In an attempt to preserve and protect archaeological sites threatened by urban development, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is preparing a list of sites deemed at risk, which will be distributed to archaeological institutes throughout the country. It will be also posted on the SCA website to be promoted internationally.

The Permanent Committee of Antiquities (PCA), led by Mostafa Amine, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), approved the resumption of several archaeological works carried out by foreign archaeological missions.

Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Thursday appointed Mustafa Amin the new antiquities chief tasked with protecting the country's treasures. Amin, who had been heading the Islamic archaeology department of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), took over from Mohammed Abdel Fattah who resigned last week amid strike pressure.

Egypt's antiquities chief resigned after a series of strikes by employees, saying the institution that looks after the country's treasures has been left paralysed.

Following two months of the cancelation of the Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs, Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appointed Mohamed Abdel Fatah the new Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Abdel Fatah was the head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities sector at the SCA. He previously served as head of the Museums sectors and director of Antiquities in Upper Egypt.

Although Hawass is facing dismissal in an imminent cabinet reshuffle, it is proving complicated to find his replacement as antiquities minister. Last Sunday Abdel Fatah El Banna of Cairo University was named as his successor, but the appointment failed to go ahead after he faced criticism, including protests from antiquities staff.

Prime minister Essam Sharaf has cancelled the nomination of the Abdel Fatah El-Banna to hold Egypt’s antiquities portfolio. The decision was taken following the demonstrations of archaeologists and the employees of the Ministry of State for Antiquities (MSA) at the front gate of the cabinet building calling for the cancellation of El-Banna’s nomination to the ministry's top post.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities secretariat rejected the appointment of Abdel Fattah al-Banna as antiquities minister. The appointment was part of the cabinet reshuffle ordered by Egypt's prime minister. In a statement, the secretariat said Banna, a restoration specialist, does not specialize in archaeology and should not assume the ministry's responsibilities.

Zahi Hawass‎, chief of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced that he had been re-‎appointed as Minster of Antiquities following a meeting with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. ‎

Culture Minister Farouk Hosni on Sunday issued a list of new regulations to be adopted by his ministry in line with guidelines laid out in the recently approved Egyptian Antiquity Protection Law. The new directives include guidelines for defining what constitutes an "antiquity" per se; determining ownership of antiquities; regulating archeological excavations; and specifying how antiquities should be inventoried, preserved and restored. Other regulations touch on tourism management at sites featuring antiquities and at Egyptian museums.