Books by Fatma Keshk
The Impact of German Archaeology in the Near and Middle East
Updated CV Fatma Keshk 2016
Papers by Fatma Keshk
"In January 25 Revolution, Ancient Egypt continued to be strongly present in Tahrir Square in Cai... more "In January 25 Revolution, Ancient Egypt continued to be strongly present in Tahrir Square in Cairo. However, this time not in the galleries of the famous Egyptian Museum but rather among the crowds of Egyptians who gathered protesting for a new democratic Egypt. Importing figures from Ancient Egypt to relate to the political situation served to bring nationalistic confidence of glories of the past to those fighting a corrupt regime that ruled for years. The iconic image of Tutankhamun wearing the beret of Che-Guevara was spread over revolutionaries in Tahrir Square as well as Egyptians demonstrating in front of their embassies worldwide. Many illustrations that showed Mubarak as the last pharaoh or a ruling mummy were drawn by cartoonists as well as Egyptian protesters. This paper attempts to analyze visually this phenomena of calling on the glories of the past which was started by Tuthmosis IV in the New Kingdom circa 1400 BCE until the January 25 Revolution 2011 CE.
More than a year from January 2011, Ancient Egypt continues to be strongly present in Egypt’s
unfinished revolution. For the moment, they are covering large parts of the walls in Mohamed
Mahmoud street, a main street branching of Tahrir square which has witnessed the murder of more than 50 killed in November 2011 during the battle between hundreds of young protestors and the police, close to the Ministry of Interior building, during one of the strong waves of the Egyptian
Revolution. Artists do not only copy scenes from tombs, temples and ostraca, but re-elaborate on them to give certain messages.
“For me, if Tahrir square is a town, then Mohamed Mahmoud can be considered as its main cemetery”, said Ammar Abu Bakr, Graffiti artist who teaches art in the faclty of Fine Arts in Luxor.
Similar to what Ancient Egyptians did by referring to their own past as a source of wisdom or good taste, modern graffiti artists employed ancient Egyptian funerary art to lament the dead who fell and are still falling in Tahrir square as well as other places in Egypt. However, inspiration from Ancient Egypt went further than just copying funerary scenes as they are; motives and elements from ancient Egyptian art were used by the graffiti artists with a whole innovative sense that is fitting very well the needed expression of the political and social changes of the lived moment.
“The Graffiti is in the street and I am first of all targeting Egyptians walking in the streets of Downtown Cairo coming from all over the country, therefore I decided to draw Ancient Egyptian scenes because I wanted to choose an image language that is easy for them to understand since it is part of their identity and heritage”, said Alaa Awad, graffiti artist, who also lives in Luxor and has drawn tens of ancient Egyptian funerary scenes or other graffiti inspired from Ancient Egyptian The details here are interesting, specially the floral motifs inspired from Ancient Egypt. Motifs employ scenes from Ancient Egypt. It mixes this with Coptic tradition of drawing martyrs with wings while using Quranic religious text.
The Egyptians in modern Egypt have been alienated on purpose from the old regime from their own heritage. This has left scenes from Ancient Egypt a sight on television or tourism advertisements, it was usually looked upon as foreign art and not their own. Thus what Alaa is doing is bridging the gap between the Egyptians and their own heritage through graffiti.
Graffiti as an art was a tool which ancient Egyptians used to document events and memories. Modern day Egyptians inspired by ancient Egyptian art decorated streets with graffiti fueled with political messages. The archaizing or the appeal of the ancient Glories is not alien to the
Egyptians, throughout their history ancient and modern; Egyptians have dwelt on their glorious past. The artistic movement has also suffered the previous regime for access to art was only for the elite and freedom of artistic expression was not always granted. Mohamed Mahmoud Street and other spots around Tahrir square offers a new window for the Egyptians for both heritage and art with a political agenda in an intermediate period of modern Egyptian history. This renaissance of art reflects what Egypt went through in the First Intermediate Period when access to state art and sculpture of Memphis was not available in Thebes leading artisans to create new styles of art with a lot of creativity and less state limitations; however , we are not anymore in the first intermediate period but in the 21 century AD.
