alexmed newsletter issue 17[1]

8/6/2019 AlexMed Newsletter Issue 17[1]

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2 Alex Med Newsletter

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Contents3 Le lancement de la traduction arabe delouvrage de Hermann Thiersch:Pharos, Antike, Islam und Occident. Ein

Bertrag zur Architekturgeschichte

Yasmine Hussein

6 The Egypt-Japan University for Scienceand TechnologyThe E-JUST Architectural Competition

Yasser Aref

8 A Seminar on Cultural Routes:Sacred Places and PopularPractice in the Mediterranean

Yasmine Hussein

10

12 Alexandrie: La lacune du Moyen geAndreu Claret

16 Faradeese: When an Art GalleryBecomes an Artistic Haven

Jaidaa Gawad Hamada

18 Moroccan Chicken and Prune Tagine

19 .

6

8

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Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Chatby 21526, Alexandria,

Egypt.

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Register with Alex-Med

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Honoring the Past... Promoting the FutureThis newsletter hopes to reach a wide public, both locally and internationally. It brings to you newsabout Alex Med and Alexandria. If you would like to send your views, comments or contributetopics related to Alexandria and the Mediterranean please use the contact details. Regularfeatures include an article on an Alexandrian personage, another on an Alexandrian building

or neighborhood, a page of photography that captures scenes from the life and sites of the

city, and a gastronomical section on Mediterranean cuisine. Our mission is to involve you in ouractivities and in the making of a new Alexandriaone that honors the past, respects diversity and

rises to the challenges of the 21st century.

Editor: Carole EscoffeyGraphics: Mina NaderPhotography: Abdallah Dawestashy

Front cover illustration: Fischer von Erich, The Pharos of Alexandria. Courtesy of Mohamed Awad,Impressions of Alexandria: The Awad Collection, Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

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Le lancement de la traduction arabe de

louvrage de Hermann Thiersch

Pharos, Antike, Islam und Occident. Ein Bertrag zur Architekturgeschichte

Le 13 dcembre2009, au petit thtrede la BibliothquedAlexandrie, sousla prsidence dudocteur MohamedAwad, directeur dAlexMed, sest tenue uneconfrence afin deprsenter la nouvelle

version arabe dulivre de larchologueallemand HermannThiersch (18741939).Louvrage dorigine,dit en allemand en1909, prsente unetude trs complte ettechnique de lancienPhare dAlexandrie : lePharos.

Dans son introduction,Mohamed Awad a,

dans un premier temps,expos le contexteet les participants dece projet. Louvragede Hermann Thierschreprsente de nos joursune des sources lesplus prcieuses sur lePhare dAlexandrie, mais,publi uniquement en allemand, il sadressait jusque-l un public de spcialistes, dechercheurs et darchologues. Il a ainsi tdcid de le rendre davantage accessible

au grand public, notamment gyptien etarabophone, en publiant une dition enlangue arabe pour son centenaire.

Cet ouvrage est le fruit dun travailcollectif regroupant le centre de recherchesAlex Med la Bibliothque dAlexandrie, etlInstitut Goethe, le Centre culturel allemanddAlexandrie. Le travail de traduction at ralis par le docteur Mervat SeifEldin, directrice du Muse grco-romaindAlexandrie et minente chercheuse etarchologue.

Ce lancement intervient ainsi au moment

du centenaire du livre originel. On saitgalement que le sujet est dun grand intrtcar il rhabilite un des plus prestigieuxmonuments de la ville, le Phare dAlexandriequi fut une des sept merveilles du mondeantique. On le retrouve dans de nombreux

rcits de voyageurs et il continue, biendes sicles aprs sa disparition, nourrirlimagination du grand public.

Le Pharos entre galement dans le cadre

du projet dAlex Med de conservation dupatrimoine de la ville, qui comprend entreautres la reconstruction sous forme demaquettes des monuments de la priodeantique (les maquettes du Phare ont texposes devant lentre de la salle deconfrences loccasion de lvnement).Ce travail seffectue notamment partir desreprsentations qui nous sont parvenues

(pices de monnaies,dessins, plans) que lonretrouve dailleurs engrand nombre dans lelivre de larchologueallemand. De mme,un CD a t laborpar Alex Med, figurantune reconstructionarchitecturale numrise

en trois dimensionsavec une introductionhistorique.

