The New York Times published a long article about the DNA investigation that the FBI has done on the mummified head of Djehutinakht from Dayr al-Barsha. Our assistant director for Archaeology and Egyptology, Dr Marleen de Meyer, excavated the room in which the head was found in 2009.
Do you live in Egypt and have you always wondered about all the pharaonic heritage surrounding you? This spring NVIC organizes a beginner’s level, introductory course in Egyptology. In 6 richly illustrated lessons, the history of ancient Egypt will be brought to life, both chronologically as well as thematically. The development of ancient Egyptian art and architecture will be traced, but attention will also be paid to topics like the origin of writing, daily life, and funerary rituals. Moreover, some of the most recent discoveries in the field will be discussed. Apart from classroom instruction, an excursion to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square as well as an excursion to Saqqara will allow to bring theory into practice.
On Sunday the 18th of March, a symposium kicked off with the participation of scholars of Islamic studies at al-Azhar University and their counterparts from Dutch universities.
On Thursday the 15th of March, an exhibition displaying funerary masterpieces of Deir el-bersha was opened at the Egyptian museum on the occasion of 120 years of archaeological research at the site. The exhibit runs until 15 April.
On the 11th of March, our students of Arabic/Islam and of Middle East studies traveled to Alexandria for their five-day trip to explore this fascinating Mediterranean city.
On the 4th of March 2018, The Belgian Embassy and Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo successfuly opened the photo exhibition of "150 Years of Belgian Royal Visits to Egypt". The exhibition will stay on view till the 27th of April at our NVIC main hall.
Three students of the Arabic/Islamic BA programme seem to enjoy the Arabic class assignments.
The Cairo semester of MA Archaeology/Egyptology for students from the Netherlands and Flanders has unfortunately come to an end.
The Netherlands-Flemish Institute is offering an internship in Cairo from March 2018 onwards. If you are interested please apply before February 15, 2018. (See the details in Dutch only)
Dr Amany Soliman joined the NVIC as a postdoctoral research fellow in October 2017. She is a lecturer of modern history and international relations at the Mediterranean Studies Institute at the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University. For her PhD thesis, she examined the nationalist movements in Spain, specifically in Catalonia and Basque regions and their journey in the 20th century. She has been awarded a research fellowship in the War Studies Department of King's College London as well as the Gingko Library scholarship for East-West Dialogue. Her research and teaching interests include social and political history of modern Egypt, nationalism and nationalist movements, history and politics of marginalized groups, the Great War in the Middle East, as well as political, social and cultural history of the Mediterranean and the Middle East region. In 2017, she was selected as a research fellow in the Leiden University team working on the ERC project "Rethinking Disability: The Global Impact of the International Year of Disabled Persons 1981 in Historical Perspective". The research team is led by Prof. Monika Baár and Dr. Soliman's research focus will be on the issues, debates, (dis)engagement, organization and main concerns and socio-political issues of the persons with disability in Egypt and the Arab World. Her research will focus on the multiple perspectives on how to empower the persons with disability and how their rights in the MENA region are perceived from philanthropic and charity support to a human rights and inclusive citizenship approach.
