FINAL REPORT “Red Monastery Nave Conservation Project

- FINAL REPORT

“Red Monastery Nave Conservation Project: Red Monastery Nave Conservation and Training”

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

Training on cultural heritage conservation and management

A vision for the future protection of the Red Monastery

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 4: “Red Monastery Nave Conservation and Training”

Introduction:

The Red Monastery (Deir al-Anba Bigol & Anba Bishay) and the White Monastery (Deir al- Anba Shenouda) are among the most important monasteries in Sohag, Upper Egypt. Their significance lies in their historic, artistic and religious values associated to them; both monasteries are hence of great interest to various groups of people from different backgrounds.

For several years starting in 2002, the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been carrying out conservation works at the Red Monastery’s historic church. The work focused initially on the painted surfaces of the tri-conch area of the historic church and in 2015 work on the nave and the tower started. The work included fine and architectural conservation activities.

The experience of ARCE as well as other institutions working in the field of cultural heritage conservation in Egypt has demonstrated that while the implementation phase of the project is essential in safeguarding the Egyptian heritage sites, what happens by those in charge of the sites after the project is completed is vital in ensuring (or not) the sites’ long-term conservation, management and maintenance.

Accordingly, there is a crucial need to build the capacities of the local interest groups in charge of the heritage sites, in order to ensure their protection; this also guarantees that the efforts carried out and the finances spent were worth the investment.

Therefore, during the second phase of the conservation project at the Red Monastery, ARCE has started a multi-facet capacity building and outreach program targeting different interest groups such as: 1- members from the local community (women who could do guide local tours) 2- monks from the Red and White Monasteries (starting initially with meetings and moving into an organized course); the work also includes work with men working at the monastery 3- employees from the Ministry of Antiquities (trainings and courses for specialized conservators) 4- tour guides

This report covers the work carried out by the consultant on program 4 entitled: “Red Monastery Nave Conservation and Training”. The report focuses on the consultant’s role in the program conducted in collaboration with ARCE, the Ministry of Antiquities, the Monastery and and De Cesaris Srl./Italian conservators. The report discusses the selection of conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities for this program and the theoretical part of the capacity building course on heritage conservation offered to the conservators and conducted during the Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. The practical aspects of program 4 are covered in other reports by other specialists and consultants. Two other reports are also submitted by the consultant (Dina Bakhoum). One deals with work carried out with the women from the local community, monks from the monastery and men working at the monastery. The other discusses work carried out with tour guides as well as a number of interest groups with the aim of promoting visitation to the Red Monastery as well as the overall preservation of the monastery.

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 1/23 Capacity building course for conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities

Group photo of the trainees and conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities with Abuna Antonious and Mr. Essam Rushdy (the Head of Conservation for the Islamic Section in Sohag) and ARCE’s consultant (Dina Bakhoum) during the Fall 2016 session. Photo by: Matjaž Kačičnik © ARCE, December 2016

Group photo of the trainees and conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities during the Fall 2017 session along with representatives from the Ministry of Antiquities, the Italian conservators and the clergy Photo by: Matjaž Kačičnik © ARCE, December 2017

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 2/23

Introduction

The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) has been managing the Red Monastery Conservation Project since December 2002. In 2012, the team of Italian conservators (De Cesaris Srl.) working with ARCE in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities completed the conservation of historic paintings in the sanctuary of the Red Monastery Church.

In 2015 work on the nave started. The upper sections of the walls are treated with non- painted plaster surfaces. Cleaning tests carried out by the Italian conservators (De Cesaris, Srl.) revealed that the surfaces on the lower level are painted; the most lower parts of the wall have lost the plaster layer. Cleaning tests on the two stone portals also revealed traces of paint.

The state of conservation of the nave and its nature (1-having diverse materials in need of conservation, 2- having large areas of non-painted surfaces, 3-having different conservation issues) allows for a training that will provides an opportunity for conservators to be exposed to different conservation issues and their treatments. It also allows them to start to work gradually from non-painted surfaces moving into painted ones in a follow up training for those who demonstrate seriousness, dedication and advanced conservation skills.