Le docteur MohamedAwad a poursuivi saprsentation en exposantla valeur de louvrage deHermann Thiersch. Eneffet, louvrage est trsdocument et contientnombre danalyses etdtudes scientifiques surle Phare, ainsi que sur

la citadelle de Qaitbey,mais galement sur lesite de Taposiris Magna,o Thiersch a ralisdimportantes fouilles.Le directeur dAlex Meda not enfin un pointimportant dvelopp par

larchologue allemand,qui est linfluence architecturale du PharedAlexandrie sur les monuments, notammentreligieux, aussi bien en Orient quenOccident.

Le docteur Mervat Seif Eldin a prisensuite la parole pour voquer le contenudu livre. Actuelle directrice du Muse grco-romain dAlexandrie, elle a tudi lhistoire etlarchologie lUniversit dAlexandrie, avantde poursuivre son activit de chercheuse enAllemagne. Parlant couramment lallemandet spcialiste renomme dAlexandrieantique, cest elle qui a ralis le travail detraduction. loccasion du lancement de laversion arabe, elle a dvelopp le contenude louvrage en six grands points :

Dans le premier chapitre il est question

des sources archologiques, historiques,mais aussi littraires qui mentionnent lePhare dAlexandrie. Hermann Thiersch anotamment beaucoup analys les sourcesnumismatiques. On retrouve en effet unereprsentation du Pharos sur un grand

Yasmine Hussein

Louvrage dHermann

Thiersch reprsente de nos

jours une des sources lesplus prcieuses sur le Phare

dAlexandrie

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nombre de pices de monnaie qui noussont parvenues. De mme, le travailsest galement bas sur les analysesde cramiques, vases, lampes et diversobjets en terre cuite, tous avec leffigie duPhare, retrouvs loccasion de fouillesarchologiques.

Toujours dans ce premier chapitre,lauteur a dress une comparaison entreces reprsentations et dautres phares delpoque romaine, comme celui dOstie, deRavenne, de Capri, de Naples ou encore deConstantinople. Le Phare dAlexandrie tantle plus ancien, les travaux ayant dbutsous Ptolme I Ster, Tiersch en dduitlimportante influence architecturale. MervatSeif Eldin a voqu aussi les travaux deHermann Thiersch sur le site archologiquede Taposiris Magna, o ont t dgags lesrestes dune tour sur le mme modle que

celui du Phare dAlexandrie. En comparantavec les nombreuses sources littraires ethistoriques sur la construction de ce dernier(les constructions et travaux de modification jusqu lpoque romaine), lauteur en aconclu une structure en trois tages: labase de forme carre, un niveau suprieurde forme octogonale et une partie suprieurecirculaire.

Le second chapitre de louvrage estconsacr aux voyageurs, europens ouorientaux, qui se sont rendus Alexandrie.En ce qui concerne les premiers, il savre

quun grand nombre de leurs rcits ont terrons: Certains auraient mme confondule Phare dAlexandrie avec la colonne, ditede Pompe. Quant aux voyageurs orientaux, juifs, arabes ou persans, ils auraient laissdes descriptions plus exactes, mme parfoisavec des mesures. Nombre dentre eux, enplus dtre de grands voyageurs, taient dessavants, rudits et gographes. On remarquecependant que parfois ils ont exagrdans leurs rcits : tout comme pour leurshomologues occidentaux, une grande placetait laisse limaginaire et au fantasme.

Dans un troisime point, Mervat SeifEldin propose une description du Phare dupoint de vue de Hermann Thiersch qui avaitpropos les tapes historiques de lexistencedu Phare, depuis sa construction jusqu sa

destruction. De mme, Tiersch a-t-il voqules diffrentes techniques utilises, ledispositif du feu, de mme que les statuesriges sur le monument.

Le quatrime chapitre est consacr lacitadelle de Qaitbey. Cette dernire a tconstruite par ordre du sultan Al Ashraf SayfAd Din Qaitbey, un des derniers souverainsmamelouks, sur les ruines du PharedAlexandrie dans le but de protger la villecontre la menace de lEmpire ottoman. Lacitadelle, qui date de la fin du XVme sicle, a tconstruite en partie avec des blocs antiques

dont certains appartenaient au Phare.Dans le chapitre suivant, larchologue

allemand parle du grand nombre demonuments religieux, chrtiens etislamiques, qui, daprs ses recherches,

ont t influencs par laspect et la formedu Phare dAlexandrie ds lAntiquit. SelonHermann Thiersch, cette influence cestsurtout manifeste dans le cas des btimentsreligieux. En effet, que ce soit dans le mondechrtien, avec les tours et les beffrois desglises et des cathdrales, ou en terredIslam, avec les minarets des mosques,linspiration du Pharos est manifeste.

