Mamdouh Eldamaty

Mamdouh Mohamed Gad Eldamaty (; born December 6, 1961 in Cairo) is Professor of Egyptology at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University in Cairo. On May 15, 2011, he became Cultural Counselor and Head of Educational Mission at the Embassy of Egypt in Berlin.

Early life and education
He attended high school in Cairo. In 1979, he registered at the Faculty of Archeology, Cairo University. In July 1981, he was looking for a summer job as a student. He went to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and met with Dr. Mohamed Saleh, the vice director of the museum. He worked there for one month. In summer 1982, he worked at the museum again for a summer student job. He did work that brought him in contact with all departments of the museum. In 1983, he graduated at the Faculty of Archeology, Cairo University.

After his graduation, he worked again for the museum for one month for free. After that, he joined the restoration team of the Coptic Museum for several months. In January 1984, he started his 15 month long conscription service. He worked at the museum again from April 1985 to September 1987. He rejoined his Faculty at Cairo University to resume higher studies. The thesis of his Master's Degree was "St- Meskhnet hall at Dendara Temple, linguistic and cultural study" under supervision of Prof. Abdelhalim Noureldin and partnership of Dr. Ola El-Aguizy.

Through his work at the Museum he became acquainted to many Egyptologists and archaeologists who visited the Museum. Among those was Prof. Erich Winter at Trier University, who along with his wife visited Egypt in 1987 and were accompanied by the young Mamdouh Eldamaty during their 3-day visit to Siwa Oasis. This new contact proved to be quite useful as Prof. Winter encouraged the young Egyptologist to continue his studies under his supervision at the Department of Egyptology at Trier University.

In October 1988 he worked as a curator at Faculty of Archaeology Museum of Cairo University. During his work he got his Master Degree in April 1989 in Egyptology from the same faculty. Immediately he left Egypt for Germany on leave to prepare his PhD. 
Trying his luck without any state sponsored scholarship it was rather difficult to get an entry visa to study in Germany without guarantor. Thanks to the help and support of his Professor and guarantor, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Saleh, an entry visa was issued and he started his German courses at Cologne University as soon as he arrived to Germany. He supported his life by working during summer vacation. While in Cologne he held correspondence with Trier University. He got an acceptance from Trier University, which he joined from winter semester 1989/ 1990. He started his Trier residence by learning German until he acquired the ‘Prüfung zum Nachweis der Deutsch Sprachkenntnis’ that qualified him to regular study at the university. He registered for Egyptology as major subject with classical archaeology and ethnology as minor subject in summer semester 1991.

At the winter semester 1992/ 93 he registered for his PhD with thesis ‘Sokar- Osiris- Kapelle im Tempel von Dendera’ for which he received a study scholarship from Ministry of Culture at Rhineland Palatia that enabled him to conclude his study in June 1995. 
During his stay in Germany, on February 26th 1992 he married Aida Abdelghany Ahmed, who studied sociology at Zagazig University. She accompanied him to Germany where gave birth to their first daughter, Mariam (11.Feb. 1993) in Trier.

Having concluded his PhD, he returned to Egypt in September 1995 but kept visiting Trier frequently in the years 1996, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2007 in order to follow recent publications and studies on Egyptology.
Back in Cairo, where the family got a son and another daughter, he resumed his work for the Faculty’s Museum until January 1996.

Starting from January 1996 he started as lecturer for Egyptology at Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Cairo University, Fayoum Branch. Upon founding an archaeological department at the Faculty of arts, Ain Shams University in August 1998, he moved to the new department as a lecturer for Egyptology until end of 2001.

Career

Director General of Egyptian Museum in Cairo
At the beginning of 2001 he was appointed Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a post that he held until End of January 2004.

During his directorship the Museum witnessed several far reaching activities, developing its cellar (April 2001), restoration of old records of the Museum (May 2001),  preparing for the second chamber for royal mummies (June 2001) and establishing restoration laboratory for papyrus, in cooperation with Corrado Basile, Director of Istituto Internazionale del Papiro, Siracusa in Italy (March 2003).

In July 2001 he laid forward a concept for the centennial of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which included several projects to promote and develop the old institution. This concept was approved by Dr. Gaballa Ali Gaballa, the then Secretary General of the Higher Council for Monuments and by the Minister of Culture as well.
These activities were performed in late 2002 in the time of the successor of Gaballa, Dr. Zahi Hawas, who gave this ceremony special attention.

