Search Results (4)

The representation of disabled individuals in museum spaces worldwide has sparked substantial debate in recent decades. It has become increasingly evident that disabled people’s lives and experiences have been overlooked, under/misrepresented in museum narratives, or as museum professionals and academics have highlighted, ‘buried in the footnotes’ of history. Museums can either challenge or continue such exclusion through their actions. This marginalization of disabled people from our present museums narratives contributes to the perpetuation of prejudice and systematic biases that reinforce their exclusion in contemporary society. Nevertheless, the call for change has never been more pressing. Museums, as ‘agents of social change’, are required to not only address the absence of disabled people in their narratives but to combat prejudicial ideas about disability and drive societal changes to support social inclusion. This paper intends to use the recent movement of disability representation to envisage how national museums in Egypt can challenge societal prejudice by representing disability narratives from ancient Egypt in their exhibitions. The historical perspective of disability in ancient Egypt is a compelling example for illustrating social acceptance and the level of inclusion for disabled individuals in contrast to the negative stereotypes prevalent in contemporary Egyptian society. By adopting the new emergent approach of ‘Representing Disability’. Egyptian museums can stimulate discussions on disability issues and advocate for social change while connecting disabled individuals with a history that acknowledges their contributions and existence. The paper employed qualitative research methods to answer the following research question: what impact do representations of disability from ancient Egypt have on the way national museums engage with societal discourses about disability? Please note the article includes images of human remains. Full article

By considering the increasing emphasis on lifelong learning and the ongoing significant debates over the value and utility of digital technologies in accelerating long-established learning tasks, the paper suggests new approaches for the national museums of Egypt to incorporate distance learning and museum-based online programs as a means to improve their traditional educational programs. This would significantly help school students better understand the ancient history of Egypt, “Pharaonic Egypt”, which is an essential part of their formal school curriculum. Moreover, it provides much-needed support to museums with limited or insufficient educational programs to promote more meaningful learning experiences. The proposed approach can be effectively implemented through the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the world’s largest archaeological museum complex dedicated to the culture of ancient Egyptian Pharaonic Culture. The study discusses the GEM’s educational and digital infrastructure capabilities in creating a robust online learning platform that provides access to rich educational content and digital resources across Egypt’s various geographic regions, enhancing museum education concerning pharaonic Egypt in line with the state’s cultural policy to strengthen national identity among future generations. By analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, the study investigates the potential benefits of integrating online digital technologies into the pedagogical and educational practices of Egypt’s national museums. It concludes by providing practical recommendations for future research and actions encouraging online learning among Egyptian museums, aligned with recent national efforts toward Egypt’s digital transformation. Full article

Throughout history, vernacular architecture has sought to provide inhabitants with comfort, using local materials and techniques while drawing inspiration from the local culture. This goal has helped natural and passive environmental building techniques to emerge, evolve, and develop. Even though we are increasingly dependent on mechanical ventilation and cooling solutions, passive techniques are in favor due to global climate challenges and the drive toward sustainable construction. One of the most well-known passive cooling techniques is the windcatcher, or wind tower, as it is known in the Middle East (also known as a malqaf in Egypt). Windcatchers, which appeared in Egypt during the Pharaonic era, were also present in other vernacular Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and Iraq, and they differed in design and materials. This research aims to extract, analyze, and compare windcatchers throughout historical eras in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries across three main eras: ancient, medieval, and modern. This study thus provides a timeline for developing these passive cooling systems, demonstrating how they were integrated into architecture over millennia. This study also investigates the design differences in these vernacular models, including their shapes, number of sides, and orientation, and correlates them to climatic and architectural conditions. The results highlight that the vernacular wind towers corresponded to the prevailing wind directions and the ventilation needs of the connected spaces. Furthermore, the findings question the effectiveness and appropriateness of some of the modern incorporations of wind towers, which borrow their design from local precedents. Full article

When the imagination conjures up an image of an Egyptian mummy, it is normally one of a human body wrapped with undyed linen bandages. However, the reality was much more colourful, as shown by the set of red mummy shrouds and textile fragments from Pharaonic Egypt considered in this work. The textiles were subjected to scientific investigation with the main aim of shedding light on the sources of red colour and on the possible reasons for the different levels of colour fading. The red colourants were investigated using various non-invasive and micro-invasive approaches. The results pointed towards the presence of three sources of red colour, which, in increasing order of lightfastness, are safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), madder (Rubia spp.), and red ochre. Micro-morphological observations and elemental analyses also enabled some hypotheses to be formulated regarding the application of these colourants to the textiles. The results not only deepen our knowledge of dyeing technologies in ancient Egypt and shed new light on the function of red shrouds and textiles as part of the funerary practices of Pharaonic Egypt, but are also essential in planning the display and future preservation of these mummies and their associated textiles. Full article