12TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF COPTIC STUDIESBRUSSELS, 11-16 JULY 2022
5th circular, 24 June 2022
In three weeks, following a period of uncertainty that has certainly weighed on you, we will have thepleasure of welcoming you in person to the 12th Congress of Coptic Studies in Brussels. Like you, weare delighted to be able to finally meet face to face and partake in an intellectual exchange in a safer andmore interactive space. In this final circular, we would like to summarize some practical information.
1. VENUE
1.1. Arriving
The conference will be held on the Solbosch campus of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). The
campus is easily accessible by public transportation from the center of Brussels, major train stations andairports.
To get around Brussels, you can use the STIB (Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company) withthe appropriate tickets. Tramways, buses and subways are equipped with small machines that allow you
to pay contactless with your bank card (if your bank card allows it), your smartphone or your connectedwatch. The price of a ticket for a one-hour trip is €2.10, regardless of your destination within Brussels(NB: this does not apply to the trip from the airport, which requires a different ticket). If you travel morethan three times in one day, you only pay a maximum of €7.50. You can also buy paper tickets (whichare more expensive) at the various machines at bus, tramway and subway stops and stations, or at kiosks.
All information about public transportation in Brussels can be found on the STIB website:
https://www.stib-mivb.be/index.htm?l=en.
Please note that the closest stops to the congress venue are: “ULB” and “Cimetière d’Ixelles”, locatedin sector G7 on the STIB map that can be downloaded via the following link: https://www.stibmivb.be/irj/go/km/docs/WEBSITE_RES/Attachments/Network/Plan/Net_Reseau/SCHM_Plan_ACTU.pdf. The campus is right at the ULB stop and about a ten-minute walk away from Cimetière d’Ixelles.
Below is a map of the Solbosch campus and STIB stops in the vicinity.

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From the airport
If you are coming directly from the airport, the easiest and cheapest way to arrive at the University
is to catch Bus 12 (STIB) at the bus stop “Brussels Airport” and to get off at stop “Meiser” (about a 20min ride); there, you can catch Tram 25, and get off at the stop “ULB” (another 20 mins). With Bus 12,
you can also get off at the stop “Luxembourg” (about 25 mins), and then take the Bus 95 and get off at
the stop “Cimetière d’Ixelles” (about 20 mins).
You can also travel by train from the airport (direction Dinant), and stop at the train station“Etterbeek” (a 30 min ride), then take Tram 25 (direction Boondael) and stop at “ULB” (15 min). Please
be aware that there is no elevator or escalator at Etterbeek station.
From train stations “Bruxelles-Midi” or “Bruxelles-Central”
If you are arriving by train, you will arrive either at “Bruxelles-Midi” or at “Bruxelles-Central” Fromstation “Bruxelles-Midi”, catch the Metro line 2 or 6 (towards “Elisabeth”) and get off at stop “Louise”(5 min), then take Tram 8 (direction “Roodebeek”) and get off at “ULB” (20 min). From “BruxellesCentral”, take Bus 71 (direction “Delta”) and get off at “ULB” (30 min).
From the recommended hotels
NB: the following applies to travel from Monday-Saturday.
From Hôtel Argus (Rue Capitaine Crespel 6, 1050 Ixelles) – Walk to stop “Louise” and take
Tram 8 towards “Roodebeek”, then get off at stop “ULB” (20 min).
From Hotel Barsey by Warwick (Avenue Louise 381-383, 1050 Ixelles) – Walk to stop“Abbaye” and take Tram 8 towards “Roodebeek”, then get off at stop “ULB” (10 min).
From Hôtel le Berger (Rue du Berger 24, 1050 Ixelles) – Walk to the “Avenue Louise” until you
arrive to stop “Louise”, where you can take Tram 8 towards “Roodebeek”, then get off at stop
“Solbosch” (20 min). You can also walk towards the “Chaussée d’Ixelles”, and catch Bus 71 at stop
“Quartier Saint-Boniface”. Get off at stop “ULB”.
From Hôtel Ibis Brussels Centre Châtelain (Chaussée de Vleurgat 191, 1050 Ixelles) – Walk
to stop “Bailli” and take Tram 8 towards “Roodebeek”, then get off at stop “ULB” (10 min).
Form Hôtel Jardin secret (Rue du Berger 22, 1050 Ixelles) – Walk towards the “Chausséed’Ixelles”, from where you can take Bus 71 at stop “Quartier Saint-Boniface”, the get off at stop“ULB” (20 min). You can also walk to the “Avenue Louise” until you arrive to stop “Louise”, where
you will take Tram 8 towards “Roodebeek”, then get off at stop “ULB” (20 min).
From Auberge des 3 Fontaines (Chaussée de Wavre 2057, 1160 Auderghem) – Take Bus 72 at
stop “Adeps”, and get off at stop “ULB” (40 min).
By carIn case you need a taxi, here are the links to the main Brussels taxi companies:
https://taxisverts.be/fr/particulier/ and https://taxisbleus.be/index.php/fr/.
A temporary parking permit will be granted to those of you arriving by car. This car park is locatedin the immediate vicinity of the S- and K-buildings. It can be accessed via Avenue F.D. Roosevelt(entrance 11 on the map) or via Avenue Buyl (entrance 1 on the map). Please write toAlain.Delattre@ulb.be who will send you a form to be filled in.

