His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the President of Ain Shams University inaugurates the activities of the First International Conference on Coptic Archeology

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, and Dr. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, inaugurated the first International Conference on Coptic Archeology (Language - Architecture - Arts - Manuscripts) organized by the Faculty of Archeology at Ain Shams University in cooperation with the Coptic Antiquities Association and the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo. In the ceremonial hall of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University.

In the presence of Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Dr. Mamdouh El-Damaty, former Minister of Antiquities and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Archeology, Prof. Dr. Hossam Tantawi, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Archeology and Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Lauren Colon, Director of the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo, Prof. Dr. Murad Wahba, Vice President of the Coptic Antiquities Association, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Shawki, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Archeology for Graduate Studies and Research Affairs, the General Supervisor of the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector at the College, and a group of researchers and faculty staff.

In his speech, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II expressed his great happiness at his presence at Ain Shams University to participate in the opening of the conference, saluting Ain Shams University, which was able to bring together the Coptic Antiquities Association and the French Institute of Oriental Archeology.

He stressed that the Egyptian civilization is rich and we can represent it in a book full of pages and rich in history, and this conference focuses on a page in the history of Egypt that is the page of the Coptic civilization.

He added that the Egyptian civilization extended throughout history in different stages, starting with the Pharaonic civilization, then the Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic civilizations, then the Arab and African civilizations, and extending to the civilizations of the Mediterranean.

He stressed that the interest in civilization is an interest in the roots, for antiquities are our true roots, and this cooperation between local and international bodies and Ain Shams University is an interest that shows the value of Egypt among the countries of the world, noting that the conference confirms that Egypt has distinction and civilized uniqueness, which represents a cultural and civilizational stock for the Egyptian people that we derive It includes a system of spiritual, civilized and patriotic values ​​and principles to consolidate the foundations of peaceful coexistence, and this cultural richness indicates the will of a people who made a glorious history and an ancient civilization and is able to build their present and bright future.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros also spoke about the characteristics of the Egyptian personality, as it is a deeply rooted personality in the history that extends over seven thousand years. These deep roots give us a deep cultural identity and give us solidity and stability.

His Holiness stressed the interest of the political leadership, the government, Egyptian institutions and all bodies concerned with cultural heritage in general, and the Coptic heritage and Coptic civilization, as they are an integral part of Egyptian history and a component of the Egyptian heritage, culture and civilization, and that the Coptic language is the key that contributed to solving the symbols of the Rosetta Stone. It is still used even in the names of some cities.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II expressed his happiness with the Egyptian state’s interest in the path of the Holy Family’s journey, which extends east, west, north and south, and is unique to Egypt among the countries of the world. To 3 years, 6 months and 10 days, they visited many places and in many pictures, which represents a blessing for the land of Egypt on the religious, spiritual, tourist or economic level, and Egypt is unique to it without the countries of the world, as it is always a refuge and a country of safety.

He added that this conference emphasizes the richness and diversity of Coptic antiquities, some of which are stable such as monasteries, churches and others, pointing out that in Egypt there are a large number of monasteries, and the word al-Amrah means monastic life, whether monasteries of monks in the desert or monasteries of nuns on the outskirts of cities.

Coptic antiquities are spread in many places in Egypt and outside Egypt, in Ireland there is the Church of the Seven Coptic Monks and in Munich in Germany we find that the official seal of the Munich municipality is a picture of three Among the Copts who were martyred there and in Switzerland, and in a town near Zurich, there is Al-Qudsiyah Frenia, a Coptic nurse from Upper Egypt who accompanied the Theban battalion (relative to Thebes) and was martyred there. And a comb in the other hand, for she is the one who taught the West to bathe with water and comb the hair.

Professor Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of the University, started his speech by welcoming His Holiness Pope Tawadros, stressing that His Holiness’s participation in the conference is a clear indication of the seriousness of the conference and that its results and recommendations will represent a new addition in the field of heritage preservation.

Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Meteini expressed his happiness at the inauguration of this conference, which was devoted to the study of an important and precious era in the history of our beloved Egypt, pointing out that the conference is a product of cooperation between the fledgling Faculty of Archeology, the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo and the Coptic Antiquities Association, pointing out that the conference confirms the path that Ain Shams University and all its institutions have previously taken care of preserving Egypt's heritage through its different eras, which is in line with the university's strategic plan and Egypt's Vision 2030, which contributes to providing a better understanding of the Egyptian personality, which is the product of the accumulation of experiences and cultures since before history until now.

Dr. El-Meteini said that one of the manifestations of the university’s interest in providing better ways to study the antiquities of our beloved Egypt is to carry out organized scientific excavations in various Egyptian archaeological sites, such as the excavations of Arab Al-Hosn in the Matareya area in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, a site for ancient Egyptian antiquities, and the excavations of Sheikh Al-Arab Hammam in the governorate Qena, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo, is a site for Islamic antiquities.

