“Antiquities Inspection Tours to Upper Egypt” in an Exhibition at the BA
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The BA Antiquities Museum, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Cairo, organizes an exhibition entitled “Antiquities Inspection Tours to Upper Egypt during the 19th Century and the Archive of Eduard Toda”, from 28 May to 5 June 2023, at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center, West Exhibition Hall.
The Exhibition will present a collection of photographs gathered by Eduard Toda y Güell (1852–1941), who served as the Spanish Vice-Consul in Cairo during the period from 1884 to 1886. The selected photographs are the masterpieces of Toda’s collection, as they present information about the methods used by the Egyptian Antiquities Authority in the field of archaeological documentation during the nineteenth century, specifically in the context of annual inspection tours to Upper Egypt.
The event begins at 12:00 pm with a talk given by the curators of the exhibition, Dr. Miguel Ángel Molinero and Dr. Andrea Rodriguez Valls, from La Laguna University, Spain. They will introduce the Archive of Eduard Toda, and how its contents allowed for the reconstruction of the way the Antiquities Authority worked in its inspection tours to Upper Egypt, during the 19th century. Dr. Maysara Abdullah Hussein, from the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, will present a topic titled “Sennedjem: The Life and Memories of a Great Artisan.” The presentation will tackle some aspects of the social life in Egypt through the archaeological findings of one of the most magnificent tombs in western Thebes (Luxor); the tomb of “Sennedjem”, an ancient Egyptian artisan, who lived during the reigns of the two kings “Seti I” and “Ramses II”. The talk will be followed by the opening of the Exhibition at 2:00 pm.
It is worth mentioning that Egyptology is one of the main pillars of the Spanish–Egyptian diplomatic relations and scientific cooperation. Twelve Spanish archaeological missions are currently performing their work in Egypt, in cooperation with researchers and officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.