A cooperation protocol between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Ain Shams University to establish a museum in the ancient Zafaran Palace

Today, Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, signed a joint cooperation protocol between the Council and the University regarding the establishment of a museum in the archaeological ZafaranPalace located inside the university, in the presence of Prof. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr. Mamdouh El Damati, former Minister of Antiquities and former Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at Ain Shams University, and the members of the Council of Ain Shams University and Dr. Abu Bakr Ahmed Abdullah In charge of managing the work of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Dr. Jamal Mustafa, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities for Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Affairs.

Dr. Mostafa Waziri said that the signing of this protocol came out of the Supreme Council of Antiquities' keenness to highlight the Egyptian civilization and spread archaeological awareness among university students, indicating that visiting the museum will not be limited to Ain Shams University students only, but researchers and scholars from various Egyptian universities will be allowed to visit it to learn about the artifacts. The archaeological exhibited therein, as well as official visits to the university.

He added that the establishment of the educational museum came after the approval of the Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in accordance with the Antiquities Protection Law and its amendments and the decision of the Permanent Committee for Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities, which approved that the visit be free for all Egyptian university students, researchers and scholars, indicating that the museum is scheduled to open within the next few days.

For his part, Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, valued this cooperation, which will enrich the museum with artifacts, which supports the university's direction to grant the ZafaranPalace the heritage status it deserves and to present it to its visitors in the form of a heritage museum known as the reality of the palace, and even to have an educational museum for the university's children from Students, faculty members, staff and other visitors to Ain Shams University.

He added that the basement of the palace was chosen as a museum to display real artifacts as part of the university's educational role, while linking the museum to the ZafaranPalace and its story. A distinguished work team has developed the required vision according to the latest museum display methods.

While Professor Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the museum includes 167 artifacts that were selected from the stores of archaeological sites and Egyptian museums, including the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Kafr El-Sheikh, Islamic Art, Manial Palace and royal chariots, in addition to displaying a group of artifacts from the excavations of the mission. The Egyptian archeology of the university and working in the Arab Al-Hosn area.

He added that the exhibited pieces monitor ancient Egyptian history in its various historical eras, from the Pharaonic era to the modern era and the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Dr. Moamen Othman said that, according to the signed protocol, Ain Shams University, under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, will prepare the halls and curtains of the museum exhibition and the security system in accordance with the standards approved for the establishment of museums, to ensure compliance with safety and security standards for the artifacts contained in the museum.

Prof. Mamdouh El-Damaty, former Minister of Antiquities and former Dean of the Faculty of Archeology, Ain Shams University, explained that the Zafaran Palace Museum will include a distinguished collection of antiquities, represented in: First: displaying a collection of antiquities borrowed from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, namely: 1. A collection of Egyptian antiquities discovered by a university mission Ain Shams archaeological site in Arab Al-Hosn in Al-Matareya.

2. Some ancient Egyptian antiquities from the collections of the Egyptian Museum and Kafr El-Sheikh Museum.

3. Some archaeological holdings from the Islamic era and the era of the Muhammad Ali family, from the Kafr El-Sheikh Museum and the Manial Palace Museum.

Second: Ain Shams University's collection of papyrus and currency from the Greek, Roman and Islamic eras, as well as heritage manuscripts from the university's library.