STARS OF EGYPTOLOGY

We are privileged to present Egyptian Egyptologist, Dr Moamen Saad. He has held numerous administrative posts throughout Egypt including that of Director of Scientific Research Department at Karnak, Ministry of Antiquities, Egypt. A very special welcome to our readers from around the world and especially those from Egypt!

Salaam aleikum, Dr Saad. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. Many readers are young people who are thinking about becoming Egyptologists. There are also those who are fascinated by ancient Egypt. I would like to start by asking you what first inspired you to become an Egyptologist.

Aleikum salaam. Thank you for your introduction. I am pleased to be here. As you know I am Egyptian, so the culture is in my blood. When I was in secondary school, I visited Luxor and its monuments without a guide. The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari in particular, captured my attention. Looking at the inscriptions I wondered what my ancestors were trying to convey. It’s not just a huge building, or simply a beautiful structure with nice hieroglyphs. It was something more. It created a profound questioning in my heart. From that time it was my goal to study Egyptology.

The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari was constructed by one of the foremost builders in the ancient world, Pharaoh Hatshepsut. Stepmother and aunt to the future Tuthmosis-the-Great she ascended the throne not as Queen, but King. Her stunning mortuary temple is situated in Luxor and is a primary tourist attraction.

How did you study to become an Egyptologist?

In 1998 I attended the Egyptology Department which is part of the Faculty of Arts at South Valley University in Qena.

What did you study for your MA and doctorate?

The topic of my Master’s Thesis was the foreign policy and political propaganda of the 18th Dynasty. For my PhD I studied the Nile Stelae at Gebel el-Silsila.

The Swedish Gebel el-Silsila Project is run by John Ward and Maria Nilsson. Please tell me how you met them.

I first met John and Maria at my own excavation site at Karnak. They were visiting the temple complex. I welcomed them to the site with my colleague, Shimaa (who later became my wife). They started visiting regularly. We discussed archaeology and Egyptology and that’s how our friendship started. We are now like one big family. Shimaa and I have children and so do John and Maria. When I finished my MA they asked me to visit them at Gebel el Silsila. They showed me a part of Gebel el Silsila which I could study for my doctorate. They asked Philip Martineze, one of the team members, to show me the site and explain why they needed it to be studied. They gave me a great opportunity and I am really thankful to them.

(See an Interview with Dr Maria Nilsson: https://sharonjanethague.com/interview/)

So let’s go back a bit. How did you start working in the first place?

Well, being a top student I obtained work with the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

What experience did you gain in the field?

I had more than 17 years of experience with the Supreme Council of Antiquities. I also had the honour to work in more than one archaeological area, namely Qena, the Red Sea and Luxor. I was involved in a lot of training programmes, both inside and outside of Egypt. I worked as a trainer for excavations. This included training people in both normal and rescue excavations; archaeological drawings; the use of survey devices; mapping programmes; three-dimensional imaging and databases. I was also honoured to create the first database within the Luxor Airport Antiquities Department.

Can you explain a bit about your activities as Director of Scientific Research at Karnak?

I organised the first Karnak Conference with specific training programmes for antiquities inspectors and restorers in various fields. There were 19 countries which took part. A comprehensive series of lectures was written for foreign and Egyptian specialists. It was a lot of work. I also presented lectures on Egyptian sites registered on the World Heritage List . (This was prepared by both myself and the accompanying Egyptian delegation). Later, I was honoured to deliver the closing speech on behalf of the international forum.

What type of work have you undertaken outside of Egypt?

I took part in the International Programme for Museums at the British Museum in England. This is one of the most prestigious international training programmes in museum sciences. It teaches about organising exhibitions; museum workshops; maintenance and training and developing plans for targeting all age groups. It includes financial plans to preserve the museum’s existence while at the same time creating a benefit to the state. Community cooperation and museum display methods are an integral part of such a plan. There is also an emphasis on the use of modern technology in the methods of museum display and museum storage.

I also received a grant in archiving from the Egypt Exploration Society in London. The process of archiving includes such things as collecting and analysing information. One also has to review various archaeological materials, including pictures, writings, documents and diaries. Preparing databases for this documentation is part of the work.

Can you tell us a bit about your association with the UNESCO World Heritage programme in China? What is its goal and how is it relevant to your archaeological work?

The World Heritage Programme of the People’s Republic of China is related to museums. Its aim is to display Chinese culture and heritage as part of the protection of the global human heritage. I proposed the idea of ​​a conference in China and implemented it for 15 out of 19 participating countries.

 Can you explain a bit more about your international work?

I participated and was honoured as a member of many foreign and Egyptian missions. I worked as a member of the American Research Centre; the French Centre in Karnak; the Hungarian and Italian missions; IFAO and the Egypt Exploration Society, to name a few. I also have research and international partnerships.

My understanding is that you have been involved in a lot of work around Luxor and its monuments. Is that correct?

Yes, I have been a member of the Egyptian mission in the Valley of the Kings. I have worked in and around most of the temples in that area.

Dr Saad has worked at the Temple of Amenhotep III on the West Bank (Colossi of Memnon) and surrounding temples, such as those of Mut and Khonsu. He has also gained experience at the Mersa Gawasis, an Egyptian harbour on the Red Sea which was once a port city.

Young people tend to associate archaeology with Indiana Jones and Tutankhamen’s gold. What is your goal?

I approach archaeology with love and respect. I don’t care about discovering nice objects. I am there to discover and analyse the finds. My goal is to find the true story of the ordinary ancient Egyptians who are not mentioned in the texts, or on the walls of temples and tombs.

For our esteemed guests, joining us from Egypt, please find an Arabic summary below!