Conference Presentations by Fatma Keshk
Local communities living in the surroundings of archaeological sites in Egypt have
each their sp... more Local communities living in the surroundings of archaeological sites in Egypt have
each their special connection to these sites that are quite different in each region of
Egypt. The reasons behind these differences have to do with education, social and
economic status of these communities and as well the level of fame of these
sites. For the latter reasons, the Egyptian Delta has been rooted in the general
collective knowledge of most of Egyptians as a rural area possessing no
archaeological sites whatsoever.
This lecture aims to discuss the actual status of archaeology and heritage
knowledge in contemporary Egypt in general but with more focus on the status of
archaeological knowledge in the Delta. In the light of the Delta Survey Workshop,
this lecture also aims to suggest an initial framework for improving the level of
public outreach and awareness in the Delta sites through a variety of tools that can
benefit from the everyday increasing scholarly data of the archaeological sites of
the Delta.
Thanks to a team of Archaeologists, Anthropologists, GIS specialists, crafts designers and Photog... more Thanks to a team of Archaeologists, Anthropologists, GIS specialists, crafts designers and Photographers; CULTNAT worked for 4 years (2007-2011) on a project entitled “the Documentation of the Cultural Heritage of the Bedouin of South Sinai”. This project aimed to be a model for Cultural Resource Management (CRM) for the cultural heritage of South Sinai by means of the survey, documentation, preservation, and management of the archaeological area of Serabit el-Khadim, with and for the local inhabitants. This project has been carried out through an EU fund, supervised by the South Sinai Regional Development Program (SSRDP), executed and managed by the Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Egypt (CULTNAT).
Bearing the traces of intensive mining activity of Ancient Egypt, Serabit el-Khadim is an archaeological site of unique interest as it still preserves the remains of the largest ancient Egyptian temple in the Sinai Peninsula. Discovered in the late 18th century by a European traveler and being the focus of archaeological research since the early 20th century until the 1990s; the place has rarely been known to the general public and hence it was only visited by few visitors groups from time to time. Besides scholarly monographs, the temple’s history was also kept in the memory of the local inhabitants still living in the actual village of Serabit, located some hundreds of meters away from the temple. Generations of old and young “Serabitians” were and still the main tour guides for the visitors aiming to see the temple of Hathor.
The project’s activities included the documentation of the archaeological heritage and social history of Serabit el-Khadim and its surrounding area, data collection for Serabit el-Khadim visitors’ center (Beit Hathor) and capacity building sessions for the local inhabitants including adults (men & women) and also kids. These sessions aimed at raising the value of tour guiding explanations given by the local guides to the temple’s visitors, letting the kids appreciate the indispensability of their local heritage that is a main income source for them and last but not least improving the quality of the handicrafts made by Serabiti women to be able to compete with the famous St. Cathernie’s local crafts. Nevertheless, these sessions were absolutely a mutual exchange of knowledge between the project team and the local community.
Throughout four years of work and back and forth journeys from Cairo to South Sinai, the project could deliver for the first time a regional map- flyer of the main archaeological spots to visit in and around Serabit el-Khadim. In addition, considerable data (texts, articles and photos) was collected to be exhibited in “Beit Hathor”, visitor center of Serabit el-Khadim, the main and principal product of the project.
Selim Hassan (1886-1961), a remarkable name of the first generation of Egyptian Egyptologists and... more Selim Hassan (1886-1961), a remarkable name of the first generation of Egyptian Egyptologists and Archaeologists in the first half of the 20th century. Since 1929, Selim Hassan carried out extensive archaeological excavations in Giza and Saqqarah that led to the discovery of tens of tombs in both areas; the causeway of Wanis (Ounas) and many others.
In these excavations, he formed a complete team of archaeologists, architects, photographers and others. In addition to archaeological field work, Hassan published many research papers and monographs on various topics in Egyptology together with his famous encyclopedia “Ancient Egypt”.
The Ancient Egypt unit of CULTNAT was lucky to receive a part of his own manuscripts and archives including his original hand written notes, descriptions, diaries and photos of some of his excavations campaigns in Saqqarah & Giza. Moreover, the archives and manuscripts of Selim Hassan in CULTNAT include a report with tens of photos of the temples of Nubia in 1954/1955 when they were still in their original places before the famous salvage campaign. Most of these photos were rarely published.
