Risk Map of North Saqqara Site

The Office for Italian Foreign Affairs, General Direction for the Cooperation to the Development, with the scientific support of the University of Pisa, Department of Ancient History, according to the International Agreement with the Supreme Council of Antiquitics of Egypt, is realizing a "Risk Map" for the archaeological area of North Saqqara .


The management of the project belongs to Fabrizio Ago and Shawki Nakhla. The scientific direction is assured by Edda Bresciani, the technical coordination by Anthonio Giammarusti and Carlo La Torre.

The project is articulated in technical- scientific Sections, coordinated by Italian experts: Roberto Buongarzone, Emanuele Brienza, Renzo Carlucci, Rosa Maria Iglesias Morsilli, Carlos de La Fuente, Marina Paris , Gennaro Papa and Franco Pizzi, with the collaboration of Egyptians experts.

Ailm of the project is the elaboration of an informative system finalized to the management and the protection of the cultural heritage of Saqqara, the greatest necropolis of the ancient capital Memphis, submitted, in the last decades, to a, always increasing, environmental degrade.


All the data and elaborations, related to around 600 monuments, will be filed in a G.I.S. (Geografic Information System) computer system; this will make possible the finding of any information through the alphanumeric digitatal system through a cartographic support; it means with the georefering and integration of the photomosaic of the aerial resumptions of Saqqara furnished by the egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensings and Space Sciences direct by Prof Mohamed Adei Yehia.

The use of a sophisticated Date Base connected to the GIS will allow, for the first time in a international level, to make searches in the egyptological , geographical and environmental fields and controll the state of maintenance of the monuments of Saqqara.

The project has begun the first July of 2000 and it is foreseen how continuous for at least two years.

In December of this year 2001 will be organized in Cairo a works shop on the theme: "Risk Map for Saqqara: G.I.S application for Archaeological sites management."

Cairo, 27/05/2001