Nefertiti or bust! Hideous replica removed following public uproar
Officials were forced to remove a deformed and disproportionate replica of the Nefertiti bust following complaints and criticism on social media.
2 min read
06 Jul, 2015
The statue was meant to be a replica of the famed Queen Nefertiti bust [Twitter]
The head of the city council of Samalut in Upper Egypt's Minya governate ordered the removal of a statue depicting ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti on Sunday night following controversy on local and social media.
The statue, a replica of the famed Queen Nefertiti bust, currently on display in Berlin's Neues Museum, was removed less than one day after it was uncovered at the entrance of the city.
Pictures of the disproportionate statue went viral on social media, spurring hundreds of sarcastic comments and complaints, particularly since the original Nefertiti bust is considered a symbol of beauty.
Many comments described the statue as "hideous", "terrifying", and a "zombie", with comparisons being made with Frankenstein's monster.
The statue, a replica of the famed Queen Nefertiti bust, currently on display in Berlin's Neues Museum, was removed less than one day after it was uncovered at the entrance of the city.
Pictures of the disproportionate statue went viral on social media, spurring hundreds of sarcastic comments and complaints, particularly since the original Nefertiti bust is considered a symbol of beauty.
Many comments described the statue as "hideous", "terrifying", and a "zombie", with comparisons being made with Frankenstein's monster.
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— Mohammad Hammad (@mmmmhammad) July 6, 2015" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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Translation: The Nefertiti bust in Samalut undoubtedly proves that we are not the real descendants of the ancient Egyptians.
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— في الكون وحيد (@amrhamdon) July 5, 2015" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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Translation: It's a good thing that Nefertiti is dead now, because if she was alive and saw that statue she would have dropped dead again! What a failed government!
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— Âźįźå *sy* (@3A4B0ta6sM4jrNp) July 6, 2015" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post
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Translation: The one on the right is young Nefertiti 3,500 years ago, and the one on the left is Nefertiti after contracting Hepatitis C and bilharzia from swimming in the canal.
According to local media, Mahmoud Afifi, head of Egypt's Antiquities Department, criticised the "ugly" statue and said that the Ministry of Antiquities had nothing to do with it.
"The Ministry contacted officials in Minya and requested the removal of the deformed statue", said Afifi.
Gamal Kenawy, head of Samalut city council, told Egyptian private television channel ON TV that an older version of the statue was destroyed by Muslim Brotherhood members in August 2013 following the dispersal of the pro-Morsi Rabaa al-Adawiyah sit-in.
Kenawy told Aswat Masriya that the bust will be replaced by a statue of a peace dove in response to complaints from the locals.
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