Islamabad Literature Festival 2013
ENGLISH - In Cuba, the transsexual community is persecuted by authorities, but resistance is strong in the city of Santa Clara. Here the arts are serving the cause of social integration at a theatre called El Mejunje.
FRANÇAIS - À Cuba, la communauté transsexuelle est persécutée par les autorités, mais résiste dans un théâtre de la ville de Santa Clara, El Mejunje, qui utilise les arts de la scène comme moyen d’intégration sociale.
ESPANOL - En Cuba, la comunidad transexual está perseguida por las autoridades, pero resiste en un teatro de la ciudad de Santa Clara, El Mejunje, que utiliza las artes escénicas como medio de integración social.
Tourists and locals celebrate the 10th rice plantation festival on June 29, 2013 in Begnas, Pokhara, Nepal by planting rice, playing on mud and eating curd and beaten rice in the rice field.
Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa is flanked by Egyptian media as he answers questions about the excavation of King Khufu's 4,500 year old solar boat.
The solar boat museum and excavation site stands dwarfed next to the Great Pyramids. Inside, tourists are able to see the first solar boat extracted from beneath the pyramids. Archaeologists hope that in a few years, tourists will be able to the second, fully assembled boat.
A member of the Egyptian media leaves the enclosed area where the excavation process has been happening. As a result of the precautions taken by the excavation team, very few people are allowed to enter the sealed area, and those that enter the excavation site are required to wear masks and suits.
A Japanese reporter examines the first piece of wood extracted from King Khufu's solar boat. The wood was only exposed for 15-20 minutes before it was wrapped up in order to prevent further decay.
A Japanese archaeologist rushes back to the excavation site to as members from the Egyptian and Japanese delegation arrive at the site. Behind him lies the pyramid of Khufu, the pharaoh whose boat the team has been excavating.
Flanked by bodyguards, the Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa makes his way to the excavation site to oversee the removal of wood strips from the solar boat.
The wood from the boat, while degraded severely in some areas, is still quite well preserved. Because of the desert climate, archaeologists will have a much easier time preserving the boat than if it had been found in a more humid climate.
The excavation site for the second pharaonic solar boat, sits below the Khufu pyramid of Giza. Discovered in 1992, the excavation site also serves as a museum for the first, fully assembled solar boat.
A member of the excavation team examines the first piece of wood from the solar boat. Archaeologists are rushing to remove the remains of the boat to save the wood from the effects of pollution and insects.
Members of the press as well as the excavation teams wait in an impromptu tent for the arrival of the Minister of State for Antiquities.
Leaders of the excavation team listen to the Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa answer questions.
The Minister of State for Antiquities holds a joint press conference with the leader of the Japanese delegation. The Japanese embassy, along with Nitori Holding Company have played a large role in the excavation process.
A member of the Japanese excavation team from Waseda University works alongside Egyptian colleagues to prepare the first piece of wood for transportation. The excavators are under pressure to extract much of the 4, 500 year old boat before it degrades.
Archeologists from the Egyptian and Japanese teams carefully wrap up one of the first pieces of the 4,500 year old solar boat. The boat is believed to have belonged to King Khufu, and it was meant to ferry him and the god Ra across the heavens.
A member of the Japanese delegation has been tasked with using a 'non-contact 3D digitizer' in order to digitally preserve the pieces as they are retrieved.
The Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa removes his mask to answer questions for the media. In order to enter the excavation area, workers and members of the delegations must wear suits and face coverings.
The lead member of the Japanese delegation answers questions for Japanese and Egyptian media. The Japanese archaeologists from Waseda University have leveraged technological advances to aid the excavation process.
Japanese archaeologists from Waseda University have worked alongside Egyptian colleagues since 2007. They are in the process of removing and preserving the boat, with the end goal of displaying it for the Egyptian public.
Members of the Egyptian archeological team take a break as members of the government enter the area to inspect the excavation. All workers wear suits to prevent contamination of the site.
The Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa discusses the excavation process with the archeological team. The wood is at risk for damage from insects and pollution.
Almost 26 years ago, the American National Geographic Society inserted a small camera through a hole in the limestone to view the boat for the first time. Unfortunately, the hole allowed insects in. Along with the pollution, the insects have devastated much of the boat's wood pieces.
Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa talks with members of the archeological team. He helped remove the first pieces of the boat alongside members of the Japanese delegation. Eissa is a specialist in early Coptic Christian and Islamic art.
A member of the Egyptian archeological team examines a beam of wood from the 4,500 year old solar boat. Discovered in 1992, excavators have been working hard to begin the removal of pieces of the boat for transport.
The team from Waseda University will painstakingly digitize all of the pieces that are removed from the site. The aim is to construct a 3d computer model of the boat. This will allow the archaeologists to study and assemble the boat.
Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa discusses the excavation process with the teams from Japan and Egypt. Mr Eissa was appointed to this post in May, 2013. Prior to his ministerial position, he worked with early Coptic and Islamic art and architecture.
Minister of State for Antiquities Ahmed Eissa and the Japanese archaeological delegation answer questions at a press conference set for the Khufu Solar Boat excavation in Giza, Egypt. Discovered in 1992, excavators have been working hard to begin the removal of pieces of the boat to transport the 4,500 year old wooden ship.
Qusai, 4, and his brother Mahmud,10, produce pottery from mud in their grandfather's pottery workshop which has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Four-year old Qosi Attalla is the youngest child in the factory who knows how to make traditional pottery. This pottery factory in Gaza has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Mustafa, 35, and his son Mahmud, 10, work together to repair the broken pottery. This pottery factory in Gaza has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Four-year old Qosi Attalla is the youngest child in the factory who knows how to make traditional pottery. This pottery factory in Gaza has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
The pottery factory resides right under the Attallah home, a part of their daily life. It has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Omar Atallah, 51, produces pottery, vases, bottles and receptacles from mud in this factory. It has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Ahmed Attallah, 14, carrying crockery that was produced by his grandfather at their workshop in Gaza city. This factory has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Ahmed Attallah, 14, left school when he was 13 to work in the factory alongside his father and grandfather. This pottery factory in Gaza has been a source of income and pride for the Attallah family for generations. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Mustafa Atallah, 35 years old, repairs a big black pottery vessel called "al-Qedra" that is used for cooking a traditional Gazan meal made out of rice, meat, garlic and onions. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Mustafa Atallah, 35, doesn't study at school because he has a job in the family's humble factory performing numerous tasks. He repairs broken pottery and also makes new ones. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.
Hassan Atallah, 32, puts wood shavings into the mud kiln to use it to produce the pottery. Gaza Strip, June, 2013.