A careful study of these archives has already started and a future plan aims to deliver reliable documents for researchers planning to the study of such a material. This paper aims to present the main outline of our Selim Hassan archives project.
The understanding of the urban features of Predynastic settlement sites of the Egyptian Delta is ... more The understanding of the urban features of Predynastic settlement sites of the Egyptian Delta is still partial; due to the paucity of archaeological evidence in many of them. It is only since the 1970s that the interest to excavate the settlement sites of ancient Egypt has increased, especially in Upper Egypt.
However, more research on the early urban development in the Delta sites is still needed in order to complete the image of the economic, social, and political evolution of this region at the dawn of Egyptian civilization (ca. 4500-3100 BC).
This paper discusses the importance of early settlement sites in the Delta in regard to our understanding of the rise of urbanism in Pre- and Early Dynastic Egypt. It will mainly summarize the common characteristics of these urban centers.
It also aims to identify similarities and differences between early urban Delta sites and the major urban centers of Upper Egypt. Finally, it attempts to highlight some of the main factors that influenced the urban development in the Delta and Upper Egypt during the period of state formation.
The limited study of ancient Egyptian settlement sites until the 1970s has affected the knowledge... more The limited study of ancient Egyptian settlement sites until the 1970s has affected the knowledge about the composition and the urban development of these settlements until that time. Hence, since 40 years and thanks to ongoing excavations and field projects; information has gradually increased about the characteristics of ancient Egyptian settlement and town sites and their urban development throughout history. Later, it was possible to categorize different types of settlements and towns; to have knowledge about the diversity of buildings with their function and use. However, the question about the function and use of empty space and the streets of a settlement sites have rarely been answered.
Press Reports and Articles by Fatma Keshk
Uploads
Books by Fatma Keshk
Papers by Fatma Keshk
More than a year from January 2011, Ancient Egypt continues to be strongly present in Egypt’s
unfinished revolution. For the moment, they are covering large parts of the walls in Mohamed
Mahmoud street, a main street branching of Tahrir square which has witnessed the murder of more than 50 killed in November 2011 during the battle between hundreds of young protestors and the police, close to the Ministry of Interior building, during one of the strong waves of the Egyptian
Revolution. Artists do not only copy scenes from tombs, temples and ostraca, but re-elaborate on them to give certain messages.
“For me, if Tahrir square is a town, then Mohamed Mahmoud can be considered as its main cemetery”, said Ammar Abu Bakr, Graffiti artist who teaches art in the faclty of Fine Arts in Luxor.
Similar to what Ancient Egyptians did by referring to their own past as a source of wisdom or good taste, modern graffiti artists employed ancient Egyptian funerary art to lament the dead who fell and are still falling in Tahrir square as well as other places in Egypt. However, inspiration from Ancient Egypt went further than just copying funerary scenes as they are; motives and elements from ancient Egyptian art were used by the graffiti artists with a whole innovative sense that is fitting very well the needed expression of the political and social changes of the lived moment.
“The Graffiti is in the street and I am first of all targeting Egyptians walking in the streets of Downtown Cairo coming from all over the country, therefore I decided to draw Ancient Egyptian scenes because I wanted to choose an image language that is easy for them to understand since it is part of their identity and heritage”, said Alaa Awad, graffiti artist, who also lives in Luxor and has drawn tens of ancient Egyptian funerary scenes or other graffiti inspired from Ancient Egyptian The details here are interesting, specially the floral motifs inspired from Ancient Egypt. Motifs employ scenes from Ancient Egypt. It mixes this with Coptic tradition of drawing martyrs with wings while using Quranic religious text.
The Egyptians in modern Egypt have been alienated on purpose from the old regime from their own heritage. This has left scenes from Ancient Egypt a sight on television or tourism advertisements, it was usually looked upon as foreign art and not their own. Thus what Alaa is doing is bridging the gap between the Egyptians and their own heritage through graffiti.
