Cairo Chronicles Part 2: Conference Conversations
The final three days of Ilse’s and Theresa’s Cairo trip were devoted to the 20th EHG conference, co-convened by the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo and the American University in Cairo (AUC). Hosted in the stunning Oriental Hall at the Tahrir Campus – its gilded ceiling, muqarnas vaults, and ornament providing a fitting setting – the conference tackled the theme of “Historicisms in Islamic Art.”
The event opened with a graduate student meeting and the MA thesis award presentation, followed by a keynote panel in which scholars debated the definitions and complexities of historicism. The second day focused on architecture, arts and crafts, and 20th-century art, while the third covered topics ranging from decorative media and 19th-century revivals to Persian art and modern architecture.
In the penultimate panel, Theresa presented her latest findings on a Būstān manuscript held at the Fitzwilliam Museum (MS 261-1949). She revealed that not only was its text written on coloured and gold-dusted paper, but its figural margins – long attributed to the early 17th century – can now be securely dated to the early 20th century. This reinterpretation challenges previous assumptions and sheds new light on the ongoing relevance and reuse of historic forms well into the modern era.
One evening, Ilse and Theresa participated in a tour of Bayt Yakan by the owner Dr. Alaa Al-Habasi, who bought the house in 2009, when it was referred to as a garbage dump and butcher shop. Together with his wife, he started a large-scale restoration process, the results of which are beautifully visible. Then, the whole group had a delicious dinner in the courtyard – what a great way to finish the day!
Looking Ahead
The trip to Cairo was an enriching and well-rounded experience – an inspiring combination of past and present, archival and architectural, decorative and devotional. With so much more to explore, particularly in Dar al-Kutub’s vast holdings, Ilse and Theresa are already planning a return visit.
Stay tuned for more discoveries as GLOBAL DECO PAPER continues to trace the material and visual history of decorated paper across the Islamic world.