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FINAL REPORT “Red Monastery Nave Conservation Project

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FINAL REPORT “Red Monastery Nave Conservation Project - FINAL REPORT “Red Monastery Nave Conservation Project: Multidisciplinary Capacity Building (Enhancing Visitation Through Information)” Dina Bakhoum 2015-2018 Cultural Heritage Tourism Project in Egypt (APS) USAID Agreement No. 263-A-15-00007 Awarded to THE AMERICAN RESEARCH CENTER IN EGYPT (ARCE) Address: 909 N. Washington Street, Suite 320, Alexandria, VA 22 314, Tel: (703) 721 3479 By the USAID Program Office of Productive Sector Development / Office of the Environment / USAID / Egypt In collaboration with the United States Agency for International development and the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities. The American Research Center in Egypt The Red Monastery Conservation Project, Sohag, Upper Egypt Promoting Visitation to the Red Monastery and the surrounding sites in Sohag 2015-2018 Report by: Dina Bakhoum Engineer and art historian, specialized in cultural heritage conservation and management [This report is produced by Dina Bakhoum in her capacity as ARCE’s consultant and Heritage Management Specialist for the Red Monastery Conservation Project under the USAID-funded cooperative agreement number AID-263-A-15-00007.] This report covers part of program 7: “Multidisciplinary Capacity Building” (Enhancing Visitation Through Information) Introduction: Promoting visitation to the Red Monastery, as well as the White Monastery and other surrounding sites in Sohag is a matter that requires working with different interest groups including members of the local community, the clergy, the scholars, the different government bodies, etc. Work activities with these interest groups compliment each other. Local visitors (from churches all over Egypt) form a major group of visitors to the monastery. In another report, capacity-building courses carried out by ARCE’s consultant for women from the local community as well as monks and men from the Red and White Monasteries discusses how they contribute to promoting visitation to the site and how they assist in explaining the history, art, architecture and conservation work of the Red Monastery’s historic church to the local visitors (including children) as well as international visitors. During these courses and meetings with the clergy at the Red Monastery, the needs of visitors and what they expect during the visit are also among the subjects discussed. In this report, other activities with tour guides, interested scholars (researchers, etc. and others generally interested in heritage), foreign visitors, etc. is discussed. Egyptian visitors at the Red Monastery with Abuna Shenouda Visit by the Friends of Manial Palace and the friends of the Coptic Photo by Matjaž Kačičnik © ARCE, November 2015 Museum to the Red Monastery Photo by: Matjaž Kačičnik © ARCE, December 2016 Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 1/27 Tour guides from Sohag: With the help of Abuna Antonious and one community member tour guides from Sohag have been identified. During meetings with a tour-guide from Sohag it became clear that tour guides from Sohag do not generally have work in Soahg, as there is little tourism industry there. While some have indicated that they would like to get involved in taking tourists to the Red Monastery, their availability in Sohag is quite limited during the touristic season as most of them are hired by tourist companies to go and work in Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada. Tour guides from Luxor: In February 2017, a meeting at the tour guides syndicate was organized through ARCE’s consultant and Yasser Amin, a tour guide from Luxor. During the meeting, Michael Jones gave a presentation introducing ARCE’s work all over Egypt and then focusing on the Red Monastery. The meeting was very well attended and the tour guides demonstrated interest in bringing tourists to Sohag. During these meeting as well as a follow up meeting that took place in Luxor, the tour guides explained that day trips organized for tourist staying in Luxor and/or Aswan would sometimes go to Abydos but due to some issues with convoys they would not continue to Sohag. In preparation for this visit, a follow up meeting at the tour guides syndicate in Luxor took place in March 2018. During this meeting, the consultant met with the syndicate’s president and a number of tour guides from Luxor and organized the trip with them. A presentation on the Red Monastery was also given. This was followed up by a discussion (in a form of exercise) asking the tour guides to come up with possible itineraries for visiting the Red Monastery and other near-by sites in Sohag. During the same visit, the consultant attended a presentation regarding the Holy Family trail, which was attended by a number of tour guides not only from Luxor but also from all over Egypt. After the presentation, the consultant had a follow up meeting with some of the tour guides dealing with this trail; in this meeting the consultant