Interior of the mausoleum of el-Ashraf Khalil.
Over 2021, the Egypt Exploration Society supported six projects focusing on heritage that was demonstrably at risk from loss, damage, or encroachment. Here, Carl Graves and Fatma Keshk reflect on the EES Heritage at Risk Grants with help from the project directors.
Both tangible and intangible heritage can take many forms, but also face many risks. The global health crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 exacerbated some of the threats faced by cultural heritage, including the reduction of economic income from tourism, leading to reduced security at sites and, more widely, of course, the loss of lives and livelihoods. The pandemic clarified that heritage is about people and bringing them together, and when people face hardship, so too does
heritage.
In recognising these threats to Egyptian cultural heritage, the Egypt Exploration Society raised much-needed funds in 2020 to launch a new grant programme focusing solely on Heritage at Risk. Funds and infrastructural support were made available to Egyptian-led projects with applications accepted in English or, for the first time, Arabic. Thanks to a substantial donation, contributed by the Scottish Egyptian Archaeology Trust in memory of the late Ian Mathieson, the Society was able
Photo: Moaz Lafito appoint a Grant Administrator, Dr Fatma Keshk. She managed the grants and, crucially, worked alongside prospective applicants to ensure that the funds were made available to the most deserving projects in the quickest possible way.
In total, almost 40 projects were contacted and six of those were successful in receiving grants in 2021-22. Due to a lack of funds, the Society is unable to continue the Heritage at Risk Grants beyond 2022. Still, we hope that this short overview of the supported projects demonstrates the impact and opportunities available by supporting local, community-led initiatives in Egypt.
In a country with such a rich heritage, it is inevitable that some monuments fall into disrepair and are in urgent need of conservation. El-Ashraf Khalil was the eighth Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, reigning from 1290 ce until his assassination in 1293 ce when he was interred in a domed mausoleum in the Khalifa area of modern Cairo. The mausoleum was constructed in 687 ah / 1288 ce and originally formed part of a larger complex, including a madrasa (religious school). Despite its deterioration, the dome remains intact and currently stands above rising sewage water threatening its foundations. The funds made available allowed Moaaz the opportunity to document the structure and decoration of the complex and to present an architectural study online. The monument’s interior could only be accessed via ladders through an open window high in the south wall of the mausoleum. You can see Moaaz recording the interior decoration of the mausoleum of elAshraf Khalil through an open window on the cover of this magazine. He has been assisted by artists, such as Mariam Yahia, in reconstructing the elaborate decorative programme of the monument and in reconstructing its original plan and appearance. The EES has offered further infrastructural support and guidance in completing funding applications and collaborative frameworks, particularly in Moaaz’s new partnership with Megawra.
Endangered traditional crafts of Upper Egypt Usama Fatthalla Ghazali, Konouz Yadaweya
Information about the transmission of skills and knowledge of craft processes in Upper Egypt is sadly lacking. Intangible information about techniques that were once passed down generations of families and apprentices is now being lost at an ever-increasing rate as younger generations move into urban areas, new jobs, and new markets. The global health crisis has increased this rate as economic hardship has
Photo: Usama GhazaliGeometric reconstruction of the window decoration in the mausoleum of elAshraf Khalil by Mariam Yehia.
In Esna, historically an important trading route between Egypt and Sudan, the technique of Habara weaving was almost lost. Habara is traditionally used to create clothing for Upper Egyptian women and so, to revive the craft, girls in the city have been trained to offer an economic lifeline for both them and the craft.
Left: A Cairo tram passing the Our Lady of Heliopolis CoCathedral. Anonymous photographer, image courtesy of We Are Railfans.
hit rural communities in Egypt. Usama’s project sought to interview the few remaining practitioners of some of Egypt’s oldest crafts, including basketry, metalworking, woodworking, and ceramics. He then used this information to assess crafts against a risk rating before reporting on this new data in ‘The South Egypt Red List of Endangered Crafts 2022’. By preserving these crafts and the stories of those that practise them, future generations will know more about their own identity and history—some may even go on to continue these crafts. Usama has mapped these traditional crafts and considered their economic viability in an increasingly commercialised economy. His report offers hope to these traditions and inspires further work in those crafts identified as particularly at risk.