Accordingly, a course for Egyptian conservators working at the Ministry of Antiquities (MoA) was designed. It was composed of a theoretical part conducted by Dina Bakhoum and the practical training conducted by the Italian conservators. The methodology of the practical training was to have each Italian conservator work closely with one or two Egyptian conservators.

Four training sessions took place in the Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018 and Spring 2018.

The consultant was responsible for - Setting up the training in collaboration with ARCE, De Cesaris and the Ministry of Antiquities. - Setting up the interview and selection process with ARCE and the MoA - Following up and assisting in logistical and technical matters regarding the training, in collaboration with ARCE, De Cesaris, the MoA and the monastery’s clergy. - Assisting De Cesaris in evaluating the participants and selecting the ones for the advanced training; in addition the consultant facilitated discussions between De Cesaris and the Egyptian conservators when complicated conservation concepts and theories were explained. - Conducting the theoretical training of the course

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Initiation of the course: In order to consider the needs of the conservation department in Sohag as well as the monastery, meetings took place with representatives from both institutions to discuss the course and also its logistics.

Mr. Essam Rushdy, head of the conservation department, Islamic Section in Sohag, put ARCE in contact with Dr. Gharib Sonbol, director of the conservation department under the Projects sector.

Abuna Antonious offered accommodation to selected conservators who do not live in Sohag.

As a follow up, a meeting with Dr. Gharib Sonbol took place in July 2016 in order to plan for the course. During the meeting ARCE discussed with Dr. Sonbol the requirements that the applicants should meet, the course logistics and how will the Ministry of Antiquities announce for it.

As the MoA have created a new department specifically for training and capacity building, the course was announced through it. In addition, the Minister, Dr. Khaled El-Enany, set a committee that would interview and select the applicants. The committee was composed of three officials from the Ministry of Antiquities, headed by Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz (Head of Upper Egypt Inspectorate), and included also Michael Jones and Dina Bakhoum to represent ARCE. As the three MoA members of the committee were from Luxor, it was agreed that the interviews take place there.

For the first and second sessions (Fall 2016 and Spring 2017), the applicants sent their CVs to an e-mail address set by the MoA and to whom access was given to the members of the committee; the CVs were downloaded and meetings for the interviews were set. For the third session (Fall 2017), there were changes in the administration of the training and capacity building department, so it was agreed that the department will download the CVs and send it to ARCE’s consultant. Interviews took place for the Fall 2016, Spring 2017 and Fall 2017 sessions. For the Spring 2018 no new trainees were selected as an advanced training took place for a selected number of conservators from the ones who participated in the first sessions.

Application, Interviews and Selection: As noted, the applicants sent their CVs on the designated e-mail address and were notified with the time and place of the interviews.

The number of applicants for the first round of interviews was the highest because of several reasons: 1- the announcement for the course was open to conservators from all over Egypt, 2- it was the first time the course was offered and hence many wanted to apply, 3-some of those who applied were not conservators but inspectors (although it was specified that in the requirements that applicants should have a degree in conservation). For the second and third round of interviews, it became clear to the applicants that a conservation degree is a requirement and hence the number of applicants decreased. In addition, it was agreed with the Ministry of Antiquities to limit the applicants to

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 4/23 conservators from Middle and Lower Egypt (Luxor excluded) as they get fewer opportunities of courses offered than those in Cairo and Alexandria.

It is worth noting that some conservators who were not accepted during one round (or even two rounds) of interviews kept on applying with the wish of being accepted. Some did indeed demonstrate improvement, great seriousness and interest in participating in the course and were accepted after being interviewed in two (and sometimes three) rounds of interviews.

During the interviews, the applicants were tested for their ability to speak and understand English (fair knowledge) and their knowledge in conservation. In addition, general behavior and overall characteristics (being timely, not using the phone during the interview, etc.) were also considered. The committee selected the trainees based on the scores they got during the interview. There was a balance between the number of women and men who were accepted.

During the first session (Fall 2016), the best ten conservators were selected and a waiting list was also prepared with those who had good conservation skills but a very basic knowledge of English. During the first training course, it became clear to the Italian conservators that while English knowledge of the conservators facilitates the communication, some conservators with lower skills English had very good conservation skills. Accordingly, it was agreed that for the future courses, English will not have a high grade during the interview. The second group of conservators was composed of some of those who applied for the second round of interviews and others who were on the first group’s waiting list.