Enfin, Mervat Seif Eldin prsente ltudede lauteur dans le dernier chapitre de sonlivre sur linfluence du Phare dAlexandrieet des temples grecs sur larchitecture de

nombreux btiments, comme les coles etles mosques. Puis, la prsentation dulivre se termine en citant tous les potes, ainsique toutes les uvres littraires, quellessoient classiques ou modernes, qui ontinspir Hermann Thiersch dans son travailde rhabilitation dune des sept merveillesdu monde.

Cest ensuite le docteur Michal Sabottkaqui a pris la parole pour clore la confrence.Cet archologue compatriote dHermannThiersch a effectu de prcieuses recherchessur le temple de Srapis Alexandrie. Il a

expos son travail dans son ouvrage, LeSerapeum dAlexandrie. Recherches sur

larchitecture et lhistoire du sanctuaire

depuis la haute poque ptolmaque jusqu

sa destruction en 391 apr. J.-C., dit parlInstitut Franais dArchologie Orientale.Dr. Mervat Seif Eldin, la directrice du Muse grco-romain dAlexandrie et traductrice du livre de Hermann Tiersch

Reconstruction du Pharos par Hermann Thiersch

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Michal Sabottka a voqu alors HermannThiersch et les fouilles archologiquesentreprises par les Allemands au dbutdu vingtime sicle en accompagnant sonexpos dune prsentation illustre de la vieet du travail de Hermann Thiersch et desfouilles archologiques ralises par lesAllemands Alexandrie. Hermann Thierschserait venu une premire fois en gypte

avec son pre, August Thiersch, en 1901.Il est revenu lanne suivante et a entreprisdes fouilles au Caire et Alexandrie. Sesrelations, notamment avec des personnesmembres de lAssociation pour la protectiondes monuments, lui ont t dune grande

aide afin quil dcroche des permis pourentreprendre ses travaux de fouilles, entreautre sur le site de Taposiris Magna. HermannThiersch a galement travaill sur lescatacombes de Sidi Gaber et dAntoniadis, Alexandrie, et au sujet desquelles il a aussicrit un livre. Un autre de ses ouvragesimportants a pour sujet les catacombes etles tombes Ptolmaques.

Aprs cet expos, le public a pos desquestions aux trois intervenants de laconfrence: Mohamed Awad, Mervat SeifEldin et Michal Sabottka. Le livre, en vente la sortie de la salle de confrence, a connuun succs, tmoignant de lintrt toujours

manifeste du public contemporain pour lapriode antique en gnral et particulirementpour le Phare dAlexandrie.

Larchologue Dr. Michal Sabottka

Hermann Thiersch (18741939)

Dessins du Phare par Hermann Tiersch montrant

diffrentes tapes de son histoire

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As part of the implementation of theEgypt-Japan University for Scienceand Technology (E-JUST), an

architectural competition of two phases wasannounced in June 2009. On 14 July 2009,a special orientation seminar for Japaneseapplicants was held at the Culture Educationand Science Bureau of the Embassy of Egyptin Tokyo, to introduce the project, answerqueries and make clarifications regarding thesubmission and competition procedures.

Documents submitted for the first phaseof the competition were reviewed andevaluated by a bi-national jury appointed byE-JUST. Prequalification documents (75 intotal) were received on 30 July 2009. Jurymeetings were held 17-19 August 2009 inthe Mubarak City for Science and AppliedTechnologies, Alexandria, to select theshortlisted applicants for the second stage.The twelve shortlisted competitors wereinvited to visit the site and discuss the termsof references of the competition on 31 Augustand 17 September 2009.

Nine competitors submitted theirproposals on 30 November 2009. The bi-national jury committee convened on 17-19December 2009 at the Bibliotheca Alexandriain Alexandria and evaluated the proposalsaccording to the following criteria set in theterms of references:1. Concept and philosophy of the master

plan and landscaping;2. Applications of environmentally friendly

designs and utilizing alternate andrenewable energy resources;

3. Philosophy and adaptability of proposal tochanging needs;

4. Technical concept of infrastructure andservices networks;

5. Adhering to the space program, functionalrequirements and relationships;

6. Economic considerations.7. Reflections on Egyptian and Japanese

cultures and their implications on theplanning and design concept.