Salam Tram: Archiving Cairo’s Lost Tracks
Mina Ibrahim, SARD for History and Social Research (Shubra’s Archive)
people’s memories by collecting relevant archives and conducting oral history interviews. It takes on social interactions and gestures, with and within their surroundings, as significant aspects that tie five branches together: spaces, instances and events, relations, meaning and perceptions, and technology. While researching and collecting the data, Mina’s team do not approach each as a stand-alone branch but as interdependent aspects constantly functioning together and affecting each other, forming a fluidly complex web in the process. The funding from the EES has also made it possible to create a new archive for these lost tramways, which will be retained at Shubra’s Archive for the benefit of researchers and the local community.
The architectural irrigation complex of alKhatatba documentation project
Sandra Zaki Shenouda, Amr Lotfy Aboasy, and Gamal Fathy
Right: A panoramic view showing the pumping station (waburat), the adjacent warehouse, and the isolated chimney remaining on the el-Khatatba canal. © Abd Almotalib.
Shubra’s Archive was officially established in 2021 with the aim of building grassroots, accessible, open-ended, participatory archives in the neighbourhood of Shubra in northern Cairo (also known as Shubra Misr). Salam Tram is the inaugural project of Shubra’s Archive. It seeks to connect Shubra, and its historic role, to the wider Greater Cairo urban area through a study of complex transport networks around the metropolis. Over the span of one hundred and twenty years (1896-2019), Cairo’s tramlines evolved from a mere machine to a space of both social and physical mobility and exchange, and from a foreign space to a space where people from different pockets of society could express themselves. The project addresses the tramway and its historical presence in
During the 19 th Century ce , Egypt saw a dramatic increase in industrial production facilitated by the state irrigation projects initiated by Mohamed Ali Pasha, the ruler of Egypt. These irrigation projects drained vast areas of marshland and permitted the extension of agricultural production as well as the establishment of new industries in the Nile Delta and along the Nile Valley. Now, with modern water pumps, much of the original industrial heritage has been lost, and sites, such as the one shown below on the Khatatba canal, are falling into obscurity and will soon be lost entirely. Constructed in 1880 during the reign of Khedive Tawfiq Pasha, this complex includes a Nilometer, warehouse building, pumping station (waburat) and chimney, and ensured
that the el-Khatatba canal remained seasonally navigable. The pumps themselves were designed by British engineers, Easton and Anderson as part of Egypt’s efforts to expand its industrial production. These were dismantled in 1907 and relocated elsewhere in the Delta. Since this period, the station has fallen into disuse and disrepair. This project will now clear, survey, and record these structures before engaging with the local community to promote the preservation, redevelopment, and reuse of these buildings as landmarks within their locality. Additionally, Sandra’s team will trace the development of irrigation projects in the Nile Delta during the reign of Mohamed Ali and its impact on Egypt’s economic growth during this period.
The Fish Markets of Alexandria: El-Halaqa and El-Medan
Rawda Mostafa Abdelhady, Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage
The city of Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest urban metropolis and founded in 331 bce by Alexander the Great himself, has been the centre of Egypt’s fishing trade for millennia. The rich harvests from the eastern Mediterranean come into the port each morning before being distributed around the country. Rawda’s team at the Raquda Foundation for Art and Heritage aims to document the architecture of the fish markets. In addition to tracing the exchange networks existing between the fish market (El-Halaqa) in the Anfoushi district, built in the 19th Century ce , and the adjacent Souk El-Medan in El-Manshya district, built in the 16th Century ce. During the invasion of Egypt by Britain in 1882, the fish market was used as a barracks
for British soldiers before being renovated for use as a fish market once again. Plans are under consideration to invest in Alexandria’s economy that could see this building, and the associated trade networks and livelihoods, removed and relocated. Through Raquda, the local community can preserve the stories of their heritage as well as the memories of these buildings and their traditions.
