Jill Kamil
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160615
- eISBN:
- 9781617970184
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160615.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The careers of Labib Habachi and Ahmed Fakhry invite comparison. They were born within a year of each other, shared a love of their country and its people, were among the first graduates of ...
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The careers of Labib Habachi and Ahmed Fakhry invite comparison. They were born within a year of each other, shared a love of their country and its people, were among the first graduates of Egyptology from Cairo University in 1928, and both voiced grave concern for the preservation of Egypt's ancient monuments. Habachi and Fakhry both realized the rich archaeological potential of their country and voiced concern for its protection. Habachi witnessed damage to monuments from continued urban expansion and road and rail connections in the Delta and made every effort to draw attention to the importance of excavation and documentation “before it was too late.” Fakhry found the desert strewn with surface flints, as well as temples, tombs, ancient towns, and fortresses, and faced the problem of who could sponsor the well-organized expeditions needed to save them.Less
The careers of Labib Habachi and Ahmed Fakhry invite comparison. They were born within a year of each other, shared a love of their country and its people, were among the first graduates of Egyptology from Cairo University in 1928, and both voiced grave concern for the preservation of Egypt's ancient monuments. Habachi and Fakhry both realized the rich archaeological potential of their country and voiced concern for its protection. Habachi witnessed damage to monuments from continued urban expansion and road and rail connections in the Delta and made every effort to draw attention to the importance of excavation and documentation “before it was too late.” Fakhry found the desert strewn with surface flints, as well as temples, tombs, ancient towns, and fortresses, and faced the problem of who could sponsor the well-organized expeditions needed to save them.
Jill Kamil
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160615
- eISBN:
- 9781617970184
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160615.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the ...
More
Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the field. This book presents not only a biography of this important scholar, but a survey of Egyptian archaeology in the twentieth century in which Habachi's work is measured against that of his best-known contemporaries —among them Selim Hassan, Ahmed Fakhry, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr, and Gamal Mokhtar. The account of Habachi's major discovery, the Sanctuary of Heqaib on Elephantine in 1946, was shelved by Egypt's Antiquities Department for thirty years. When it was finally released for publication, it became the subject of a heated controversy between Habachi and a western scholar that was never resolved. To construct a picture of Labib Habachi, the book draws on a wide range of sources, including a long personal acquaintance with the subject. Tracing the arc of Habachi's career, the book sets his life's work in its full context, providing a perspective on the development of Egyptian Egyptology and the sometimes fraught relationship between Egypt's scholars and the western archaeological establishment. In this fresh look at Habachi's contributions to Egyptology are examples of academic and social elitism, rivalries between scholars, cultural arrogance, and discrimination.Less
Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the field. This book presents not only a biography of this important scholar, but a survey of Egyptian archaeology in the twentieth century in which Habachi's work is measured against that of his best-known contemporaries —among them Selim Hassan, Ahmed Fakhry, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr, and Gamal Mokhtar. The account of Habachi's major discovery, the Sanctuary of Heqaib on Elephantine in 1946, was shelved by Egypt's Antiquities Department for thirty years. When it was finally released for publication, it became the subject of a heated controversy between Habachi and a western scholar that was never resolved. To construct a picture of Labib Habachi, the book draws on a wide range of sources, including a long personal acquaintance with the subject. Tracing the arc of Habachi's career, the book sets his life's work in its full context, providing a perspective on the development of Egyptian Egyptology and the sometimes fraught relationship between Egypt's scholars and the western archaeological establishment. In this fresh look at Habachi's contributions to Egyptology are examples of academic and social elitism, rivalries between scholars, cultural arrogance, and discrimination.