Eldamaty was assigned also to supervise the external exhibitions committee from May 2002 till February 2004.

Professor at Ain Shams University
Having concluded his assignment at the Egyptian Museum he returned to his main work in teaching at the Ain Shams University. There he got the post of associate professor of Egyptology at the Faculty of Arts from 25.03.2001 till 20.08.2006. As of 21.08.2006 he became a full professor of Egyptology and presided over the archaeological Department of Faculty of Arts at Ain Shams University from 12.09.2006 till 12.09.2009.

Besides he was assigned to head the college center for studies, consultations and training from 15.10.2008 till 13.10.2009 when he overtook the post of director of open education center from 22.03.2009 till 15.11.2009.
Starting from 13.09.2009 till 14.05.2011 he was the Dean of Faculty of Arts at the Ain Shams University. During his deanship he supervised the project for sustainable development and qualifying for Accreditation. This sustainable development specified certain criteria for selection of university cadres, which was approved by the college council, albeit not by the university council due to the political conditions accompanying the Arab spring in January 2011.

Following the revolution he organized the first election process in Egyptian universities to choose his successor as Dean of the Faculty in March 2011, as he left the country on 15.05.2011 in the capacity of cultural counselor at the Egyptian Embassy to Berlin and head of educational mission there. At this post he supervises all Egyptian students in Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Teaching in international Universities and Schools
SS.1993 and WS. 1993/94, teaching “Pharaonic art” in the “Volkeshochschule” in
Trier (Germany).
WS 2006 – WS 2007, teaching “Late Period Monuments”; “History of Ancient Egypt art” and “History of Ancient Egypt” in the American University in Cairo (AUC).
Apr. 01. 2005 – Jul. 31. 2005 Guest Professor in the Seminar of Egyptology, Basel University in Switzerland.

Teaching in Egyptian Universities
Oct. 1995 - May 1997, teaching “ancient Egyptian art and Egyptian art in the
Ptolemaic period” in the faculty of archaeology, Cairo university.
Oct. 1995 - May 1998, teaching “ancient Egyptian Language and Egyptian art in
the Ptolemaic time” in the faculty of archaeology, Cairo university, branch of
Fayiom.
Oct. 1996 - May 1999, teaching “ancient Egyptian art” in the high Institute of
Tourism and Hotels.
Oct.1996 – May 2004, teaching “Egyptian art in the Ptolemaic period” in the faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University.
Oct. 2005 to date, teaching “ancient Egyptian history” in the faculty of Pharmacy, Misr International University.
Oct. 2005 to date, teaching “ancient Egyptian Language” in the faculty of Arabic Language, Al-Azhar University.

Membership and other professional activities
International Committee of Arabic Museums (ICOM-Arab). Vice President of
ICOM-Arab (Sep. 2001 – Oct. 2003).
President of ICOM-Arab (Oct. 2003 - 2004).
International Association of Egyptologists.
Arab Archaeologists Association.
Egyptian Society for historical studies.
The German Archaeological Institute (DAI).
The team in charge of the establishment of the Egypt Archaeological Map.
Board  of  Directors  of  the  antiquities  Museum  of  the  library  of  Alexandria
(Bibliotheca Alexandrina).
Egyptological team in charge of the organization of the exhibits of the New
Museum  of  Egyptian  antiquities  to  be  built  in  Giza  (from  Sep.1999  to
31.01.2004).
Board of Directors of Cairo Museum (from 01.02.2001 to 31.01.2004).
Board  of  Directors  of  permanent  committee  in  SCA.  (From  01.02.2001  to
31.01.2004).
Board of Directors of Museums sector in SCA. (From 01.02.2001 to 31.01.2004).

Awards and Honors

Legion of Honor “Cavalier” from the Italian Government (Oct. 10. 2004).