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1.2. Congress location
The congress sessions will take place in 6 rooms, spread over two buildings located on the campusof the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Below is a ULB campus map.

The S-building- The Dupréel room on the 1st floor, renamed “Alexandria” for the duration of the congress, will
host the plenary papers and the opening speeches.
- In the same building, the Baugniet room, renamed “Philae”, will host one of the thematic sessions.
- On site registration will be located on the ground floor of the main hall of the building on Mondaymorning.
The K-Building:- The ground floor hall will be the main location for coffee breaks, books and poster exhibitions.
- On level 3, you will find the rooms K.3.201, K.3.401 and K.3.601, renamed “Atripe,” “Bawit”
and “Djeme” for the duration of the congress.
- On level 4, you will find the rooms K.4.201 and K.4.401, renamed “Kellia” and “Qalamun” forthe duration of the congress.

On the left: the S-building
On the right: the K-building3

2. REGISTRATIONOn arrival, participants will receive a bag containing their name tag, the printed programme, thebooklet containing paper abstracts. On Monday 11 July, from 7.30 am to 9.00 am, those who have notyet paid their registration fees will be invited to provide payment. As no card payment will be possibleon the day of the congress, participants will have to pay any outstanding fees in cash only.
Participants who were granted scholarships will receive them on Monday at 4 pm. (after deductionof the registration fee, if it has not yet been paid).
We remind you that only those who are registered will be authorized to take part in the congress andthe various associated events.
3. PROGRAMME AND CONGRESSThe final programme is now available at https://lla.ulb.be/program.html. Those of you wishing toattend the session “Digital Coptic” on Thursday are kindly asked to write in advance to e.lincke@fuberlin.de.
The plenary papers take place in the “Alexandria”
room in the S-building, between 9 and 10.30 am. A
number of them will also be available online; links
to those will be provided (with Microsoft Teams). Inaddition, the bibliographies related to the different
plenary papers will also be available on the congress
website on July 2.
The regular sessions will take place in the six
abovementioned rooms: one in the “Philae” room inthe S-building, and the other five in the “Atripe,”“Bawit,” “Djeme,” “Kellia” and “Qalamun” rooms,
situated in the K-building.
“Alexandria” room