He explained that dedicating this conference to the study of Coptic antiquities confirms the extent of Ain Shams University's interest in studying all ancient Egyptian periods, noting that it is remarkable that one of the most important characteristics of the Coptic heritage is that it was a direct product and an original part of our ancient Egyptian civilizations. We find ourselves immersing more and more in understanding our heritage, civilizations and ourselves, and this is not limited to archeology only, but its impact extends to literature, customs and traditions.

Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini presented the rich agenda of the conference and the participations from inside and outside Egypt, where researchers from the Netherlands, France and Canada will participate in the conference, pointing out that 129 research papers were submitted to the conference, 45 of them were chosen to be discussed during the three-day conference.

In the speech of Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, he stressed that Egypt is the cradle of civilizations and the crossroads of cultures, and no country in the world has witnessed the civilizational and cultural diversity that Egypt witnessed. Egypt was the cradle of the Pharaonic civilization and the incubator of the Greek and Roman civilization, and after Coptic civilization, And the protector of Islamic civilization, and this diversity has resulted in a huge number of antiquities, new ones are constantly being discovered.

He added that with the great importance the Egyptian state attaches to antiquities, and raising the archaeological and cultural awareness of all the Egyptian people, we need more studies related to various archaeological topics such as arts, architecture, language and manuscripts, in order to unveil the treasures of the Egyptian civilization and how they contributed to the formation of the Egyptian man and how he interacted with her and how it affected and affected her.

He added that this conference comes to emphasize the interest of the university's sectors and colleges in communicating with the community and paying attention to its issues, while highlighting the useful research interests. Researchers inside and outside Egypt, stressing that the sector is ready to cooperate with all Coptic institutions and that this is in line with the research plan of Ain Shams University and its belief in its role in this field.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Hussam Tantawi, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Archeology, thanks and gratitude to all the honorable guests of the faculty and university for honoring the first International Conference on Coptic Archeology, especially His Holiness Pope Tawadros II. This conference presents you a vivid image of this love that has brought joy to the hearts of all your lovers and those who love Coptic studies in Egypt and the world. It is not hidden from everyone that your presence reflects the care and concern of your Holiness for science and scholars.

Prof. Dr. Hossam Tantawy praised the great support and continuous support that the Faculty of Archeology found from the first moment of its establishment to this conference from the university administration represented by Prof. Thanks are also due to the business partners of the Society of Coptic Antiquities and the French Institute of Oriental Archeology for accepting the invitation to participate in this conference and for their full cooperation and continuous support throughout the preparation for it and the organization of its activities.

Also Dr. Tantawi thanked the organizing committee and all the work battalion led by Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Showky, the conference’s president and vice-dean for graduate studies and research affairs, for their role in organizing and managing the conference.

He also thanked Dr. Nora Muhammad Hussein, a teacher at the Faculty of Archeology, who had the idea, striving and working until this moment, a. Nabil Farouk of the Coptic Antiquities Society.

Prof. Dr. Ahmed El-Shawky, Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Research Affairs and President, explained that the first International Coptic Archeology Conference (Language - Architecture - Arts - Manuscripts), is an attempt to understand, interpret and track everything new in the field of Coptic antiquities, which is characterized by its diversity and richness as a witness to an important stage of our Egyptian civilization ancient.

He added that since the first day of this conference, different teams and committees were formed, whose first concern was to plan to bring it out in a dress that befits the status of the Coptic heritage and the importance of what it represents in the civilization of our beloved Egypt through the ages. Its management is the Faculty of Archeology, Ain Shams University, the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo, and the Coptic Antiquities Association.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Shouki pointed out that as soon as this conference was announced, the number of advanced research papers increased to more than 120 papers, which represented a great challenge for the scientific committee to choose the best and commensurate with the objectives of the conference.

At the end of the opening session of the conference, Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Meteini honored His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, Prof. Dr. Mamdouh El-Damaty, former Minister of Antiquities and former Dean of the Faculty of Archeology, Prof. Dr. Lauren Colon, Director of the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo, Prof. Dr. Murad Wahba, Vice President of the Coptic Antiquities Association.

It is worth mentioning that the conference will be held from September 24-26, 2022. The first day of the conference will be held at Ain Shams University, the second day will be at the French Institute of Oriental Archeology, and the third day will be held at the Coptic Antiquities Association. The conference will discuss a number of topics and issues, including: For the Egyptians, the impact of environment and time on Coptic antiquities, the development of language, architecture, arts and Coptic manuscripts, Coptic antiquities between influence and influence and other important topics.