Celebrating 30 Years of the EES at the British Council

This year the Egypt Exploration Society is celebrating the 30 th anniversary of its Cairo Office in the British Council. Here Essam Nagy and Carl Graves reflect on this milestone, what it has meant for British Egyptology in Egypt, and what the future holds!

A heb-sed like no other

To the ancient Egyptians, a heb-sed was traditionally held to celebrate 30 years of a Pharaoh’s reign, a moment to witness the rejuvenation of strength and stamina, and to make a wish for continued success. The establishment of a permanent Cairo Office for the EES was the base needed to expand the Society’s work, its support for research, and to take a more meaningful approach to relationship building in Egypt itself. Today, on its 30th anniversary, it’s time to rejuvenate that work and look to the future—the Society’s very own heb-sed.

On 18 February 1993, the first EES Cairo Office contract was signed by Dr Anthony Leahy, as Chair of the Egypt Exploration Society, and Howard Thompson, on behalf of the British Council in Egypt. The task of setting up this new office was given to Sylvie Weens, the Assistant Secretary of the EES at the time. The office was set up in the same space it now occupies at the British Council in Agouza on the west bank of the Nile in central Cairo. This was the first time that the Society established a formal, permanent presence in Egypt through which its operations could be coordinated. The role of this new office was: to assist EES research projects in the field, including liaising directly with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA, as it is known today); to organise a programme of lectures; and to arrange visits to EES research projects during their field seasons.

Sylvie Weens sat in the newly opened EES Cairo Office in 1993.

“Among the many fond memories I have of my many years in Doughty Mews, there is one in particular which I will never forget. This is the day I flew to Cairo to open the new EES office.” – Sylvie Weens

Over the past 30 years, Society staff at the Cairo Office have become familiar names and faces to members across the world: Jihan Aguiz, Rawya Ismailel, and Faten Saleh. Since 2013, the role of Fieldwork and Engagement Manager has been held by Essam Nagy. While the role of the Cairo Office has remained similar to when it was founded, today, it takes a much more active role in building international partnerships as well as providing essential education and training for the next generation of scholars in Egypt.

Education and training

In more recent years, the EES Cairo Office has become the centre of an important training programme focusing on various key skills, including archaeological illustration, English language, archive management, museology, and academic publishing. Experts from across Egypt and visiting international specialists have contributed to this programme, engaging early careers scholars from the MoTA, universities and heritage organisations. Many of these workshops have been run in collaboration with partners in Egypt, such as the British Council itself. The Society’s very successful English language training programme offered with support from the British Council has, so far, allowed around 400 scholars to improve their written and spoken English in order to progress in their careers, travel, network, and publish more widely.

The 2018 EES English language training group selected from over 180 applications received!

More recently, in 2022, the Cairo Office facilitated the organisation of the first multiinstitutional Egyptological Archives Skills School, bringing together archivists from the MoTA, American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Egyptian Museum Cairo (EMC), and Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO). Following a week-long programme of workshops and site visits, scholars were asked to write object biographies of EES-discovered artefacts on display in the EMC. The four most successful scholars were later invited to visit London in September 2022 to work on the creation of educational resources based on the Society’s own archives and artefacts on display in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology at UCL.

Fatma Amin presenting during the EES ‘Archives: From creation to curation’ workshop in 2020.

Following a hiatus in in-person training events during the global pandemic, the EES Cairo Office educational programme has been resurrected with a greater emphasis on collaboration, workshopping, and the development of transferable skills. Previous EES scholars (from 2014, 2015, and 2022) are now leading the subjects being taught thanks to the skills they gained from their involvement through the Cairo Office.

Research

The Cairo Office was established primarily to support research projects. This includes liaising directly with partners in Egypt, particularly the MoTA, but also cultural venues to reach their students or to collaborate in holding events.

The biggest event, held biannually, is the EES Delta Survey Conference and Workshop. Seven such events have been held over the years (the eighth to be held in March 2023), often in collaboration with a partnering institution such as: Ain Shams University, Mansoura University, the British Council, and the Ministry itself. Over two days, specialists working in the Delta region come together to share their latest findings and discuss emerging topics. A third day usually includes site visits near to the host institution itself. Since the global pandemic, the Conference and Workshop has migrated to an online or hybrid format attracting even more attendees than ever before and allowing live English-Arabic translation.

Essam Nagy, EES Fieldwork and Engagement Manager, visiting the EES Delta Survey project at Tell Mutibis.

More than 50 researchers have benefited from using the EES Cairo Office as a base for their work when taking up EES Centenary Awards since they were initiated in 1982. This has included the processing of paperwork as well as the hosting of professional meetings and public events, or the loaning of archaeological equipment. The new EESAffiliate Programme allows current EES concession-holders as well as other Egypt- or UK-based projects to benefit from these same services.

The expanding EES research network in Egypt was most clearly visible in 2022 during the Heritage at Risk Grants. Six grants were distributed to local initiatives working to protect tangible and intangible heritage perceived to be in threat. The EES Cairo Office directly distributed these grants and supported Dr Fatma Keshk (EES Grant Administrator, 2021-22) in the organisation of Heritage Everywhere, a photographic exhibition showcasing the projects, held at Bayt el-Sinnari by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Engagement

Prior to the global pandemic, regular lectures held at the British Council invited interested audiences to meet experts in the field and to hear about the latest research. With the increasing use of online platforms, audiences have been apprehensive to return. However, a new programme of lectures will be launched in 2023 to resurrect this aspect of the Cairo Office operations, which provides an important place for experts, students, and others interested to network.

Dr Ramadan B. Hussein† giving an EES lecture at the British Council called, ‘Of Masks and Mummies: The Saqqara Saite Tombs Project’ in 2019.

Site visits have proven difficult since 2011, but it is hoped that these can be restarted when there is sustainable demand from members in or visiting Egypt. Day trips to visit sites around Cairo, into the Delta, or Upper Egypt will be possible with logistical arrangements provided by the Fieldwork and Engagement Manager.

The future

The Society’s Cairo Office works increasingly closely with colleagues based in London to organise and deliver a complimentary programme of education and training as well as engagement. It also helps to provide communications in Arabic, including the abstracts available in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology since its centenary edition in 2014.

The EES recognises that partnership and collaboration are key to its future success, both in London and Cairo. To this end, the Cairo Office works closely with partner organisations across Egypt to deliver essential training and form synergies between experts and research projects. This now includes a selection of local initiatives whose versatility and strong connection to local communities allow a more people-centric approach to the work supported by the Egypt Exploration Society.

“The role of the EES Cairo office has developed and evolved these past few years. It now plays a important educational role and holds a variety of regular training workshops at the British Council. Earlier this year, the EES supported several heritage at risk projects in different parts of Egypt, showing its strong desire to preserve modern Egyptian heritage and culture. I am extremely pleased to see the Society getting involved in new fields and expanding its scope.” – Sylvie Weens

Financial sustainability remains a concern in Cairo as income generation cannot match the London Office. However, the beneficiaries reached directly through the interventions of the Cairo Office demonstrate the important role that it plays in supporting the future of Egyptian cultural heritage.

Here’s to the next heb-sed!