Osama Ibrahim

The Fayoum destination in Egypt entertains natural heritage as rich as its cultural heritage. Apparently, the increasing tourist demand on the natural heritage sites worldwide is causing a devastating impact on the environment. This case study aims to evaluate the official awareness of tourism carrying capacity (TCC) concept among the destination management stakeholders who are planning and directing the Valley of Whales as a natural heritage site in Fayoum. The site suffers from the lack of conservation and the absence of awareness in the site management. A critical review of literature on the concept of carrying capacity and its dimensions has been analyzed to attain specific criteria. More than 28 semi-structured interviews with the official employees who are in charge for managing the Valley of Whales and a direct observation check list collected rich data for qualitative analysis. The paper concludes that the absence of TCC dimensions between the planners and employees of natur...

The current research emerges from the fact that the topography, history, and archaeology of the Great Fayoum Depression have been controlled over time by its hydrology. it aims to figure out the archaeological and/or the philological evidences that confirm whether water entry to the depression during the dynastic period of the Egyptian history was artificial. Qualitative approach was used in this paper to investigate the research question and documentation was used as a method to collect and analyze secondary data. Results proposed some evidences which confirm that the entry of water to the Fayoum was never artificial before the beginning of the 12 Dynasty.

1. Abstract Literature has exposed a huge amount of information about battles and wars in ancient Egypt especially those which date back to the New Kingdom. However, these writings tend to study either certain battles such as Kadesh, Megiddo, etc. - or specific king’s battles - such as Ramesses II’s, Thuthmosis III’s battles. None of them tends to compare between the representation of battle scenes in different battles and different kings. This paper aims to investigate the representation of pre-battle scenes during the New Kingdom in ancient Egyptian temples. It compares between these representations following specific comparison criteria. The research adopted the historical approach as a methodology. It depended on analyzing New Kingdom pre-battle scenes to figure out mutual implications using data collection form. Through battle’s ‘picture analysis’, new issues about pre-battle scenes emerged. it can be concluded that pre-battle scenes consist of five stages including: I) the kin...

The Vision 2030 agenda was recently adopted as a roadmap and methodology for developmental and economic action throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Vision 2030 includes support for universities' academic and administrative operations through the collection, rigorous analysis, and reporting of a wide range of data. Prefaced with an overview of the Saudi economic, policy, and educational landscape, the paper's main contribution is a case study of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), chosen because of its recent attempt to institutionalize academic assessment protocols, procedures and culture. It institutionalized a directorate focused on academic assessment, launched a Decision Support Unit dashboard, and developed key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess students' academic performance, course performance and employability. The IAU has since become a regional leader in higher education assessment. Emulating their approach affords other Saudi higher education institutions the opportunity to increase Saudi graduates' ability to directly contribute to the country's economy, ultimately promoting economic growth, diversification, and development as envisioned in Vision 2030.

Textile decorations spread all over Egypt during the New Kingdom not only due to the prosperity of the country's economy but also the expansion of the Egyptian Empire and the influence on textile decorations by foreign weavers. mainly Syrian, on Egyptian clothes is powerful. The present study aims to investigate the fabric's decoration and the Egyptological analysis of three textile pieces preserved in the 'Egyptian Textile Museum' in Cairo that carry religious Neither surveying nor comparing the decoration techniques of the New Kingdom has been done by author. This paper aims to compare the textile decoration techniques occurred in ancient Egyptian New Kingdom depending on the decorated pieces in the newly inaugurated "Azhar Textile Museum Significance. The paper studies the morphological appearance of the pieces through visual examination of fibers by light microscopic to reveal what decoration techniques were used. Then it analyzes the religious significance of the decorations through analyzing scenes and texts they form. Eventually, technical setting about the techniques of the fabric decoration is delivered, bringing into argumentation the religious role of these pieces revealed from their decorations. The paper concluded that three different decoration techniques occurred in New Kingdom clothes encompassing Weft looping, Tapestry Weave, and coloring. It investigated reasons behind the spread of these specific techniques. Coloring techniques of the three studied pieces are also analyzed. Moreover, major similarities and differences among decoration and coloring techniques have been resulted.

The Great Fayoum Depression is basically below sea level and slopes normally northward. It is bounded by scarps and plateaus in most parts and thus is a basin of internal drainage. Hydrology of this depression encompasses studying the resources, movement, distribution and management of its water. Both topography and history of the Fayoum was formed by its hydrology.

