeological sites

Today the Delta city of Beheira woke to the roar of bulldozers and trucks digging 35 feddans of Al-Qalaya archaeological site. The Antiquities and Tourism Police went to the site and surrounded it in order to stop those digging the site. An archaeological committee led by Mohsen Sayed, head of the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities Department, headed towards the site in order to inspect the damaged done. Until now those conducting the illegal dig refused to move off the site. The archaeological committee is trying to convince them to leace. If peaceful discussion fails, the Antiquities and Tourism Police will expell them from the site according to law. Al-Beheira is well known for its Islamic Mameluke and Coptic monuments, among them the Qayet Bey fortress in Rashid, Al-Amsili House and the Wadi El-Natroun necropolis.