Monica Hanna is Egyptology's equivalent of a rights campaigner.
The 42-year-old is feisty, articulate and with a disarming smile; tools she uses to fuel her drive to rid Egyptology from the shackles of a colonial legacy embraced by westerners as well as Egyptians.
Her views on where Egyptology should be in the 21st century are meticulously laid out in her first book, The Future of Egyptology, a compelling, 126-page read in English that exposes the murky and dark side of a discipline that has mostly been the exclusive domain of scholars and adventurers of European heritage since its inception in the early years of the 19th century.
Ms Hanna's activism to reform Egyptology predates the publication of her book this summer.
She has been a key member of campaigns to repatriate two high-profile Egyptian artefacts: The Nefertiti bust that is kept in Berlin's Neues Museum and the Rosetta Stone, on display at the British Museum in London.
At home, Ms Hanna is quietly campaigning to rid the field of corruption and neglect along with what she sees as the unjustified and crippling dominance of money-seeking "archaeology celebrities".
"My book is not an attempt to address the West. I want to speak to Egypt, our people. We need to decolonise ourselves before we ask the West to decolonise themselves," she told The National in an interview.
"We want to make Egyptology more democratic by making it more accessible and by making archaeological knowledge more accessible. There is a lack of Arabic in archaeology and that in turn limits access," she said as she sipped from a cup of coffee at a busy cafe in Cairo's affluent Heliopolis suburb.
Already, she explained, Egyptians have become much more aware of their heritage since the 2011 uprising that toppled autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak, a momentous event that reshaped the mindset of a nation long suppressed by authoritarian regimes.
It is a shift of attitude that may have been helped in large part by the danger sensed by many Egyptians when some museums housing ancient artefacts were subjected to looting and vandalism during the months and years of lawlessness that followed the uprising.
Visitors to museums and tour operators provide evidence of that new attitude. They report a significant increase in the number of Egyptians frequenting them over the past decade − a far cry from the days when visitors were mostly foreign tourists.
But Ms Hanna believes there is still a long way to go before Egyptians can take their rightful place as the legitimate and principal owners of a discipline devoted to their very own civilisation.
"What Egyptians, of every social level and identity, have to say about their history remains marginalised, as are they," she laments in The Future of Egyptology, the Arabic edition of which preceded the English translation.
"In western European thought that emerged over the 18th century, the modern inhabitants of Egypt were deemed incapable of understanding its ancient past, much less appreciating and caring for it," she continued.
"[The book] is not the final word on the topic. Other books will be written in response and a dialogue will be created," mused Ms Hanna, an Egyptology graduate of the prestigious American University in Cairo who went on to obtain a PhD from the University of Pisa at the relatively young age of 27.
"Decolonising the discipline is essential, but equally important is calling out officials' post-colonial praxis in current Egyptology," she wrote, arguing that authorities often refuse permits for community and public archaeology projects while favouring western archaeological missions for monetary gains.
Stinging and eye-opening, her argument in the book for a more democratic and less colonialised Egyptology is not the only weapon in her arsenal as she seeks a place for Egyptians in a discipline from which they have, to all practical purposes, been sidelined or totally excluded.
Many are sceptical of whether the campaign to bring home the Nefertiti bust and the Rosetta Stone will bear fruit − perhaps not for lack of trying as much as the perseverance of the colonial mindset that took them out of Egypt in the first place.
Moreover, the pair are viewed as among the major attractions of the museums where they are on display, attracting millions of visitors every year.
But to Ms Hanna, there is hope for them to return home. The argument for their return, she insists, is at once both simple and compelling.
"There is a realistic hope that we will eventually get them back. Why? Because they are ours," she said emphatically, though with a grin.
"I can see a significant shift in opinion with the young generation in the West leading the way," she said. "They see them in their museums as looted and find that unacceptable. The older generations, in contrast, see them as part of their colonial pride," according to Ms Hanna.
The bust of Queen Nefertiti − wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten − is more than just an artefact to Ms Hanna. The sculpture, which dates back almost 3,400 years, was taken from Egypt by Ludwig Borchardt, the German archaeologist who unearthed it in 1912 in Minya, the central Egyptian province where Ms Hanna was born, raised and fell in love with Egyptology.
Home to some of Egypt's majestic yet infrequently visited ancient Egyptian sites, Minya could benefit from the return of the bust, according to Ms Hanna.
“It should go back to Minya and then it would change the whole face of Minya and the whole area would be open for better tourism," she wrote several years ago in her research paper Contesting the Lonely Queen.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
More on animal trafficking
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