Each speaker will have 20 minutes to speak, followed by 5 minutes of questions and discussion. For
the sake of the event schedule and to allow time to those who wish to navigate between different sessions
and rooms, we insist on strict adherence to the time allotted. The chairmen and -women will help ensure
timely delivery of papers by means of a coloured sheets system: a green sheet will be placed in front of
the speaker after 15 minutes, an orange sheet after 18 minutes and a red sheet after 20 minutes.
Those who want to project a slide presentation on the screen should save it in PDF format on a
USB stick and install it, in advance, on the room’s computer. Those who wish to circulate a handout
should bring their own prints.
Each day will be punctuated by three breaks. Two 30 minutes-coffee breaks will take place every
day at 10:30 and 16:00 (16:30 on Thursday 14/7), during which all participants are invited to partake ofcoffee, tea and refreshments, as well as some well-deserved sweets. A 90-minutes lunch break will takeplace every day at 12:30 (13:00 on Thursday 14/7). Please see section 4, below, for lunch options. Please
note that lunch is not included in the congress registration.
It should also be noted that several publishing houses (Peeters, Brepols, Brill, De Boccard,Association égyptologique Reine Élisabeth, Association des Amis du Centre d’Histoire et Civilisationde Byzance) have agreed to attend the congress to present their publications related to our studies. Thisbook exhibition will take place every day in the hall of the K-building.
The IACS Business meeting (for IACS members only) will be held on Saturday morning from 10
am in the “Alexandria Room.” Please contact Stephen Emmel (emmstel@uni-muenster.de) if you haveany questions about the meeting.
44. LUNCH BREAKSFor lunch breaks, you will find a range ofoptions in the neighborhood.
The university restaurant, which is locatedon the 1st floor of the F1 building, will be open
every day at lunchtime. The entrance is locatedat the center of the building (see arrow on themap below). The restaurant offers a variety ofdishes, including vegetarian options, at areasonable price.
Not far from the K-building, you will alsofind the small “Le Picwick-la Braisiere”
brasserie (Avenue Adolphe Buyl 79), see
http://le-pickwick-labrasserie.lafourchette.rest/fr_FR/. To go to thisrestaurant, you can walk to Avenue Buyl; therestaurant is located at the campus exit on theleft-hand side (see red arrow on the map).
In addition, the university neighborhood offers various possibilities for eating out, for all budgets,and in particular in the area known as the “Cimetière d’Ixelles.” You can get there on foot (10 min.),but you can also get there by taking the bus 71 towards “Delta” and getting off at the next stop
“Cimetière d’Ixelles.” Please see below for a cursory list of lunch options:
Restaurants:- La Bastoche (Chaussée de Boondael 473), see: https://www.lesorganisateurs.be/bastoche.
- La Bécasse (Chaussée de Boondael 476), see: https://la-becasse.com/en.
- Mirabelle (Chaussée de Boondael 459), see: http://www.mirabelle.be/.
- Be Burger (Chaussée de Boondael 469), see: https://beburger.be/fr-be/restaurants/beburgercimetiere-ixelles/.
- Makisu - Cimetière d’Ixelles (Chaussée de Boondael 472), see: https://www.makisu.be/.
Sandwiches & fast-food:- Exki Université (Avenue de l’Université 22).
- Le Pain quotidien Cimetière d’Ixelles (Chaussée de Boondael 479).
- Hector Chicken (Avenue de l’Université 29).
- Quick Boondael (Chaussée de Boondael 462).
Supermarkets:- Okay Compact Ixelles (Avenue de l’Université 16).
- Carrefour Carrefour market Boondael Ixelles (Chaussée de Boondael 444).
Finally, in the “Place de la Petite Suisse” area, also located ten minutes from the campus, you willfind many Asian restaurants, including:- Chez Fleur (Chaussée de Boondael 326), see https://www.chezfleur.be/chez-fleur/.
- L’Exodus (Chaussée de Boondael 360).