Graffiti as an art was a tool which ancient Egyptians used to document events and memories. Modern day Egyptians inspired by ancient Egyptian art decorated streets with graffiti fueled with political messages. The archaizing or the appeal of the ancient Glories is not alien to the
Egyptians, throughout their history ancient and modern; Egyptians have dwelt on their glorious past. The artistic movement has also suffered the previous regime for access to art was only for the elite and freedom of artistic expression was not always granted. Mohamed Mahmoud Street and other spots around Tahrir square offers a new window for the Egyptians for both heritage and art with a political agenda in an intermediate period of modern Egyptian history. This renaissance of art reflects what Egypt went through in the First Intermediate Period when access to state art and sculpture of Memphis was not available in Thebes leading artisans to create new styles of art with a lot of creativity and less state limitations; however , we are not anymore in the first intermediate period but in the 21 century AD.
Conference Presentations by Fatma Keshk
each their special connection to these sites that are quite different in each region of
Egypt. The reasons behind these differences have to do with education, social and
economic status of these communities and as well the level of fame of these
sites. For the latter reasons, the Egyptian Delta has been rooted in the general
collective knowledge of most of Egyptians as a rural area possessing no
archaeological sites whatsoever.
This lecture aims to discuss the actual status of archaeology and heritage
knowledge in contemporary Egypt in general but with more focus on the status of
archaeological knowledge in the Delta. In the light of the Delta Survey Workshop,
this lecture also aims to suggest an initial framework for improving the level of
public outreach and awareness in the Delta sites through a variety of tools that can
benefit from the everyday increasing scholarly data of the archaeological sites of
the Delta.
Bearing the traces of intensive mining activity of Ancient Egypt, Serabit el-Khadim is an archaeological site of unique interest as it still preserves the remains of the largest ancient Egyptian temple in the Sinai Peninsula. Discovered in the late 18th century by a European traveler and being the focus of archaeological research since the early 20th century until the 1990s; the place has rarely been known to the general public and hence it was only visited by few visitors groups from time to time. Besides scholarly monographs, the temple’s history was also kept in the memory of the local inhabitants still living in the actual village of Serabit, located some hundreds of meters away from the temple. Generations of old and young “Serabitians” were and still the main tour guides for the visitors aiming to see the temple of Hathor.
The project’s activities included the documentation of the archaeological heritage and social history of Serabit el-Khadim and its surrounding area, data collection for Serabit el-Khadim visitors’ center (Beit Hathor) and capacity building sessions for the local inhabitants including adults (men & women) and also kids. These sessions aimed at raising the value of tour guiding explanations given by the local guides to the temple’s visitors, letting the kids appreciate the indispensability of their local heritage that is a main income source for them and last but not least improving the quality of the handicrafts made by Serabiti women to be able to compete with the famous St. Cathernie’s local crafts. Nevertheless, these sessions were absolutely a mutual exchange of knowledge between the project team and the local community.
Throughout four years of work and back and forth journeys from Cairo to South Sinai, the project could deliver for the first time a regional map- flyer of the main archaeological spots to visit in and around Serabit el-Khadim. In addition, considerable data (texts, articles and photos) was collected to be exhibited in “Beit Hathor”, visitor center of Serabit el-Khadim, the main and principal product of the project.
In these excavations, he formed a complete team of archaeologists, architects, photographers and others. In addition to archaeological field work, Hassan published many research papers and monographs on various topics in Egyptology together with his famous encyclopedia “Ancient Egypt”.
The Ancient Egypt unit of CULTNAT was lucky to receive a part of his own manuscripts and archives including his original hand written notes, descriptions, diaries and photos of some of his excavations campaigns in Saqqarah & Giza. Moreover, the archives and manuscripts of Selim Hassan in CULTNAT include a report with tens of photos of the temples of Nubia in 1954/1955 when they were still in their original places before the famous salvage campaign. Most of these photos were rarely published.
A careful study of these archives has already started and a future plan aims to deliver reliable documents for researchers planning to the study of such a material. This paper aims to present the main outline of our Selim Hassan archives project.
However, more research on the early urban development in the Delta sites is still needed in order to complete the image of the economic, social, and political evolution of this region at the dawn of Egyptian civilization (ca. 4500-3100 BC).
This paper discusses the importance of early settlement sites in the Delta in regard to our understanding of the rise of urbanism in Pre- and Early Dynastic Egypt. It will mainly summarize the common characteristics of these urban centers.
