Abstract
In the early 1960’s, when Egypt built the High Dam at Aswan, Egyptologists and archaeologists from all over the world heeded UNESCO’s appeal to salvage the monuments of Egyptian Nubia before the rising waters of Lake Nasser submerged them forever. More than sixty expeditions ultimately joined the “Nubian Rescue Campaign,” which resulted in the excavation and recording of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, and the salvage and translocation of a number of important temples to higher ground. Due to the quantities of material recovered from tombs, temples and settlements, UNESCO was encouraged in the 1980’s to appoint an executive committee to help plan a new Nubian museum in Aswan where the objects could be stored and exhibited. It was also hoped that the proposed museum would be able to house all the finds - or most of them - as well as other Nubian material found prior to the 1960s.It would thus provide a single location to which scholars could come to study these important collections and to continue the reconstruction of our knowledge of Nubian history and civilization. After twenty years of planning, the cornerstone was laid on February4, 1986, and nearly twelve years later, the Museum became a reality and opened its doors in November 1997.Since then it has been welcoming thousands of visitors every day. This paper discusses the societal role played by the Nubia Museum.
Presenters
Ahmed Masoud Hassan MohamedDirector of Abu Simbel Archaeological Site, Supreme Council of Antiquities, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Aswan, Egypt
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2023 Special Focus—Museum Transformations: Pathways to Community Engagement
KEYWORDS
MUSEUM