For the third session, four trainees were accepted after the interviews; in addition the Italian conservators in collaboration with ARCE and its consultant selected thirteen conservators from those who participated in the first and second sessions to return and work on more advanced conservation activities with the Italian conservators.

For the fourth session, eight conservators from those who participated in the three sessions were selected to continue the work with the Italian conservators in the nave.

The conservators who participated in this training are: Fall 2016 Spring 2017 Fall 2017 Ahmed Mohamed Hosam Alaa Abdel Ghany Badawy Mostafa Asim Fathy Mohammed Asmaa Ali Mohamed Ali Atta Mohamed Fawzy Shimaa Nour Eldin Selim Awni Naguib Hakim Dina Fekry Helmi Simon Joseph Ragy Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Doaa Gamal Abdelhamid Somia Sabour Abdel Radi Mohammed Saad Hani Qadri Abdelzaher Mostafa Ali Abdelkarim Hany Hamed Hashem Nadia Fawzy Elkourany Mena Fayek Youssef Nora Soliman Abd El Rahman Mina Atef Fawzy Randa Youssef Mohamed Saadallah Hassan Yasmeen Hosny Sameh Kamal Mohamed

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 5/23 The conservators from the above lists who participated during the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 work are: Fall 2017 Spring 2018 Ahmed Mohamed Hosam Ahmed Mohamed Hosam Alaa Abdel Ghany Badawi Alaa Abdel Ghany Badawy Asmaa Ali Mohamed Hani Qadri Abdelzaher Awni Naguib Hakim Hany Hamed Hashem Hani Qadri Abdelzaher Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Hany Hamed Hashem Mina Atef Fawzy Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Simon Joseph Ragy Mina Atef Fawzy Somia Sabour Abdel Radi Mohamed Saadallah Hassan Mostafa Ali Abdelkarim Ali Nadia Fawzy Elkourany Nora Soliman Abd El Rahman Sameh Kamal Mohamed

The course: The course was divided into two parts: a theoretical part and the practical part. During the theoretical part the following topics were discussed: - Introduction to ARCE’s work - Overview of the Red Monastery’s history, art and architecture and a summary of ARCE’s conservation efforts there - The values of heritage and why we conserve it - The factors affecting heritage - Heritage documentation and its importance - The conservation charters (with focus on the Venice Charter) - Case studies of other heritage conservation and management projects - World Heritage and its Outstanding Universal Value Visits to the White Monastery and to Akhmim were organized, where history, art and architecture were discussed as well as conservation issues of both sites.

The theoretical course was carried out through lectures, on site discussions and exercises at the Red Monastery. Among the activities carried out were: - The conservators were asked to prepare their own presentations about the factors affecting the sites they work on; this was followed by the conservators presenting their work and discussing possible solutions to the problems they have and how they could better protect and manage their respective sites. - The conservators were given the task to draw elevations and sections of the Red Monastery. This was the first time for some of them to do such an exercise. This was beneficial exercise as it allowed them to better understand how to read drawings and how to observe a façade, its architectural details and also the damage that it faced. - The conservators were asked to read the Venice Charter in English and in Arabic and through discussions they were asked to find relevant examples in their work, where the concepts and ideas of the charter would apply. This was followed by discussion related to ARCE’s work at the Red Monastery, explaining why certain conservation and restoration decisions were taken and how they relate to articles of the conservation charters and recommendations.

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 6/23 - During the first course the English knowledge of the participants was good, so they were given an article written by Michael Jones entitled “Rehabilitating a Late Antique Mural Painting at the Red Monastery, Sohag” in ed. Ayad, Studies in Coptic Culture, AUC Press, 2016. The concepts of the article were also discussed during the second and third courses. Generally, the participants were encouraged to improve their English knowledge in order to be able to carry out research of non- Arabic sources. In addition, their attention was drawn to Arabic sources relevant to the field of cultural heritage conservation and management. - The topic of World Heritage and its Outstanding Universal Value was also among the important topics explained to the participants, as some of them have never been introduced to the topic. - A number of conservators from Minia, Sohag and Aswan had ideas about projects they wanted to implement in their respective sites and have been looking for different funding sources from ARCE (such as the Antiquities Endowment Fund) and from the US Ambassador Fund for Cultural Preservation among others. As part of the capacity building course, the conservators were provided with some information on how to prepare such an application. What became, however, clear is that several employees from the Ministry of Antiquities would like to receive intensive training on how to search for funding sources for their projects as well as for individual study scholarships, and then how to prepare proper applications.