It also aims to identify similarities and differences between early urban Delta sites and the major urban centers of Upper Egypt. Finally, it attempts to highlight some of the main factors that influenced the urban development in the Delta and Upper Egypt during the period of state formation.
Press Reports and Articles by Fatma Keshk
More than a year from January 2011, Ancient Egypt continues to be strongly present in Egypt’s
unfinished revolution. For the moment, they are covering large parts of the walls in Mohamed
Mahmoud street, a main street branching of Tahrir square which has witnessed the murder of more than 50 killed in November 2011 during the battle between hundreds of young protestors and the police, close to the Ministry of Interior building, during one of the strong waves of the Egyptian
Revolution. Artists do not only copy scenes from tombs, temples and ostraca, but re-elaborate on them to give certain messages.
“For me, if Tahrir square is a town, then Mohamed Mahmoud can be considered as its main cemetery”, said Ammar Abu Bakr, Graffiti artist who teaches art in the faclty of Fine Arts in Luxor.
Similar to what Ancient Egyptians did by referring to their own past as a source of wisdom or good taste, modern graffiti artists employed ancient Egyptian funerary art to lament the dead who fell and are still falling in Tahrir square as well as other places in Egypt. However, inspiration from Ancient Egypt went further than just copying funerary scenes as they are; motives and elements from ancient Egyptian art were used by the graffiti artists with a whole innovative sense that is fitting very well the needed expression of the political and social changes of the lived moment.
“The Graffiti is in the street and I am first of all targeting Egyptians walking in the streets of Downtown Cairo coming from all over the country, therefore I decided to draw Ancient Egyptian scenes because I wanted to choose an image language that is easy for them to understand since it is part of their identity and heritage”, said Alaa Awad, graffiti artist, who also lives in Luxor and has drawn tens of ancient Egyptian funerary scenes or other graffiti inspired from Ancient Egyptian The details here are interesting, specially the floral motifs inspired from Ancient Egypt. Motifs employ scenes from Ancient Egypt. It mixes this with Coptic tradition of drawing martyrs with wings while using Quranic religious text.
The Egyptians in modern Egypt have been alienated on purpose from the old regime from their own heritage. This has left scenes from Ancient Egypt a sight on television or tourism advertisements, it was usually looked upon as foreign art and not their own. Thus what Alaa is doing is bridging the gap between the Egyptians and their own heritage through graffiti.
Graffiti as an art was a tool which ancient Egyptians used to document events and memories. Modern day Egyptians inspired by ancient Egyptian art decorated streets with graffiti fueled with political messages. The archaizing or the appeal of the ancient Glories is not alien to the
Egyptians, throughout their history ancient and modern; Egyptians have dwelt on their glorious past. The artistic movement has also suffered the previous regime for access to art was only for the elite and freedom of artistic expression was not always granted. Mohamed Mahmoud Street and other spots around Tahrir square offers a new window for the Egyptians for both heritage and art with a political agenda in an intermediate period of modern Egyptian history. This renaissance of art reflects what Egypt went through in the First Intermediate Period when access to state art and sculpture of Memphis was not available in Thebes leading artisans to create new styles of art with a lot of creativity and less state limitations; however , we are not anymore in the first intermediate period but in the 21 century AD.
each their special connection to these sites that are quite different in each region of
Egypt. The reasons behind these differences have to do with education, social and
economic status of these communities and as well the level of fame of these
sites. For the latter reasons, the Egyptian Delta has been rooted in the general
collective knowledge of most of Egyptians as a rural area possessing no
archaeological sites whatsoever.
This lecture aims to discuss the actual status of archaeology and heritage
knowledge in contemporary Egypt in general but with more focus on the status of
archaeological knowledge in the Delta. In the light of the Delta Survey Workshop,
this lecture also aims to suggest an initial framework for improving the level of
public outreach and awareness in the Delta sites through a variety of tools that can
benefit from the everyday increasing scholarly data of the archaeological sites of
the Delta.
