A painting by Vincent Van Gogh was stolen from an Egyptian museum in late August, causing officials to review security measures in the countrys museums. The painting is estimated to be worth $55 million and its theft is a huge embarrassment to the authorities. Dr. Zahi Hawass announced that Egypt will build control rooms that will monitor security in all museums in Egypt, following reports that many of the security cameras were not functioning in the Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil Museum, where the Van Gogh painting was on display.

The museums collection contains 304 paintings, among them are works by Monet, Renoir and many other celebrated artists. The three-story museum also contains 50 pieces of sculpture and the entire collection is estimated to be worth over $1.2 billion. Egypts Public Prosecutor ordered the detention of a Culture Ministry official along with 4 others who were employees at the museum, accusing them of negligence after it was discovered that the alarms protecting the painting, along with 36 of the museums security cameras, were not functioning at the time of the theft. What was originally a four day detention has now been extended to15 days as investigators try to collect facts and find clues regarding the incident. The robbers apparently stood on a sofa to reach the artwork titled Poppy Flowers and cut it from its frame. Interestingly, the same painting was stolen in 1978 and later recovered in Kuwait.

Egypt is in the process of renovating and building museums across the country in an effort to boost tourism. The tourism industry brought in more than $10 billion last year and continues to grow as Egypt brings more art and excavations into the public eye - this, along with investments in tourism infrastructure are making Egypt more and more attractive to tourists and development of beach resorts has made Egypt a popular holiday destination even in the hot summer months.
Tourists who come to Egypt can stay in touch with friends and family back home with cheap calls to Egypt being offered by a number of telecommunications providers. Those who call Egypt home but are working or traveling outside the country can also take advantage of low rates on phone calls. Oh, and if you happen to run across that painting, give Dr. Hawass a call. Im sure he will appreciate it...