Roman baths and water management in Hermopolis Magna
Hesham abdel Qader, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The Middle Egyptian city of Hermopolis Magna, modern el-Ashmunein, was an important cult centre dedicated to the god Thoth including temples and catacombs. During the Roman Period (c. 30 bce –395 ce), the city expanded to become a major regional centre with a complex water management system, bringing fresh water to the city as well as irrigating the surrounding fields. Previous excavations had highlighted eight ‘baths’ in the city, but recent surveys indicated that only four of these remained. Encroachment of agricultural land and the rising water table has caused significant damage to the archaeology of el-Ashmunein, and the structures remaining are threatened with further deterioration. The funds made available by the EES allowed the excavation and surveying of the remaining structures. Results have demonstrated that only one of these is certain to have performed a bathing role. The other structures initially indicate industrial use or storage, with at least one being a water tower with thick walls and deep foundations. The team were able to record these structures using photography,
Left: A busy morning of buying and selling at the Anfoushi fish market at 6am, a tradition practised since the 18 th Century ce and taking place inside this building since its construction in the mid-19 th Century ce
Right: The excavation of ‘Bath Bittel 5’ during March 2022. This was the only remaining structure confidently identifiable as a bathhouse of the Roman Period.
El Warsha performing at the ‘Heritage Everywhere’ launch event on 10 March 2022.
photogrammetry, and architectural plans and will publish the results of this work in the spring 2023 issue of this magazine.
On Thursday 10 March 2022, five of the above projects were showcased at a special exhibition called ‘Heritage Everywhere’ at the Beit El Sinnary in a beautifully restored building in the Sayeda Zainab district of historic Cairo. The event was kindly hosted by Dr Haytham Moheeb of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and we are very grateful for his support. Ziad Morsy was additionally invited to present his pioneering photographic exhibition exploring the lost history of Al-Qabari Station in Alexandria, the first train station in Egypt, which was recently demolished following Ziad’s photographic recording of the remaining buildings.
The Society was honoured to also hear from Mrs Elizabeth White (Director, British Council, Egypt), who spoke of the long relationship between the UK and Egypt and the support that the EES has offered to Egyptian heritage since its founding in 1882. In particular, she spoke of recent efforts to expand funding and support to Egyptian projects, reflected in the Heritage Everywhere event. Professor Osama Talaat spoke on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities about the support offered to Egypt’s next generation of scholars and the instrumental role that the EES plays in this exchange of skills and knowledge.
The presentations and exhibition ended with a live performance by El Warsha, a performing arts group taking inspiration from Egyptian heritage under the direction of the incredible Hassan El-Geretly. The event attracted more than 100 visitors in its first evening, and the exhibition continued for a week following the launch. Reports of ‘Heritage Everywhere’ appeared in both national and international news outlets, including Al Ahram and Bab Msr.
The funding model used during the Heritage at Risk Grants in 2021-22 has inspired new ways of working at the EES. Making the funds available quickly in Egypt helped empower local projects to explore, document, and preserve their own heritage in innovative and culturally appropriate ways and by working with their communities. Offering support through the grant application process also helped to build further skills as well as set realistic and achievable goals. We look forward to implementing the lessons learned into our regular grant programmes.
The Egypt Exploration Society would like to extend their gratitude to all those that donated to the Heritage at Risk Grants in 2020, without whom this work would not have been possible. Their support and encouragement mean that these projects have been able to survey and record tangible and intangible heritage in Egypt before it is lost forever. Thank you.
All figures courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society, unless otherwise stated.
EES Collections Manager Stephanie Boonstra highlights a number of outstanding items in the Society’s collections that are in urgent need of conservation care. These include a portrait of EES founder Amelia B. Edwards, an Egyptian revival chair (the ‘President’s Chair’), and the largest known Howard Carter watercolour.