Accordingly, the jury selected the followingproposals:- First Prize Award: (100 000 USD), Arata

Isozaki and Associates Co. Ltd.- Second Prize Award: (60 000 USD), Hiroshi

Hara / Hiroshi Hara & Atelier - KazuhiroKojima / C+A, Coelacanth & Associates.

- Third Prize Award: (40 000 USD), SouFujimoto Architects.

The winning projects represent the bestout of the nine submitted projects regardingcompliance with the criteria set in the terms ofreference, fulfilling functional requirements,and respecting the environment and theeconomics of sustainable designs and theapplication of advanced technologies.

The winning project specifically presentsinnovative concepts in the planning andarchitectural aspects of the university. Italso presents a new vision for an educationsystem where multi-disciplinary sciences arecomplemented and integrated. The conceptof the winning project lies in the theoryof invisible complexities. The campus isconceived as various layers juxtaposed withone another to generate an optimal matrixfor interaction and built-in flexibility. The fivelayers involved are:1. The environmental roof:

The entire campus will be covered by alarge roof with louvered solar panels. Theroof will act as a permeable membranewhich moderates the micro-climate forthe campus environment.

2. The building system:The campus components facilities mixand form a cluster to accommodate thevarious activities. Building componentsare assembled in the golden ratio rule

which provides a built flexibility towardsconfiguration variations for the differentcampus facilities and an infinite matrix asa blue print for the master plan.

3. Transport (the personal mobility system):The campus is proposed as a vehicularfree premise to encourage the useof environmentally-friendly transportsystems. The campus shall be servedby a network of transport neurons/nodesembedded in the normal circulatoryroutes.

4. The landscape:The campus will be divided into two zones,the green zone and the wetland zone. Thewetland zone will be subscribed by a circleof water based on the perfect geometryfollowing the Vitruvian proportion byLeonardo Da Vinci. Together with the roofand the series of ponds, there will be ahierarchy to the campus premise whichis to be delineated by these geometriesexpressing the artificial nature of itsconstructed environment.

5. The subterranean (services and utilities):The campus will be served by a networkof underground passages which at thesame time host services and utility routes.The subterranean level works as a lifelinefor the infrastructural network which playsan essential role for the environmentalmechanism integrated into the campusfacility system.The concept of what the designer termed

the cloud was achieved within a frameworkof the five layers when integrated. Moreover,his project adopts the concept of self-sustainability and energy conservation byutilizing the massive roof of photo voltaic cells

TheE-JUSTArchitectural CompetitionYasser Aref

First prize winner, Arata Isozaki and Associates Co. Ltd.

The Egypt- Japan Univers ity for Sc ience and Technology


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that provides the necessary clean energy forthe components of the project.

The designer of the project was ArataIsozaki & Associates. Isozaki was born in 1931in Oita City, Japan. In 1954, he graduatedfrom the Department of Architecture in theFaculty of Engineering at the University ofTokyo. Upon graduation, he became anapprentice for nine years to Tange Kenz,

a leading Japanese architect of the postwarperiod. In 1963, he established Arata Isozaki& Associates, the base from which he hascontinued to work ever since. Isozaki hascreated an architecture so personal in its ideasand spaces that it defies characterization inany single school of thought. At the sametime he resists the temptation to apply asignature style to his projects, preferringinstead to create architectural solutionsspecific to the political, social and culturalcontexts of the client and site in question.Mr. Isozaki is an Honorary Fellow of theAmerican Institute of Architects (1983), ofthe Bund Deutscher Architekten (1983), andof the Royal Institute of British Architects(1994); he is also a member of the ItalianAcademia Tiberina (1978) and an HonoraryAcademician of the Royal Academy of Arts,England (1994). He has been awarded 18architectural awards including the AnnualPrize by the Architectural Institute of Japanin 1974, and the Gold Medal by the RoyalInstitute of British Architects in 1986, and theHonorary Prize by the American Academy ofArts and Letters in 1998.

