Following the Society’s call for applications in March, we are delighted to announce that, thanks to generous support from the British Council, we will once again be hosting six Egyptian archaeologists and Egyptologists at our Doughty Mews headquarters.
The six Research Scholarships have been awarded to: Hoda Kamal, Ahmed Ali Nakshara, Hesham Hussein, Fatma Keshk, Mohamed Abuelyazid and Yasser Abdel Razik Al Hammami.
They will travel to the UK at the beginning of August, and will stay for six weeks. They will be based primarily at the Society’s London office, where they will have the opportunity of benefiting from the extensive Egyptological library, archive and events programme, and networking with people and visiting places which are relevant to their research projects and working roles.
Dr Chris Naunton, The Society’s Director, said: “Having the first group of six young Egyptologists with us in London last summer was a joy and an extremely valuable experience for all concerned. The scholars made great strides with their research, and were keen to tell us how much they valued the wider experience of visiting people and places, and that they would all have wanted to stay longer if that had been possible. My colleagues and I also learned a huge amount about the situation for Egyptian Egyptologists and archaeologists, the challenges they face, and how we might make the most of the resources we have to offer to help meet those challenges. We are all very much looking forward to repeating the process this summer.”
The six scholars were chosen, following a process of open competition, from a pool of just over 100 applicants. All are trained in academic archaeology/Egyptology; five are working within the Ministry of Antiquities and have direct responsibility for the care and management of ancient sites and monuments, and the sixth (Fatma Keshk) is working for the Center for Documentation of Culture and National Heritage (CULTNAT). In addition, all are studying at MA, PhD or postdoctoral level, and have clear plans for making the most of their time in the UK to further their research and to learn new skills which can be transferred to their day-to-day work.
In addition to the Research Scholarships, the Society awarded prizes of books to three further applicants, in recognition of their excellent applications. These awards went to Amany Amer Ahmed Abd El Hameed, Ahmed Mahmoud Taher Mohamed, and Hebatallah Abdelbaset Ahmed Ibrahim.
There is an opportunity to hear from and meet the Scholars on 10 September at Doughty Mews; it's a free event, but places are limited, so please book in advance. We hope there will be also a discussion panel featuring the Scholars during the week commencing 1 September - as soon as the venue is confirmed, we will advertise it on the website. And of course you'll be able to follow their progress on the website, Facebook and Twitter whilst they are with us.
A press release on the above issued jointly by the Society and the British Council will be available shortly.