In our 140 th year, it is more important than ever for the EES to protect our irreplaceable collections. These collections preserve a lasting record of British and Egyptian contributions to heritage since our founding in 1882 and constitute one of the most important, publicly accessible collections in the UK today. Therefore, in 2022, we need to raise at least £20,000 for essential conservation in our collections.
One such item in dire need of conservation is an oil painting portrait of EES founder Amelia B. Edwards (1831–1892), which is currently hanging in the EES London office. This portrait was painted by Florence Blakiston
The Society’s cherished oil painting of the EES founder Amelia Edwards requires specialist care and attention to the damaged gilt frame and delicate surface of the portrait.
Attwood-Matthews (1842–1923), a British artist who was fascinated with Egypt and its cultural heritage. The painting was donated to the Society in 1966 from the estate of Amelia’s late secretary, Emily Paterson (1861–1947). This painting, likely created and framed in the late 1800s, has suffered neglect over the years. The painting
has a ‘bloom’, a grey haze which has formed on the surface of the paint, caused by moisture entering the canvas from the reverse. Modern framing would include sealing the reverse of the painting, protecting the canvas from fluctuations in humidity. Museum-quality glazing would not only protect the picture with UVfiltering but also would be low-reflective, allowing the picture to be more easily seen. Gentle cleaning to remove the bloom would
reinstate the artist’s intended bright colours and three dimensions in the composition.
If we are able to raise the funds, we will be able to hire skilled conservators to gently clean the surface of the portrait, restoring its original vibrance. They would also repair the gilded frame, installing new, low-reflective glass that will provide the portrait with protection from harmful UV rays, as well as moisture.
In 1950, the EES was gifted a unique Egyptian revival chair from George D. Hornblower (1864–1951) shortly before his death. Hornblower was an archaeologist and civil servant who published numerous articles in the Society’s Journal of Egyptian Archaeology and was enthusiastic about Egyptian cultural heritage. This chair is believed to have been made by the skilled carpenter, Italian-Egyptian Giuseppe Parvis (1831–1909) in his Attaba Square store in Cairo sometime shortly after 1905. The chair is a near exact replica, though larger in size and using different materials, of a small ebony and gilt throne of the Princess Sitamun, which was discovered in 1905 in the Valley of the Kings Tomb (KV 46) of Yuya and Thuya (the parents of Queen Tiye and thus great-grandparents of Tutankhamun).
In the archive, this chair is known as the ‘President’s Chair’ and was donated to the Society shortly before Sir Alan Gardiner (1879–1963) was the Chairman. This chair may have been sat on by notable EES Chairmen over the years, including Gardiner, as well as Sir Eric Gardner Turner (1911–1983), a papyrologist and classicist who worked as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park, and T. G. H. James (1923–2009), an Egyptologist who worked on the 1970s ‘Treasures of Tutankhamun’ exhibition at the British Museum.
Unfortunately, over the decades, parts of the delicate open-work wood carvings have broken off (see middle right), and the woven leather seat has broken through due to overuse (see top photo). Thus, the chair needs careful restoration work by trained restorers and leatherworkers.
If funds permit, then we would extend our conservation efforts this year to other items within the collections that need attention. This would include our collection of Amarna plastercast replicas dating to the Society’s 1930s excavations in the city of Amarna. These replicas depict items excavated by the EES team that were retained in the Egyptian
The Society’s ‘President’s Chair’ is a near identical scaledup replica of a chair made for the Princess Sitamun that was discovered in the tomb of her grandparents, Yuya and Thuya. After the tomb’s discovery in 1905, replicas of the furniture found within were replicated by Egyptian and European craftspeople to sell to wealthy patrons.
This ‘Egyptian revival’ chair has unfortunately suffered damage from use including a broken leather seat and missing carved details—note here the missing upper right leg of the ibex.
The ebony and gilt chair for Princess Sitamun (JE 95343A) is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo but was painted by Howard Carter for the excavation report, (Davis, T.M. 1907. The Tomb of Iouiya and Touiyou. London: pl. XXXV).
