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 Table of Contents
Editorial The reshaping of the heritage landscape Research and cultural policies The urban fabric Current Debate: Law, History and restitution policies, Zahi Hawass & Alissandra Cummins
Editorial by Isabelle Vinson This issue of MUSEUM international has a regional theme that offers a journey through Egypt’s heritage landscape, such as it has been appearing over the last ten years. Since the 1992 earthquake in Cairo, we have been witnessing the exponential growth of projects that seek to preserve and enhance the historical diversity of Egypt’s heritage, from the remains of the Pharaonic and Islamic periods to today’s intangible heritage, as well as its modes of exposure and mediation, from the museums of civilisation to high-tech documentation centres. What we wish to underline above all – and this comes through clearly in this relatively comprehensive panorama – is the pre-eminently Egyptian nature of the information made available to us here. The authors of this issue are all Egyptian experts, practitioners and high-level cultural officers, bar two notable exceptions, a French archaeologist established in Egypt since thirty years and a staff member of UNESCO. This fact summarises the full intellectual intent of this issue, which opens with a contribution by Dr Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council for Egyptian Antiquities. The fact that the Egyptian heritage landscape is presented by Egyptian authors is doubly meaningful. First of all, it represents an investigation into qualities of knowledge that are different to those deriving from a long tradition, in particular archaeological, related to the colonial past and to the capitalisation of that period. The scheduled transfer of the collections from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir square (founded by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette), presented here by its director general, Dr Wafaa El-Saddik, and the opening of a Grand Museum of Egypt at the foot of the great pyramids of Gizah, whose object is summarised by its general coordinator, Dr Yassir Mansour, symbolically underscore the break with the past conditions for the production of knowledge. Rethinking the organisation of the art and history collections of ancient Egypt shows a clear determination to establish a diachronic vision of Egyptian civilisation, encompassing both its Pharaonic past and its Arab present. The political significance of this reappropriation of the production of knowledge constructed around objects, is thus backed up, in this specific instance, by a promise to open up new vistas on the consistency and enhancement of a past that is being restored in the continuity of its local expression. This option indicates an obvious inflexion in the way the country’s heritage is managed at the national level, in tune with the orientations adopted at the international level for an integrated approach of categories ( between culture and nature on the one hand and tangible and intangible on the other hand), as well as for the restitution of meaningful links between past and present. The initiative taken by the Documentation Centre for Cultural and Natural Heritage (Cultnat), presented by its founder, Fathi Saleh, and its deputy director, Hala Barakat, testifies to the institutional rooting of this option. The experience drawn from the Egyptian field also makes it possible to reassess the modalities of international cooperation on the issue of heritage preservation and restoration practices. This reassessment was marked by two elements: the taking into account of the lessons learned from the international campaign to preserve the Nubian Monuments and the conditions in which it unfolded on the one hand, and the construction of the Museum of Egyptian Civilisation on the other hand. The Nubian Campaign, which at the time represented a human and technological tour de force, no longer carries a particular significance for the international community. Numerous texts in the issue suggest that the current forms of international cooperation leave aside issues relating to the transfer of competencies, in particular technical, and concentrate rather on the transactions surrounding successful concepts and established standards. The establishment, in the Egyptian context, of the concept of a museum of civilisations, such as that presented by the Project Manager, Ayman Abd El-Moniem, clearly shows that the concept reveals its global relevance as it seeks to adapt to local demands and options. In parallel, and initiated by the Burra Charter in Australia , the local negotiation and adaptation of international standards must be understood as the emergence of a capital of expertise that is capable of supporting a diversity of practice in a global context. The models that are being developed from experiences in the field are the expression of a new understanding of standard setting that is transactional and no longer prescriptive. It is with this mindset, which seeks to shed light on the transformation that is underway in terms of practice, that the discussion on the authenticity of restoration work, more particularly in Cairo – which has given rise to highly antagonistic confrontations in past years – has been voluntarily set in a context of reconsideration of current conditions surrounding the production of heritage and its historicisation. Two texts, one by Omnia Aboukorah and the other by Galila El Kadi, deal with these issues. They are completed by the point of view of a historian and a practitioner. One final point deserves to be made to complete this bird’s eye view of the contents of this issue. Egypt is, in its totality, a heritage icon for the world. Yet this status does not forbid a timely reassessment of its components, based on contemporary developments and the resurgence of a mythical past. The library of Alexandria, as expressed by Youssef Ziedan and Hoda Elmikaty, is an example of this judicious back-and-forth between the sciences of the past and the sciences of the future, between conditions of conservation and modes of exhibition. The restitution of an overall meaning of the landscape on the left bank of Thebes as proposed by Christian Leblanc, which alone constitutes a challenge both intellectually and in terms of site management, and the systematic recording of intangible heritage on which Ahmed Morsy and Latifa Fahmi are working, are examples that best crystallise the heritage image which today in Egypt bridges the Pharaonic monumentality with the intangibility of knowledge. This issue of MUSEUM international owes much to the support given by Dr Zahi Hawass and to the personal commitment of Ayman Abd El Moniem, as well as to their knowledge of and friendship for UNESCO. Thanks to their efforts, there is a diversity of viewpoints which together make possible the heritage landscape of Egypt presented here. They receive our warmest gratitude. TOP A New Era for Museums, Zahi Hawass