حاصل على درجة الدكتوراه من جامعة جنوب الوادي، عين ضمن أوائل الخريجين بالمجلس

الأعلى للأثار ولديه خبرة تتعدي 17 عام بالمجلس الأعلى للأثار وقد قام بالعمل في أكثر من

.منطقة اثرية سواء بقنا والبحر الأحمر والاقصر

وقد تقلد العديد من المناصب الإدارية بهذه المناطق وقام بإجراء اعمال الحفائر في الكثير من

مناطق مصر مثل الجيزة والصحراء الشرقية وساحل البحر الأحمر ومنطقة قنا والاقصر شرقا

وغربا وبمنطقة اسوان بجبل السلسلة بكوم امبو ويعمل حاليا مديراً بالوحدة الاثرية بمطار

.الأقصر الدولي

 وقد حصل على الكثير من البرامج التدريبة داخل مصر وخارجها وعمل مدربا للحفائر سواء

الحفائر الطبيعية او حفائر الانقاذ والرسم الاثري واستخدام الأجهزة المساحية وبرامج الخرائط

والتصوير ثلاثي الابعاد واعداد قواعد البيانات ونفذ اول قاعدة بيانات بقطاع المنافذ لوحدة مطار

.الأقصر

خارج مصر حصل على البرنامج الدولي للمتاحف بالمتحف البريطاني بإنجلترا وهو يعد من

ارقي برامج التدريب العالمية في العلوم المتحفية وتنظيم المعارض وورش العمل المتحفي

والصيانة والتدريب ووضع خطط للمستهدفين لجميع الفئات العمرية وخطط مالية للحفاظ علي

الكيان المتحفي وتعظيم دور الدولة في الاستفادة منه والتعاون المجتمعي وطرق العرض المتحفي

.واستخدام التكنولوجيا الحديثة في أساليب العرض المتحفي والتخزين المتحفي

وحصل علي برنامج التراث العالمي بجمهورية الصين الشعبية والذي يرتبط بالمتاحف وحماية

التراث المادي واللامادي العالمي واستغلال الموروث الثقافي للمجتمعات المحيطة بالمتحف في

عرض ثقفتها وتراثها وتنمية واحياء الحرف التراثية للحفاظ على هوية هذا المجتمع كجزء من

.حماية التراث الإنساني العالمي

 بالإضافة الي منحة في الارشفة من جمعية استكشاف مصر بلندن والتي تعتمد علي جمع

المعلومات وتحليلها وتنقيح المواد الاثرية المتعددة من صور وكتابات ووثائق ويوميات واعداد

.قواعد بيانات لها

  وقد شارك بعضوية الكثير من البعثات الأجنبية والمصرية وقد عمل عضوا بمركز البحوث

الأمريكي والمركز الفرنسي بالكرنك والبعثة المجرية والإيطالية والايفاووجمعية استكشاف

مصر وعضو البعثة المصرية بوادي الملوك ومعبد أمنحتب الثالث بالبر الغربي وحفائر معابد

الكرنك ومعبد الأقصر وحفائر تطوير الكورنيش والكباش ومعبد خنسو ومعبد الابت ومعبد

اوزيريس ومعبد بتاح ومعبد موت ومقبرة شماي بقفط قنا وحفائر مرسي ووادي الجواسيس

بساحل البحر الأحمر وحفائر بير منيح وخشم منيح بالصحراء الشرقية والبعثة السويدية بجبل

.السلسلة ولديه أبحاث ومشاركات دولية

ومن خلال منصبه قبل الأخير كمدير للبحث العلمي بالكرنك قام بتنظيم مؤتمر الكرنك الأول

وتنظيم العديد من البرامج التدريبة لمفتشي الاثار والمرممين في مجالات متعددة وعمل سلسلة

كبيرة من المحاضرات من المتخصصين الأجانب والمصريين، وقام بطرح فكرة مؤتمر بالصين

وقام بتنفيذه لعدد 15 دولة من أصل 19 دولة مشاركة وشارك بمحاضرة عن التراث المصري

ومواقعه المسجلة على قائمة التراث العالمي (بإعداده واعداد الوفد المصري المرافق). وتم

.تكريمه لاحقا بتزكية ال 19 دولة لإلقاء الكلمة الختامية نيابة عن جميع الوفود

 وقد شارك ببعض الأفلام الوثائقية للناشيونال جيوجرافيك عن جبل السلسلة واخرها لقناة

ديسكفري عن معبد ابيدوس والالهة المصرية والتليفزيون السويدي بالإضافة الي ظهوره في

برنامج مع العالم الكبير د. زاهي حواس وشارك بالحديث عن طريق الكباش ( طريق مواكب

الالهة – طريق  أبو الهول) ، بالإضافة الي العديد من الحلقات الاثرية بتليفزيون جنوب الصعيد

القناة الثامنة – قناة طيبة) بالإضافة الي مشاركاته العلمية سواء بإلقاء أبحاث او القاء محاضرات)

والمشاركة في ورش العمل وقام بالتعاون مع متحفي الأقصر والتحنيط بالأقصر في اكثر من

.مناسبة وحدث علمي او مجتمعي

.ولديه ابنتين وهو متزوج من السيدة شيماء منتصر أبو الحجاج كبير مفتشي الاثار بالكرنك

Dr Moamen Saad concluded by saying that he and his wife, Shimaa Montser, who is the Chief Inspector of Antiquities of Karnak Temples, have two daughters!

All photographs are copyright by Sharon Janet Hague unless otherwise stated.

Thank you Dr Saad. It has been a privilege to speak to someone who is both the present and future of Egyptology. Salaams and blessings to our Egyptian guests who joined us. I hope it inspires young people of every country to think about becoming Egyptologists. I trust the readers enjoyed the interview. And please, all of you, feel free to leave a comment below. May God bless you. Masalama and goodnight!