suggested that visitors interested in the Holy Family trail should be encouraged to visit other sites not on the trail but that are also important religiously, historically and artistically, such as for example the Sohag area with its Red and White Monasteries, the Luxor area with its Nagada monasteries as well as the Esna monasteries, the Aswan area with its Anba Hadra monastery, etc. As for the visit and as agreed with the tour guides, in April 2018, ARCE’s consultant in collaboration with ARCE and Abuna Antonious organized a trip for the tour guides from Luxor to the White and Red Monasteries. The trip was also coordinated with the inspectors of the Ministry of Antiquities. The visit started at the White Monastery. The consultant in coordination with one of the monks from the White Monastery (Abuna Sa’ofilos) toured the group around the monastery. The visit continued to the Red Monastery, where the church’s history, art and architecture were explained along with the conservation work carried out through ARCE’s - USAID’s funded - project. After the visit, the group was invited for lunch organized by the Red monastery. This was followed by a meeting with Abuna Antonious in which he Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 2/27 explained the history of monasticism in the area, his appreciation of the conservation efforts carried out by ARCE and his wish to have the monastery visited by a greater number of Egyptians and foreigners. Both, the group and Abuna, iterated on the value of the monastery and the importance of placing it on the tourism map of Egypt. The visit was well received by the tour guides, who shared their photos on their personal Facebook pages as well as that of the Luxor tour guides syndicate. During the meeting several possibilities of one to two day trips to visit the Red and White Monasteries, Abydos, Akhmim and other near-by sites were discussed. The tour guides saw the potential of this visit as an alternative trip to those they usually offer from Luxor. Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 3/27 Meetings in Luxor: The tour guides syndicate in Luxor Photo by Dina Bakhoum, February 2017 Michael Jones presenting ARCE’s work (in Egypt and at the Red Monastery) at the tour guides syndicate in Luxor. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, February 2017 Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 4/27 Group photo after the presentation Follow up meeting with other tour guides in Luxor Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 5/27 Visit to the Red and White Monasteries Visit of the Luxor tour guides to the White and Red Monasteries, 11 April 2018 Screenshot from the Facebook page of the tour guides syndicate of Luxor where they are thanking Abuna Antonious, ARCE and its consultant (Dina Bakhoum) for organizing the visit to both monasteries. Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 6/27 The tour guides from Luxor with Abuna Sa’ofilos at the White Monastery The tour guides from Luxor with Abuna Sa’ofilos at the White Monastery Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 7/27 Group photo of the tour guides from Luxor at the White Monastery Visit of the Luxor tour guides to the White and Red Monasteries, 11 April 2018 Screenshot from the Facebook page of the tour guides syndicate of Luxor showing the start of the visit at the Red Monastery Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 8/27 The tour guides from Luxor in the Tri-conch of the Red Monastery’s historic church After lunch, offered by the Red Monastery, the tour guides meet Abuna Antonious Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 9/27 The president of the Luxor tour guides syndicate, Mr. Mostafa Rifa’i, with Abuna Antonious The tour guides gave the monastery an appreciation plate with the syndicate’s logo Group photo of the tour guides from Luxor with Abuna Antonious and ARCE’s consultant at the Red Monastery ‘s guests hall Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 10/27 Tour guides from Luxor visiting the nave of the Red Monastery with Abuna Antonious Group photo of the tour guides from Luxor with Abuna Antonious and ARCE’s consultant in the nave of the Red Monastery Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 11/27 Tour guides from Cairo and other interest groups: Several meetings and discussions about the Red Monastery have been taking place with tour guides from Cairo as well as other interested colleagues. As a result of these meetings, trips to Sohag and the Red Monastery have been organized. ARCE assisted in the organization of the trip by ensuring that one of the Abunas at the monastery will meet the group and in many cases, ARCE’s team members were present to explain the history of the church and the conservation work carried out. What was clearly noted is that in recent years, especially after ARCE’s and despite of certain security concerns, more visitors indicated their wish to see the monastery after knowing more about it from ARCE’s team members through discussions, meetings and also lectures.
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