This paper investigates one of the plastered and polychromed wooden Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statuettes of a lady called 6A-Irj.t, the daughter of a priest of Amen-Re called Amenhotep. The provenance is unknown to us; however, the mummiform figure must have belonged to a rich tomb of a large cemetery and to a wealthy character based on the rich colors, decorations, and inscriptions. Based on Raven Typology (1978-1979), the statuette fits in type III: "Ptah-Sokar-Osiris with green face" as evident from its features. These features include: a green face with black and white details in the eyes, the ornamented tripartite hair wig with strips colored in blue, the anDty headdress, the existence of a back pillar, the long base with a deep rectangular cavity before the statuette possibly once filled by a figure of falcon that depicts god Sokar. The green color of the face represents an obvious identification with Osiris, "the Great Green", to indicate resurrection. The affiliation of the figure to the Type III in Raven topography addresses its dating to the 26th dynasty. Also, the occurrence of anDty crown is a major feature of the 26th Dynasty Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statuettes. The back pillar was also a fixed component of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statuettes during the 26th Dynasty as Schneider (1977) emphasized. Moreover, the base cavity was also a typical feature of the 26th Dynasty statuettes of this type. Texts also reflect the same conclusion; the owner name 6A-Irj.t was popular among women during the Late period, the use of (T) instead of (t) in the owner's name occurred in the Late Period variations of the name as addressed by Ranke (1935), the use of the Late Period compound proposition m-bAH, and the omitting of the feminine analytical endings was a feature of the Late Egyptian script. Jewelry contributed to guarantee the protection of the deceased in the hereafter. The broad collar wsx protects the neck and throat of the deceased who is identified with Osiris in his 'joining the earth' day as echoed in chapter 158 of the Book of the Dead. The texts and iconography probably denote an abstract version of chapter 151 of the Book of the Dead which reveals the burial and embalming of the deceased and cope with the purpose of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statuettes. This means that the statuette is functioning as a little coffin where this chapter used to be inscribed as Gabolde (1990) explained. Thus, the purpose of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris was to facilitate the transition from death to the hereafter and to imitate the resurrection of Osiris as Schneider (1977) highlighted. Gods and goddesses displayed in iconography and/or mentioned in texts cooperated to assure the full protection of the deceased. the winged scarab Khepri on the feet carries the Sn sign by its legs preserves the deceased's corpse from decay and; therefore, exist forever. Also, Khepri rescues the deceased from the enemies in the hereafter and helps the deceased to build herself, i.e. resurrect every day. Eventually, Khepri forms a part of a composition including: the deceased as Osiris, flanked by the names of Isis and Nephthys as displayed in chapter 110 of the Book of the Dead. Beside the two protector goddesses of the deceased Osiris Isis and Nephthys, the figures of four sons of Horus preserve the mummified internal organs of the deceased. Imesty, Dwamutef, Hapy, and Qebehsenuef protect the liver, the stomach, the lungs, and the intestines respectively.

On Tuesday 24 April 2012, the chief inspector of Beni Suef governorate Amal Farag and the inspector Shimaa Galal rescued two anthropoid coffins (for a male and a female) in Abu Shelb – south west of Abusir el-Malaq at the same moment robbers were preparing to transfer them outside the tomb. Fortunately, thieves left the coffins and run away once they heard the inspector's car approaches and stops nearby the tomb. This tomb is situated atop an archaeological Tell three meters high. The male coffin was covered with blankets by thieves. At the moment of rescuing the coffins, the inspectors could not determine whether this tomb was the original location or the thieves transferred them to this tomb as a collection point before taking them away. Moreover, they are not sure – even though this tomb was the original location – in which part of the tomb these coffins were located as they were discovered in the center of the open court at the tomb entrance. This raises an issue in terms of their archaeological context.
The tomb is accessible through a vertical shaft in its eastern side, almost 1.5m deep, and ends with a staircase that leads to an open corridor (2m×1.10m). At the end of this corridor, the tomb entrance measures almost 1.30m×0.70m. It terminates into a main east-west rectangular chamber surrounded by six niches to house mummies (loculi), two at the northern, southern, and western sides. Two niches are at the top of the northern wall and one at the top of the western wall (Average 0.80m long×0.20m wide×0.30m deep).
The two anthropoid coffins under investigation of unknown male and female have been separated from their archaeological context by tomb robbers and coincidently rescued. The two coffins were restored and once preserved in Beni Suef Museum under the numbers 2612 and 2613 for male and female coffins respectively. Until recently in 2017, they were moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum under the numbers 65490 and 65489 respectively.
The texts are inscribed in vertical columns and occupy the central part of the two coffins. They are inscribed on yellow grounds and flanked with simple motives. Either coffins lost parts of their hieroglyphic texts but still in a reasonable state of preservation with vivid colors. The Coffins shroud mummies; the male one is wholly preserved while the female one is heavily decayed.