Presentation of the training at the Ministry of Antiquities: The department of training and capacity building of the Ministry of Antiquities has organized in May 2017 a one-day workshop, where different conservators who took training with foreign missions presented their work. Two conservators who participated in ARCE’s training at the Red Monastery were selected by the Ministry to present their experiences. These were: Nadia Fawzy (Fall 2016 training session) and Doaa Gamal Abdelhamid (Spring 2017 training session). The two conservators discussed what they wanted to present with the consultant and asked for photos for their presentations. Members from different institutions –including ARCE- attended this meeting.

Final remarks: The theoretical and practical conservation course carried out by the consultant and the Italian conservators was a special opportunity for the Egyptian conservators from Upper Egypt (Sohag, Minia and Aswan) working for the Ministry of Antiquities.

The methodology of the theoretical part of the course through exercises, research and discussions allowed the participants to develop their capacities. It gave them the chance to discuss important conservation theories and concepts and be acquainted with other conservation projects in Egypt and abroad.

The practical part of the course allowed the Egyptian conservators to work closely with the Italian conservators and be exposed to new work techniques and methodologies. The Egyptian conservators demonstrated seriousness and good working skills, leading to excellent work collaboration between them and the Italian conservators.

Generally, the course encouraged the conservators to take initiatives for their respective sites in terms of conservation, restoration and community participation.

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 7/23

In Luxor: Interviewing conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities for the painting conservation course Photo by: Dina Bakhoum

In Luxor: Interviewing conservators from the Ministry of Antiquities for the painting conservation course

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Michael Jones introducing ARCE’s project to the conservators Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

At the beginning of the course, the consultant (Dina Bakhoum) provides the conservators with a number of questions regarding heritage and conservation. The conservators answering the questions. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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Group photo while visiting the White Monastery Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

Visiting the White Monastery: Michael Jones explaining the architecture to the trainees Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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The consultant (Dina Bakhoum) presenting to the conservators the topic of World Heritage and its Outstanding Universal Value. April 2018

The conservators are asked to give presentations to their fellow colleagues. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, April 2018

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A conservator from the Ministry of Antiquities discussing the conservation issues of the site he works Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

A conservator from the Ministry of Antiquities discussing the factors affecting heritage Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

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The consultant (Dina Bakhoum) and the trainees while reading and discussing the Venice Charter November 2016

The trainees while reading and discussing the Venice Charter Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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The consultant (Dina Bakhoum) introducing the conservators to sketching a façade and an elevation November 2016

During the sketching exercise Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

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During the sketching exercise Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

During the sketching exercise Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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The first sketches Photo by Dina Bakhoum, November 2016

The first sketches Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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ARCE’s consultant (Dina Bakhoum) clarifying some of the conservation concepts Photo by Matjaž Kačičnik © ARCE, December 2016

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Emiliano Ricchi and Dina Bakhoum presenting some conservation concepts to the trainees March 2017

The trainees observing the conservation work carried out by the Italian conservators Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

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Alberto Sucato explaining some theoretical aspects of the work to the some of the Egyptian conservators and trainees from the Ministry of Antiquities. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, April 2018

Alberto Sucato explaining some theoretical aspects of the work to the Egyptian conservators and trainees from the Ministry of Antiquities. Some of the discussions are facilitated by ARCE’s consultant. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, April 2018

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Alberto Sucato explaining some of the earlier conservation work in the church to the Egyptian conservators and trainees from the Ministry of Antiquities. Some of the discussions are facilitated by ARCE’s consultant. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

Emiliano Ricchi explaining some of the earlier conservation work in the church to the Egyptian conservators and trainees from the Ministry of Antiquities. Some of the discussions are facilitated by ARCE’s consultant. Photo by Dina Bakhoum, March 2017

Report by Dina Bakhoum, June 2018 20/23 The practical part of the course is not covered in this report. Below are, however, some photos of the training conducted by the Italian conservators and the work carried out by the Egyptian conservators.