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Egypt’s Minister of Tourism & Antiquities Khaled el-Enani inaugurated a temporary exhibition titled “Glorified Souls: Honoring Ancestors in Egypt through the Ages” at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir in the presence of Nicole Champagne, deputy chief of the American Mission at the US Embassy in Cairo.

The inauguration was also attended by CEO of the American Research Center in Egypt Louis Bertini, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri, and Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Sabah Abdel Razek, in addition to a number of public figures and officials from the ministry and the American Research Center in Egypt.

This temporary exhibition comes as a result of the cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, the American Research Center in Egypt and the American University in Cairo. It will run for three months until February 9, 2022.

The exhibition aims to shed light on the veneration customs in Egypt through different historical eras, from ancient Egypt to the present time, using the diverse evidence available in texts and images, displaying 41 artifacts selected from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Coptic Museum in Old Cairo and Museum of Islamic Art in Bab Al-Khalq.

he exhibition reveals who was venerated in Egypt and how through the different eras the dead were glorified. The exhibition highlights who the venerated deceased was, why he/she was glorified and how. It also traces the traditions linking the previous eras with the current era by displaying a number of artifacts.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, a three-day conference will be organized, starting November 10, at AUC's Tahrir Cultural Center, during which several discussion sessions and seminars will be held, to academic studies focusing on current practices of the veneration of ancestors, which may be traced back to Ancient Egypt.

During the exhibition and conference, the American Research Center in Egypt reveals the personalities honored by Egyptians and ways they have been honored.

In ancient Egypt, for instance, kings and individuals of eminence were venerated by the whole society, while in Christianity, veneration went mainly to the Holy Family, the saints, and fewer prominent members of society. In Islam, all the prophets, the prophet’s family members, and the righteous guardians of God are glorified.

Source: Egypt Today