State Award for Excellence in Social Sciences (Jun. 21. 2010)

Scientific publications
“Squatting statues in the Cairo Museum”, in: Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo 46, Mainz 1990, 1-13 (Taf. 1-9).
“Isis-Hathor im Tempel von Dendera”, in: Aegyptiaca Treverensia 7 (Festschrift für Erich Winter), Mainz 1994, 81-87.
Sokar-Osiris-Kapelle im Tempel von Dendera, Hamburg 1995.
“Eine Szene der Besänftigung der Sachmet im Kiosk von Dendera”, in: Journal of  the faculty of  Archaeology 7, Cairo 1996, 147-156.
“Der Goldfalke als Opfergabe in den grichisch-römischen Tempel”, in: Göttinger Miszellen 161, Göttingen 1997, 51-64.
“Horus als Ka des Königs”, in: Göttinger Miszellen 169, Göttingen 1999, 31-45 (Taf. 1-8).
Catalogue Général of Egyptian Antiquities in the Cairo Museum, Statues of  the XXVth.  and   XXVIth.  Dynasties, Nr.  48601-48649, Cairo 1999. (together with Jack A. Josephson) 
“Die Schutzformeln hinter dem König im Kiosk des Tempels von Dendera”, in: Bibliothèque d’Étude 138 (Hommages a Fayza Haikal), Cairo 2003, 83-91.
“Die Treppe des Hinaufsteigens zum Dach des Tempels von Dendera im Neujahrfest”, in: Egyptology at the dawn of the twenty-first century (proceedings of the Eighth International Congress of Egyptologists, Cairo 2000), vol. 1, Cairo 2003, 171-179.
“The Egyptian Directors of the Cairo Museum 1941-1991”, in: Bulletin of the Egyptian Museum 1, Cairo 2004, 7-8. (together with Heba Samy)
Ein ptolemäisches Pristerdekret aus dem Jahr 186 v. Chr. eine neue Version von Philensis II in Kairo, APF-Beiheft 20, München und Leipzig 2005.
“Zur Bedeutung der leeren Kartuschen”, in: Göttinger Miszellen 207 (2005), pp. 23–36.
“Stela of Iuyres in Cairo Museum”, in: Journal of  the faculty of  Archaeology 10, Cairo 2005, pp 63–69.
“Zwei Stelen mit Sonnenhymnen aus dem Kairener Museum”, (FS Mohamed Saleh), in: Bulletin of the Egyptian Museum 2, Cairo 2005, pp. 55–60.
“Die leeren Kartuschen aus der Regierungszeit von Kleopatra VII. im Tempel von Dendera”, in: OLA 150 (Leuven, 2007), pp. 511– 544.
“A Statuette of Psamtik I with a Spear”, in: Sue H. D’Auria, Servant of Mut: Studies in Honor of Richard A. Fazzini, Leiden 2007, pp. 83–88.
“Die leeren Kartuschen im Tempel von Edfu”, in: U. Rössler & T. Tawfik (HRSG.), Die ihr vorbeigehen werdet ... Wenn Gräber, Tempel und Statuen sprechen, Gedenkschrift für Prof. Sayed Tawfik Ahmed, SDAIK 16, Berlin 2009, pp. 81–102, Taf. 9-12.
"Die leeren Kartuschen von Echnaton”, in: Sue H. D'Auria (edit.), Offeringsof the Discerning Eye, An Egyptological Medley in Honor of Jack Josephson, (= Culture and Hisrtory of the Ancient Near East 38, Leiden 2010), pp. 79–81.
“Die ptolemäische Königin als Weiblicher Horus”, in: A. Jördens und J. F. Quack (edit.), Ägypten zwischen innerem Zwist und äußerem Druck. Die Zeit Ptolemaios’ VI. bis VIII., (= PHILIPPIKA, Marburger altertumskundliche Abhandlungen 45, Wiesbaden 2011), pp. 24–57.

Articles in Catalogs of special exhibitions
Cat. No. 78, 79 & 105, in: The Quest for Immortality, Treasures of Ancient
Egypt, Washington 2002. (in USA).
The Third Intermediate Period (together with Isabelle Franco), in: The Pharaohs, Milano 2002, 69-83. (in Italy).
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(together with Mohamed Saleh), Athens 2003. (in Greece).
Cat.  Nr.  42-46,  in:  Tutanchamun,  das  goldene  Jenseits,  Basel  2004.  (in
Switzerland).
Das Ägyptische Museum in Kairo, in: Tutanchamun, das goldene Jenseits, Basel
2004, 17-26. (in Switzerland).

Editing of
Egyptian Museum collections around the World, Studies for the Centennial of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo 2002 (together with Mai Trad).
Bulletin of the Egyptian Museum, Vols. 1-2, Cairo 2004-2005 (together with Zahi Hawass and Khaled Daoud).

Related pages
List of Egyptian scientists

References

1961 births
Living people
Academics
Egyptian scientists
People from Cairo