Bearing the traces of intensive mining activity of Ancient Egypt, Serabit el-Khadim is an archaeological site of unique interest as it still preserves the remains of the largest ancient Egyptian temple in the Sinai Peninsula. Discovered in the late 18th century by a European traveler and being the focus of archaeological research since the early 20th century until the 1990s; the place has rarely been known to the general public and hence it was only visited by few visitors groups from time to time. Besides scholarly monographs, the temple’s history was also kept in the memory of the local inhabitants still living in the actual village of Serabit, located some hundreds of meters away from the temple. Generations of old and young “Serabitians” were and still the main tour guides for the visitors aiming to see the temple of Hathor.
The project’s activities included the documentation of the archaeological heritage and social history of Serabit el-Khadim and its surrounding area, data collection for Serabit el-Khadim visitors’ center (Beit Hathor) and capacity building sessions for the local inhabitants including adults (men & women) and also kids. These sessions aimed at raising the value of tour guiding explanations given by the local guides to the temple’s visitors, letting the kids appreciate the indispensability of their local heritage that is a main income source for them and last but not least improving the quality of the handicrafts made by Serabiti women to be able to compete with the famous St. Cathernie’s local crafts. Nevertheless, these sessions were absolutely a mutual exchange of knowledge between the project team and the local community.
Throughout four years of work and back and forth journeys from Cairo to South Sinai, the project could deliver for the first time a regional map- flyer of the main archaeological spots to visit in and around Serabit el-Khadim. In addition, considerable data (texts, articles and photos) was collected to be exhibited in “Beit Hathor”, visitor center of Serabit el-Khadim, the main and principal product of the project.
In these excavations, he formed a complete team of archaeologists, architects, photographers and others. In addition to archaeological field work, Hassan published many research papers and monographs on various topics in Egyptology together with his famous encyclopedia “Ancient Egypt”.
The Ancient Egypt unit of CULTNAT was lucky to receive a part of his own manuscripts and archives including his original hand written notes, descriptions, diaries and photos of some of his excavations campaigns in Saqqarah & Giza. Moreover, the archives and manuscripts of Selim Hassan in CULTNAT include a report with tens of photos of the temples of Nubia in 1954/1955 when they were still in their original places before the famous salvage campaign. Most of these photos were rarely published.
A careful study of these archives has already started and a future plan aims to deliver reliable documents for researchers planning to the study of such a material. This paper aims to present the main outline of our Selim Hassan archives project.
However, more research on the early urban development in the Delta sites is still needed in order to complete the image of the economic, social, and political evolution of this region at the dawn of Egyptian civilization (ca. 4500-3100 BC).
This paper discusses the importance of early settlement sites in the Delta in regard to our understanding of the rise of urbanism in Pre- and Early Dynastic Egypt. It will mainly summarize the common characteristics of these urban centers.
It also aims to identify similarities and differences between early urban Delta sites and the major urban centers of Upper Egypt. Finally, it attempts to highlight some of the main factors that influenced the urban development in the Delta and Upper Egypt during the period of state formation.
The Ancient Egypt Unit at the Center of Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Egypt (CULTNAT) had a wonderful opportunity to receive a good part of the original manuscripts of Selim Hassan's work in Giza, Saqqara & Nubia including original photos of the excavation's processes, finds and drawings of the tombs' reliefs. Moreover, the manuscripts include some drafts of yet unpublished monographs of Selim Hassan such as an almost three hundred full scape papers documenting the work of Hassan in the causeway of king Wnis (Ounas) in Saqqara in 1937-38.
Togetherwith ZakariaGhoneim, Hassan worked for two years and cleared 690 m long of the causeway with 6.7 m width (in its Eastern and western edges). Many interesting scenes were uncoveredand documented by them (hunting scenes, artisans at work, market, ships carrying massive granite columns from Aswan quarries, The dedication or foundation of solar Temple) and as well as reused block from a seated statue. This poster aims to get to the light some impressions of the Selim Hassan unpublished manuscript of the causeway of Wnis(Ounas) and as well present selected samples of the original high quality photos and drawings of the reliefs studied by Hassan in the late 1930s (1937-1939) and currently kept in CULTNAT.
More than a year from January 2011, Ancient Egypt continues to be strongly present in Egypt’s
unfinished revolution. For the moment, they are covering large parts of the walls in Mohamed
Mahmoud street, a main street branching of Tahrir square which has witnessed the murder of more than 50 killed in November 2011 during the battle between hundreds of young protestors and the police, close to the Ministry of Interior building, during one of the strong waves of the Egyptian
Revolution. Artists do not only copy scenes from tombs, temples and ostraca, but re-elaborate on them to give certain messages.
