Cairo – The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) and British Council Egypt are delighted to announce the award of scholarships in the area of Archaeology and Egyptology to six young Egyptians. The six awardees are: Reham Mahmoud Zaky El Sayed, Mohamed Gamal Rashed, Moamen Saad Mohamed, Afaf Wahba, Rabee Eissa Mohamed Hassan, Mohamed Youssef Ali.
They will travel to the UK during autumn 2014 and will be based primarily at the Egypt Exploration Society’s headquarters in Bloomsbury (London WC1) to have the opportunity of benefiting from the EES extensive Egyptological library, archive and events programme; and networking with people and visiting places which are relevant to their various jobs within the Ministry of Antiquities.
Dr Chris Naunton, The Egypt Exploration Society’s Director, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these scholarships thanks to the support of the British Council, and very much looking forward to welcoming the scholars to London. Egypt is perhaps the richest country in the world in archaeological terms, and it is crucially important, now more so than ever, that it can rely on archaeologists and Egyptologists of the highest calibre to look after its sites and monuments. Our scholars will play a leading role in ensuring the survival of the country’s heritage into the future and we are thrilled to be able to play a part in their development.”
The six scholars were chosen, following a process of open competition, from a pool of just under 100 applicants. The successful candidates are among the very highest flying young Egyptians in this crucially important field for Egypt. All are trained in academic archaeology/Egyptology and are already working within the Ministry of Antiquities with direct responsibility for the care and management of ancient sites, monuments and/or objects in museums. All demonstrated clear ideas as to how their time in the London would be of benefit to them in terms of their day-to-day work and clear ideas as to how they would use the experience to improve the work of the Ministry as a whole by training their colleagues, introducing new ideas and techniques, and establishing networks of contacts with specialists in the UK.
Mark Stephens, Director British Council Egypt, said, “I’m delighted the Egyptian Exploration Society and the British Council are able to bring Egypt’s archaeologists to the UK, helping to strengthen the already excellent ties our two countries enjoy in this important area. I’m also very pleased to announce support to the English language learning of a wider group of Egyptian archaeologists through 30 scholarships in our teaching centres.”
The Egypt Exploration Society has enjoyed a very close working relationship with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities since the time of its foundation in 1882. Supporting the Ministry by assisting in the development of its staff is a crucial part of the Society’s mission “to explore ancient Egyptian sites and monuments, to create a lasting record of the remains, to generate enthusiasm for Egypt’s past and to raise awareness of the importance of protecting its heritage.”