刻有法老阿普里埃斯之名的爱神柱

　　The unveiling of one of Egypt's eight national treasures at Expo - a large statue of the Pharaoh Amenhotep IV - was a highlight of the country's official pavilion opening on Tuesday。

　　"We rarely send these pieces out of Egypt. We got the best ones for China this time because it is the largest Expo ever organized," Egypt's Commissioner General Sherif A. Salem said。

　　"Each has a value which represents a part of Egyptian civilization," he added。

　　The ceremony was also to involve unveiling of the Mask of Sheshonq II, completing the full set of eight antiquities on display at the pavilion from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo。

　　The other six have been on display since the pavilion opened on May 5.

　　The last two antiquities had only arrived in Shanghai a day before the opening, Salem added. But the box carrying the mask was broken after it arrived, causing a delay in unveiling it。

　　He said his favorite of the collection was the colossal statue of Amenhotep IV which is dated from around 1353-1336 BC. Salem liked the statue because he considered the pharaoh a great one。

　　Amenhotep IV was father of the more famous pharaoh Tutankhamun, or King Tut。

　　The Mask of Sheshonq II belonged to the 22nd dynasty Egyptian king whose tomb was the only one of the dynasty not plundered by tomb robbers。

　　The eight pieces have been insured for US$400,000, according to Alain Tsai, project manager of the pavilion。

　　【相关中文报道】

　　上海世博园埃及馆11日晚举行开馆仪式，7件埃及宝物揭开神秘面纱，迎接游客。

　　埃及计划在此次世博展出8件宝物，其中7件11日一同亮相埃及馆，惊艳全场。其中包括：尼贝勒赫和巴克娜提双人坐像、刻有法老阿普里埃斯之名的爱神柱、头戴法老王斑纹头巾和风神休之羽的法老阿蒙霍特普四世巨像、索贝克神图案装饰的法老阿门迈苏砖雕像、手捧公羊头祭坛的帕萨尔大臣跪像、装饰有法老麦伦普塔赫名字的书记官像。

　　而第8件宝物——黄金打造的法老舍松契二世面具，于12日隆重亮相。

　　据介绍，这些文物全部来自埃及首都开罗的埃及博物馆，其中最古老的是距今3500多年的黄金打造的王后那赫特普鹰形扣件项圈，最精美的是舍松契二世金面具。

　　埃及展馆外观以黑白两色为主色调，现代感十足。