Arata Isozaki has been a visiting professorat several Japanese and American institutions,including the University of California at Los

Angeles, the Rhode Island School of Design,

Columbia University, and the University ofHawaii. With almost 49 years of experiencein master planning and architectural design of

university campuses and education facilitieson more than three continents, Arata is ableto tackle projects of any complexity with thesame consistent and professional approach.Among his designs for universities are BondUniversity in Australia, Qatar EducationCity, the University of Central Asia, QatarNational Library, and Tokyo University of Art& Design.

The second prize winner was HiroshiHara. & Atelier - Kazuhiro Kojima / C+A,Coelacanth & Associates. The characteristicgeography of a harbor was used as the symbolfor E-JUST by designers. The primitive formof an island with four circular harbors wasused for the overall design. In addition, thedesign included an environmentally friendlyand sustainable campus design, protectingagainst the harsh Khamsin wind and inviting

the sea breeze. The topographical modelwas designed to encourage autogenic

succession, creating micro-climates andusing devices exploiting natural forces suchas wind towers, a wind corridor, solarbatteries, in addition to recycling water.

The third prize winner was Sou Fujimoto.The design, labeled cloud and rings, dividesthe E-JUST program into three categories academic, public and industrial andthe master plan directory adopts the threecategories as the shape of E-JUSTs futurevision. Three rings allow the three categoriesto collaborate with each other, while retainingtheir own identity. Moreover the four areaswithin the ring would encourage discoveriesthrough learning and people to establishcreative relationships as well as linkingbuildings effectively.

The implantation of the projects isprojected to begin in the near future after thepreparation of all design and constructiondrawings and tendering documents.

Second prize winner, Hiroshi Hara / Hiroshi Hara & Atelier - Kazuhiro Kojima / C+A, Coelacanth & Associates

Third prize winner, Sou Fujimoto Architects

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Cultural Routes: Sacred Placesand Popular Practice in theMediterranean is a Ramses2

research project that aims to create alarger and more comprehensive pictureof the Mediterraneans role concerningsacred places and pilgrim routes, as wellas highlighting the role of interculturaldialogue and exchange. Ramses2 is anetwork of thirty-three research centersand laboratories of the CNRS in humansciences in the Mediterranean region. It ispart of the European Research Area and has

been funded for four years by the EuropeanCommission.

The wealth of history within theMediterranean Basin gives the potential fora truly engaging project that includes pagan,Jewish, Christian and Muslim sacred sitesand an insight into their individual valueand role. The project also highlights thetruly diverse nature of the region and howdifferent traditions, rituals and worship wereand still are practiced. The project has threepartners: the Alexandria and MediterraneanResearch Center (Alex Med) affiliated to

the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the NationalHellenic Research Foundation (NHRF) fromGreece and the University of Alicante fromSpain. Part of the projects activities willinclude a publication presenting the researchconducted by the three partners. This bookwill include extracts from pilgrim sources,photographs of existing sites, archeologicalremains and traditions still alive in the citiesand their environs today.

On 7 November 2009, as part of thisproject, Alex Med organized an openseminar on Sacred Places and Popular

Practices in the Mediterranean held in theBibliotheca Alexandrinas auditorium in orderto gather the partners together to share theirinformation and enable the general public toattend and learn about a fascinating subjectabout which little is known. The seminar washeld by three speakers.

The first speaker, Dr. Ioli Vingopoulou,is associate professor at the Institute forNeohellenic Research at the NHRF, inGreece. She specializes in travel literature,local history, and historical and culturalgeography. Her collaboration with other

institutions includes issues related to thesocial history and culture of the Neohellenicperiod. Her interests also include theperceptual and conceptual shifts that haveoccurred in cultural history, as well as issuesof cultural identity through the centuries.

Dr. Vingopoulou delivered a lectureentitled Ftes orthodoxes chrtiennesaux lieux des sanctuaries anciens aboutOrthodox Christian holidays celebrated onthe sites of ancient shrines or sanctuaries.Major sanctuaries of antiquity, especially insouthern Greece (Delphi, Olympia, Athensand Delos) where mainly Panhellenic games

took place every four years, attracted peopleboth to participate in and attend the games,and to worship the gods. With the end ofthe ancient world, these shrines lost theirrole and Christianity gradually spread in thesame places. Thus, places of worship of theOlympian pantheon became sites of worshipof new martyrs and saints, and Christianchurches were built in almost the sameplaces. These sites have continued to shelterplaces of pilgrimage and worship.

