A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Azerbaijan (?) Removes Husni Mubarak Monument (??)

Here's an Al-Ahram Online story that raises more questions than it answers: Azerbaijan has removed a monument to Husni Mubarak from a park near Baku. Note the details:
The statue of the former Egyptian president sitting in an armchair in front of three pyramids was taken away from a park in the town of Khirdalan near the capital of the ex-Soviet republic on Tuesday.
Questions: Why on earth would they have a statue of Mubarak in Azerbaijan? Surely not due to the huge quantities of Egyptian aid flowing to Baku. Why was he sitting in an armchair in front of three pyramids? Even the pharaohs were usually shown standing. If there was going to be a statue of Mubarak in Azerbaijan, why was it in a town outside Baku and not in the capital? Why does the story not explain these questions?

Why is this probably the only post this blog has ever run in which the labels include both "Azerbaijan" and "Husni Mubarak"?

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