“For me, if Tahrir square is a town, then Mohamed Mahmoud can be considered as its main cemetery”, said Ammar Abu Bakr, Graffiti artist who teaches art in the faclty of Fine Arts in Luxor.
Similar to what Ancient Egyptians did by referring to their own past as a source of wisdom or good taste, modern graffiti artists employed ancient Egyptian funerary art to lament the dead who fell and are still falling in Tahrir square as well as other places in Egypt. However, inspiration from Ancient Egypt went further than just copying funerary scenes as they are; motives and elements from ancient Egyptian art were used by the graffiti artists with a whole innovative sense that is fitting very well the needed expression of the political and social changes of the lived moment.
“The Graffiti is in the street and I am first of all targeting Egyptians walking in the streets of Downtown Cairo coming from all over the country, therefore I decided to draw Ancient Egyptian scenes because I wanted to choose an image language that is easy for them to understand since it is part of their identity and heritage”, said Alaa Awad, graffiti artist, who also lives in Luxor and has drawn tens of ancient Egyptian funerary scenes or other graffiti inspired from Ancient Egyptian The details here are interesting, specially the floral motifs inspired from Ancient Egypt. Motifs employ scenes from Ancient Egypt. It mixes this with Coptic tradition of drawing martyrs with wings while using Quranic religious text.
The Egyptians in modern Egypt have been alienated on purpose from the old regime from their own heritage. This has left scenes from Ancient Egypt a sight on television or tourism advertisements, it was usually looked upon as foreign art and not their own. Thus what Alaa is doing is bridging the gap between the Egyptians and their own heritage through graffiti.
Graffiti as an art was a tool which ancient Egyptians used to document events and memories. Modern day Egyptians inspired by ancient Egyptian art decorated streets with graffiti fueled with political messages. The archaizing or the appeal of the ancient Glories is not alien to the
Egyptians, throughout their history ancient and modern; Egyptians have dwelt on their glorious past. The artistic movement has also suffered the previous regime for access to art was only for the elite and freedom of artistic expression was not always granted. Mohamed Mahmoud Street and other spots around Tahrir square offers a new window for the Egyptians for both heritage and art with a political agenda in an intermediate period of modern Egyptian history. This renaissance of art reflects what Egypt went through in the First Intermediate Period when access to state art and sculpture of Memphis was not available in Thebes leading artisans to create new styles of art with a lot of creativity and less state limitations; however , we are not anymore in the first intermediate period but in the 21 century AD.
In the settlement the German Archaeological Institute continued its archaeometrical project in the ancient town (see section 2). The Swiss Institute resumed the excavation of a building to the south of Heqaib Sanctuary in the framework of its study of the New Kingdom town of the island (see section 3).
At the site of the temple of Khnum the German Archaeological Institute continued the project on the reconstruction of the New Kingdom temples and sanctuaries of Khnum (see section 4) from re-used blocks found in the foundations of the later temple. Work of the Swiss Institute concentrated on various aspects of this late temple, its precinct and its furnishings (see sections 5).
Apart from this, the documentation and the study of finds played an important part in the work of the last season. Work on the pottery of the Middle and New Kingdom was continued by scientists from the German and Swiss Institute (sections 6–7). Furthermore, glass objects, silex tools and animal remains were studied (see section 8–10).
Conservation and reconstruction work was carried out by the Swiss Institute on blocks of the late temple of Osiris Nesmeti and the building of the same temple as well as on the small obelisks from the balustrade of the Roman river terrace of the temple of Khnum (section 11).
The German Archaeological Institute started and completed a major inventory in the so-called Annex magazines on the island and managed to transfer finds from several seasons to the new magazine near the local inspectorate. Apart from that new storage space for mass finds was built (section 12).
Last but not least a major effort was made by the German Institute in cooperation with the Aswan inspectorate in improving the relationship to the local inhabitants of the island by arranging an archaeology day for the pupils of the villages on Elephantine (section 13).
Handed in to the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt for publication in ASAE.