Amarna excavation director John Pendlebury adjusts the Society’s plaster replica of a bust of Nefertiti at a London EES exhibition. The original bust resides in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and was discovered in January 1933 (EES.PORT. PEND).
The Society’s 90 year old plaster Amarna replicas were made by the museum in Cairo and were especially important in EES exhibitions after the changing of Egyptian antiquities laws in 1922. This replica bust is stained and chipped and the base is damaged.
This nearly 3 metre long papyrus (P.Oxy. LV 3804-3805) is in desperate need of conservation and reframing into suitable panes of glass.
Museum in Cairo (EMC) after the division. The plaster-casts were made in the Museum’s replica department and were prominently displayed in EES exhibitions in London, highlighting the outstanding discoveries of the season. The Society’s replica Nefertiti bust is a facsimile of a quartzite, unfinished bust of the queen, which was discovered in 1933 in the ruins of a sculptor’s workshop. Although the original has pride of place in the Amarna gallery of the EMC, the EES replica has been cherished by the excavation director John D.S. Pendlebury (1904–1941), his team, and subsequent EES staff for the past 90 years. However, it and the rest of the Society’s replicas are in desperate need of gentle specialist cleaning and sympathetic repair work to the faded and chipped paint.
If enough donations are received, we could also conserve and rehouse the largest papyrus in the Society’s collection. This double-side papyrus (P.Oxy. LV 3804–3805) was discovered tightly rolled during the EES Graeco-Roman Branch’s excavations at el-Bahnasa, ancient Oxyrhynchus. When unrolled, it was found that the papyrus measures a staggering 2.9 m in length, making it the largest and most complete specimen of its kind. The document dates to the 6th Century ce and the lengthy text discusses the estates of the Apion family, part of the ruling elite of the Byzantine Empire. This papyrus is in great need of careful conservation and rehousing from its plexiglass enclosure into a suitable glass frame. This will preserve it for prosperity and provide it protection from the harmful effects of light.
All of these items are physical markers of the history of the Society, the characters that have been involved, and its contributions to Egyptian cultural heritage; they all require careful, specialist attention in order to preserve them for future generations.
Scan the QR code below to learn more and donate to this appeal (until 31st December 2022) or visit www.ees.ac.uk to support the EES.
Follow and share this appeal on social media using #ConserveTheEES
Thanks to the generous donations that we’ve already received in this appeal, we have been able to start the conservation work on the largest original Howard Carter (1874–1939) watercolour in our collection. This painting is a 1:1 scale, colour facsimile of a scene from the Chapel of Thutmose I in Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, where Carter worked for the Society from 1894–1899. The scene depicts the pharaoh Thutmose I and his mother, Queen Senseneb. Very little is known about this queen, and this scene represents one of the few known depictions of her.
Due to the large size of the scene, Carter had to use multiple pieces of paper held together to complete the painting (seen below). These pieces of paper were then adhered to an acidic canvas mounting board upon which they remained for over 100 years (seen below left). The painting needed urgent care and conservation and thus we took action as soon as donations allowed. Thanks to those generous funds, the conservators were able to remove the delicate painting from the harmful and degrading fabric mount, clean the painting, remount it on conservation-grade material, and re-frame it using glass that blocks harmful UV rays, in order to preserve this important historical piece for prosperity.
With your help in this appeal, we can care for the Amelia Edwards portrait, the President’s Chair, and more in the same way we’ve been able to conserve and preserve the Carter watercolour. Thank you for your help!
This exceptionally large original Howard Carter watercolour needed skilled conservation work to remove the highly deteriorated canvas backing and fix the damage from years of being mounted on an acidic wooden board, see page 2 for the watercolour in its original frame prior to conservation (EES.ART.224; photo courtesy of Amelia Rampton, Simon Gillespie Studio).
These photos taken during Amelia Rampton’s conservation work highlight the degraded and acidic mount (now removed) and show how Howard Carter pieced together 6 individual sheets of paper to create the large painting—he even signed the backs of many of the pieces! (Photos courtesy of Amelia Rampton, Simon Gillespie Studio).