Egypt is endowed with a natural heritage as rich as its cultural heritage. The country's future is dependent on the wise and sustainable use of its natural resources. Ecotourism is in the core of the tourism development strategy in Egypt and there is considerable effort to promote such type of tourism. Ecotourism is one of the most rapidly expanding forms of tourism, with an estimated growth rate of one of the largest industries in the world. Siwa Oasis is foreseen to be one of the major destination for ecotourism not only in Egypt but also worldwide and it is the most mysterious of all of Egypt's Oases; its history has been formed by many civilizations. Despite the Siwa Oasis destination contains much potentials for ecotourism, the major natural Siwa protected area and also its very rich in cultural and natural assets which could create various amazing activities for ecotourists, ecotourism programmes were designed by tour operators are minimal and it does not occupy a significant position on the touristic map of Egypt. This paper is an attempt to highlights and identifies the major potentials in Siwa Oasis as well as figures out the opportunities and hurdles that preclude its development. The paper uses descriptive and analytical methodology and it embraces a mixed strategy that is needed to investigate different components of the study. And also it analyzes the factors that lead to the declining of the tourism industry in the oasis and proposes a vision for developing the oasis to be one of the major destinations of ecotourism in Egypt as well as worldwide.

In today's extremely competitive global tourism market environment, it is crucial to differentiate tourism destinations to encourage and inform potential visitors. In terms of Alexandria's competitive position, this chapter aims to investigate Alexandria's branding initiatives and reveal official internal stakeholders' (OIS's) perceptions. The study applies collage technique to explore stakeholder perceptions and develop 'Brand Alexandria' accordingly. The findings show that different OIS's perceptions reveal different identities in relation to 'Brand Alexandria'. The chapter presents the perception of OISs in Alexandria as posters which are integrated into a single composite poster.

A variety of names were allocated to the Fayoum region through ancient Egyptian history. These names bore profound significances mostly connected with Qarun Lake existance. The name 'Fayoum' itself, which is derived from the ancient Egyptian word 'PA-ym' meaning 'the Lake', is a clear example. This paper aims to investigate the names of the Fayoum region during the Pharaonic Period in terms of their etymologies, determinatives' significances, and historical extension of each name. The research also finds out whether there is any link between these names and Qarun Lake. This paper develops an inventory of the Pharaonic names of Fayoum region known from monuments and texts. It studies the texts in which these names occured, their historical extension, their determinatives and finally discusses the resulted outcomes. The emerged inventory of the Fayoum region names included seven

Brief Phrase: This paper evaluates the official awareness of tourism carrying capacity (TCC) concept among the destination management stakeholders who are planning and directing the Valley of Whales as a natural heritage site in the Fayoum Destination in Egypt.

Literature has revealed a reasonable amount of information about Fayoum region history and archaeology in the Middle Kingdom and in the Greco-Roman period. That is logic due to the existence of a big number of archaeological sites belong to these periods. Old Kingdom history and archaeology of Fayoum; however, has faced a severe abandonment because there are few archaeological sites in the Fayoum belong to the Old Kingdom. This paper aims to shed the light on how does the Fayoum during the Old Kingdom look like, whether there was an introduction to the mega-development happened in the Middle Kingdom during the Old Kingdom, and to investigate the religious role of the Fayoum in the ancient Egyptian dogma during the Old Kingdom. Content analysis, a qualitative analysis method, of the available documentation about the Fayoum Region during the Old Kingdom was used to obtain and analyze data. Results revealed that Pyramid Texts show a great importance of the Fayoum in the Old Kingdom which is also clear in mythologies and legends. Furthermore, Fayoum was exploited in the Old Kingdom mainly for its abundance of fish and animals for fishing and hunting, for mining from basalt mines in the north of Qarun Lake. However, some of Old Kingdom archaeological sites still exist such as Sila Pyramid. Moreover, fluctuation of water level has a great economic reflection on the Fayoum through its history. During Old Kingdom water level was between 15-20 m above sea level and therefore covers most of the depression, which facilitates the existence of marshes to fish and hunt from one side and from the other side facilitated the transportation of basalt blocks because there was still connection to the River Nile by means of Lahun gap. In a word, it is concluded that the Fayoum history and archaeology during the Old Kingdom needs an appropriate plan for excavation, preservation, and scientific research.

Heritage sites are now acknowledged as important parts of the tourism product at destination. Apart from satisfying tourists' desires; they can also serve in increasing awareness, understanding, and appreciation of communities' identities and provide economic benefits; as they improve the quality of life in local communities. The purpose of this study is to assess local community satisfaction with the world heritage listing of Wadi Al Hitan (WAH) in Fayoum, Egypt. Four hypotheses were proposed for assessing local community perception, involvement, attitude and their overall satisfaction with the world heritage listing of WAH. The study indicated that Fayoum's local community is not necessarily homogeneous in terms of their perceptions, involvement and attitude towards WAH and neither are they equally satisfied with the world heritage listing of WAH. In addition, education and length of residence were the strongest predictors amongst all socio-demographics that influence local community overall satisfaction with the world heritage listing of WAH.