No. 4! But Who's Keeping Score?

I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this post-a-day pace up, but I'm doing my best! These first few posts have to deal with within-the-walls matters, as I will not have an opportunity to venture out until the weekend. Today I can show you the view from my office...

...and some of the bikes which our workers use, both to get around the campus quickly and to commute between their homes and CH...

...and a few of the majestic Washington Palms to be found on the grounds...

...and two more of our coterie of cats, Dusty and Beau...

Dusty the Hierakonpolis Cat

Sitting Pretty

Beau the Wonder Cat

So-named because of his resemblance to Buttons

You'll be pleased to learn, I'm sure, that any cat who decides he or she would like to take up residence here is required to be neutered or spayed. We are lucky to have access to the services of Animal Care in Egypt for these operations.

And finally, a beautifully enameled vintage lamp from the courtyard...

Al-Hussein Moulid

Egyptians--a resilient people! Despite all their troubles they can still sing, dance and celebrate (the birth of the grandson of the Prophet).

The City of the Dead

I found an interesting piece on the City of the Dead in Cairo just this week: The City of the Dead - Part One. It reminded me of my visit to the Northern Cemetery in April of 2010, so I went back through my photos. I have always been intrigued by this seeming contradiction in terms, because the City of the Dead is also very much a city of the living--some people are caretakers of the tombs; others are forced to live there for a variety of reasons. There are thriving communities and interesting juxtapositions, as you can see from some of these photos.

View south to the Mokattam Hills

Masjid al-Sultan Qaytbay

Goats in the graveyard 

Inbound: Part Four

Just over a month since I arrived in Luxor and I'm finally getting around to my final post about the process of arriving! In April of this year I made a small donation to the fundraising campaign for "Trésors du Caire". The project revolved around restoring two treasures for installation in the new "Arts de l'Islam" department of the Louvre: a mashrabiya and a Mamlouk porch. Here is a video from the Louvre that was produced to encourage donations to the two projects:

Here is a another video from the Louvre which discusses the restoration process for the porch (in French, but you'll catch the drift):
Louvre Museum: In Search of a Mamlouk Porch from ikono tv on Vimeo.
For more videos including this one, all with English subtitles, click on the following links:
The New Islamic Art Department: Behind the Scenes
The New Islamic Art Department:The Collections
The New Islamic Art Department: The New Department
The New Islamic Art Department: Architecture
And in August I received an invitation to visit the Louvre and particularly the new department gratis between it opening date of September 22 and December 15. Well, guess who was going to be in Paris in October and thus able to take advantage of the offer?
Here are the front and back of the invitation:

October 13 was a rainy Paris day, which made it perfect for visiting a museum:

I spent over three hours in the department and I barely scraped the surface of the two levels of extraordinary items. While the layout is a bit confusing, the displays themselves are excellent. And the design of the space really works. Here are just a few examples of both architecture and displays:

And here are photos of the Mamlouk porch which has been installed as a passage between two sections of the display space:

My name on the video display of the list of donors!

Here is the fully restored mashrabiya:

By the end of my visit I was suffering from the MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) effect, but I shall return as often as possible to be able to examine individual items and sections more thoroughly.

On my way out of the museum I caught this interesting juxtaposition:

The old encompassing the modern surrounding the recent--an untitled piece in laser-sculpted stainless steel by Belgian artist Wm. Delvoye. The whole a fitting image of the Louvre itself!