(CNN) -- Egypt's major archaeological sites, monuments and museums were under the protection of the country's army on Monday, according to the nation's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
However, unease persisted among Egyptologists and archaeologists, who fear some of the nation's priceless treasures may fall victim to looters or vandals, amid unrest and uprisings fueled by what protesters see as a lack of economic opportunity, widespread poverty and pervasive corruption.
Egypt is "the greatest open-air museum in the world," said Peter Der Manuelian, the Philip J. King professor of Egyptology at Harvard University. He said he and his colleagues are "trying to stay on top of (the situation) as best we can," given spotty internet service in Egypt.
Friday night, a group of "criminals" entered the Cairo Museum using a fire department staircase, Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told CNN early Sunday. CNN