55. SOCIAL EVENTS
To celebrate our reunion, we have planned a series of events and visits to which you will have access,if you have paid the registration fees.
5.1 Cocktail party (12/7/2022)
A welcome cocktail party will be given in honor of all participants and attendees in the main hall ofthe S-building, just in front of the “Alexandria” room, on Tuesday 12 July, from 7 to 9 pm. We invite
you to enjoy a variety of freshly made sandwiches, accompanied by a variety of salty snacks andrefreshments.
5.2. Visit of the “Musée Art & Histoire” (13/7/2022)
At 2:30 pm. on Wednesday 13 July a visit to the “Musée Art & Histoire” is planned, which houses,
among others, an Egyptian collection and a small Coptic section. A short introduction by the museum’s
curators will take place in the Auditorium, followed by a free visit. The meeting point will be at theMuseum’s main entrance, at the following address: 10 Parc du Cinquantenaire, 1000 Brussels.
The quickest way to get thereby public transport is as follows.
Take tram 25 to the “ULB” stopin the direction of “Rogier” andget off at the “Montgomery” stop.
Then, take Avenue de Tervuren
for about 20 minutes to reach the“Parc du Cinquantenaire”. From“Montgomery”, you can also takethe subway 1 (direction “Gare del’Ouest”) and get off at the“Mérode” stop. From there, headtowards
theParcduCinquantenaire,takingtheAvenue des Gaulois, then the
Avenue des Nerviens. Theentrance will be on your right (seearrow on the map).

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5.3. Group picture (14/7/2022)
We invite you all to create a lasting memory of the congress, and our reunion following two years ofa challenging pandemic, with a group picture on Thursday 14 July at 1 pm, on the steps of the Kbuilding.
5.4. Congress dinner (14/7/2022)
A walking dinner will take place atthe “Chalet Robinson” on Thursday 14
July at 7.30 pm. The restaurant islocated on the island of the Bois de laCambre’s lake.
The lake is about 15 minutes away
by foot from the S-building. When you
exit the building, turn left and continue
walking until you reach the AvenueFranklin Roosevelt. Cross the boulevard
and take the Avenue Victoria, whichruns to the left along the Bois de laCambre. Walk for about 7 minutes on
this avenue and take the first road on theright (Avenue de l’Orée). At the end ofthe Avenue de l’Orée, turn left again
onto the Avenue de Flore (which turns
into Avenue de la Sapiniere) and headtowards the lake in front of you. After a
5-minute walk, you will see a pier on theedge of the lake.
If you are coming from one of the hotels located near the Avenue Louise, take tram 8 (direction“Roodebeek”) or 93 (direction “Legrand”) and get off at the “Legrand” stop. Head towards the Bois dela Cambre, which is in front of you. When you reach the woods, you will see two avenues, one to theleft and one to the right. Take the one on the right (“Avenue de Diane”) and follow it. After 15 minutes,
you will see the lake. Go to the pier.
To access the boat that will take you to the island of “Chalet Robinson”, you will need to bring yourbadge which will be checked by a doorkeeper. Only those who have been duly registered will be allowed
access to the island, which is booked for the occasion.
Discover this exceptional venue reserved for the congress dinner: https://chaletrobinson.be/.

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6. RELAXING IN GREEN AREAS
Several remarkable green spaces are located around the University, which may be worth a visit if theweather permits:- Abbaye de la Cambre (nice French gardens);- Bois de la Cambre and, on the island, the Chalet Robinson;- Cimetière d’Ixelles (beautiful 19th-century cemetery, with many trees).

8. COVID-19 INFORMATION
Since 23/5/2022, wearing a mask is not mandatory anymore in indoor spaces (except in pharmaciesand medical centres) and on public transportation in Belgium. All updates on the situation are available
at the following address: https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/.
All restrictions on arrival in Belgium (testing, quarantine) have been lifted since 23 May, as nocountry is currently on the list of “very high risk countries”: https://www.infocoronavirus.be/en/travels/.
9. WEATHER FORECAST
In general, the weather forecast is not bad for July in Brussels. Temperatures can easily vary, from
20 to 35 degrees celsius, with sometimes rain and thunderstorms. Don’t forget to bring a rain jacket orat least an umbrella, in addition to your summer clothes as it can rain suddenly.
Looking forward to welcoming you all in Brussels,
The organising committee
Alain DELATTRE, Élodie MAZY, Perrine PILETTE & Naïm VANTHIEGHEM

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