Over recent decades archaeology in Egypt has been moving from an era of exploration and exploitation into a new era of conservation, preservation and education. The Supreme Council of Antiquities has begun to focus on site management plans and drafting, and is beginning to implement these important initiatives at a number of key sites. The museums of Egypt are being redesigned and upgraded. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA, offers a wide overview of the construction and renovation programmes of museums around the country. TOP The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Ayman Abdel Moniem
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is currently the most important project undertaken in cooperation with UNESCO in Egypt. The author, Director of NMEC, unfolds the challenges and aspirations embedded in the realization of this museum. TOP The Egyptian Museum, Wafaa El-Saddik
The Egyptian Museum houses the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. The article retraces the history and development of one of the most important museums of Egypt. TOP The Grand Museum of Egypt Project: architecture and museography, Yasser Mansour
It is beyond doubt that the Grand Museum of Egypt is one of the largest complexes undertaken as a single project. Interdisciplinarity is indispensable in embracing such a vision. The Grand Museum of Egypt is intended to reflect modern concepts of the ‘archaeological museum’. Its vocation is not only to house and display archaeological artefacts and materials, but to furnish a complex with adequate space to communicate culture to visitors. The museum is planned to open in 2009. TOP The Forgotten Museums of Egypt, Fayza Hassan
Notwithstanding the lack of public response, historians, researchers, scientists and intellectuals are clamouring for the conservation and development of a number of small, specialized museums which have preserved a wealth of information not readily available otherwise. The article depicts the strong points of the Geological Museum, Railway Museum, Agricultural Museum and other forgotten museums of Egypt. TOP Egyptian Music: Tradition and ‘New Tradition’, Latifa Fahmy
The article gives a historic outline of the different branches of musical expression in Egypt. TOP Successes and Outcomes of the Nubia Campaign, Anna Paolini
The creation of the Nubia Museum in Aswan and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo is intended to convey more knowledge about Egyptian cultural heritage - tangible and intangible - to the public. The work towards the completion of the two museums continues actively until today. It is conducted in close cooperation between UNESCO and the Egyptian authorities. TOP Research and Preservation on Intangible Heritage, Ahmed Morsi
The article gives an overview of the development of the notion of intangible cultural heritage in Egypt. It starts from the notion dating back to the Egyptian modern Renaissance in the nineteenth century to the UNESCO Proclamation of the Hilali Epic as Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. TOP The Nubia Museum’s Role in the Community, Ossama A.W. Abdel Meguid
Since its opening, The Nubia Museum has embarked on a series of programmes designed to make it a dynamic institution and an integral party of Aswan society. Having deliberately moved away from an outdated concept for the exhibition of artefacts alone, the board and staff are pursuing a strategy to ensure that the museum is part of and responds to the Aswan community. TOP The Global Village of Heritage: the contributions of the Centrre for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CULTNAT) by Fathi Saleh and Hala N. Barakat
Recent developments in the field of information technology and telecommunications involving networks, the Internet, multimedia, etc. have played an important role in disseminating knowledge and facilitating the exchange of information. CULTNAT’s development objective has been to become a landmark on a regional and worldwide scale, in the implementation of a comprehensive approach for documenting the various aspects of heritage. TOP Research, development and Management of Heritage on the Left Bank of the Nile: Ramesseum and its environs, Christian Leblanc
The text analysis the problems that arise when one wants to attribute an ample meaning to a precious cultural landscape such as that on the left bank of Thebes. The cultural wealth of Western Thebes is so vast and diverse that only an exhaustive and global appraisal, embracing the cultural as well as socio-economic aspects, will ensure that realistic serious planning for the protection, development and management of this prestigious heritage can be achieved. TOP Highlights of Unknown Collections: samples from the site of Helwan, Ali Radwan
Findings from the site of Helwan have been stored in the basement of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The project of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization provides an opportunity to exhibit numerous almost unknown collections including the treasures of Helwan. TOP Science Education: on the agenda of the Library of Alexandria, Hoda S. Elmikaty
It is the mission of the Library of Alexandria to become a centre of excellence, and a model for the dissemination of scientific knowledge. In the knowledge-based world of the twenty-first century, capacity building in science and technology is a must. The article relates the various innovations the Library has undertaken. TOP The Preservation, Study and Presentation of Manuscripts at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Youssef Ziedan
The article introduces both the Museum Showroom of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Manuscript Museum in detail. They are both seen as a place in which to learn about and become acquainted with individual items of the Arab heritage. TOP Historical Introduction to Islamic Architecture in Old Cairo, Hossam Ismail
Present-day Cairo stands as an example of the city in Islamic times. The author gives us a historical outlook on the development of Cairo from the Umayyad period until today. TOP Between a Secular Management System and International Standards of Protection: the heritage of Cairo’s old quarter, Omnia Aboukorah
The old quarter of Cairo was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979. From the author’s viewpoint, the management of this area underwent various changes during the course of the last century that have now endangered all attempts at safeguarding or developing architectural and urban heritage. TOP Modern Heritage in Cairo: history and current outlooks, Galila el Kadi
For the past ten years, urban and architectural forms designated as ‘Western’ and produced over the past two centuries have been the focus of classification, restoration and renovation projects. When did the change occur whereby these building produced by a different civilization became recognized under the designation of ‘heritage’? The article returns to the 1980s to recount the facts and understand their meaning as well as presenting the specific nature of this heritage. TOP Insights into Current Conservation Practices, Saleh Lamei
This article studies the causes of deterioration of the old quarter of Cairo and provides the reader with the most important strategies of restoration. Rehabilitation projects should pay attention to the relevant historical, socio-economic and cultural issues associated with the site as well as assuring the involvement of the public. TOP
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