The presentation focused on themajor shrines of the ancient world where

celebrations and rituals still take place:Eleusis, Patras, Athens, Chios, Delos andDelphi. Dr Vingopoulou explained for example,how Eleusis, today an industrial city, wasonce the center of the cult of Demeter, thegoddess of harvest, fertility and the seasons,and her daughter Persephone. In antiquity,the annual Eleusinian Mysteries attributed toDemeter and Persephone involved importantceremonies and rituals attended by Greeksof all classes. These celebrations and thecult of Demeter lasted until the end of thefourth century when they were forbidden by

Emperor Theodosius. Today, on the samesite in Eleusis stands a chapel dedicatedto the Mesosporitissa Virgin, or Virginof the Sowing Season , where an annualmass is dedicated to her during November,the month of sowing.

The second speaker, Yasmine Hussein,a researcher at the Alexandria andMediterranean Research Center, (AlexMed), specializes in religious history andarcheology of the Mediterranean, focusing

A Seminar on Cultural RoutesSacred Places and Popular Practice in the Mediterranean

Yasmine Hussein

The project also

highlights the truly

diverse nature of

the region and how

different traditions,

rituals and worship were

and still are practiced.

The speakers (L to R): Dr. Ioli Vingopoulou, YasmineHussein, Azzurra Sarnataro and Dr. Sahar Hamouda,the moderator of the seminar

Kissing the relics of the saint in Saint Andrews Church in Patras, Greece

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today. In Alexandria, moulids are held mostlyduring the summer, where the Sufi beliefthat a saint, or wali, is blessed by God andhis shrine is a place of enlightenment is partof popular folk culture. The most importantmoulids in Alexandria are Abu El Abbas ElMursi, Sidi Bishr, Sidi Kamal, Sidi Mohamed

El-Rahal and Sidi Gaber. Most of these holymen were influential personalities of the SufiShazleya order founded in Alexandria by AliAbu Hasan El Shazly during the thirteenthcentury.

All three presentations were accompaniedby slides showing sites of pilgrimages andritual practices, or artifacts testifying to theirpast existence. The seminar ended with adiscussion and questions from the audienceencouraging the researchers to continue thestudy and examine new perspectives.

on the process of layering of religiousphenomena in time and space in ancientAlexandria during the Greco-Roman andearly Christian periods. During her lectureon Sacred Places and Popular Practicesin Greco-Roman Alexandria, she alsotalked about the relationship between thegeographic location, the social context andworship, discussing how and why a placebecame sacred, and why it stopped beingsacred.

Three main cults were analyzed byYasmine Hussein: the dynastic cult, includingthe worship of Alexander the Great and the

Ptolemies, from the early Hellenistic period;the cult of Isis Pharia, the protector of sailorsfrom the 1st century BCE to the 5th centuryCE; and thirdly, the cult of Saint Menas in earlyChristian times. The first of these, the dynastic

cult of the Ptolemaic kings of Egypt, was builtupon the person and body of Alexander theGreat, founder of Alexandria. Following theofficial recognition of Alexander by the Siwaoracle of Ammon as the son of Zeus-Ammon,Alexander became a hero-god throughoutthe Hellenistic world. However, Alexandria

became an important pilgrimage destinationafter Ptolemy II Philadelphos transportedthe body of Alexander, which had previouslybeen buried in Memphis, to Alexandria in 280BCE. His tomb soon became an importantdestination of pilgrimage by royalty andnotables from near and far. Later, PtolemyPhilopater placed the bodied of his dynasticpredecessors in the same shrine, the Soma,making it the most important destination inAlexandria. In the fourth century however,Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria led thetransformation of pagan institutions into

churches to accelerate the conversion ofthe city into an entirely Christian one, andthe Somas exact location was forgotten.The cult of Alexander however, had become

deeply rooted in popular beliefs and the

relationship between the sacred body of

Alexander, the place and the people was so

strong that attempts were made to maintain

it and reinvent it in new forms. Today, two

places in Alexandria are especially are linked

to the Soma: the former Church of Saint

Athansius which was converted into theAttarine Mosque after the Arab conquest of

Egypt, and the Mosque of Nabi Danial.

The third speaker, Azzurra Sarnataro, avolunteer researcher for Alex Med from theFaculty of Islamic Studies and MediterraneanCountries at Naples Eastern University,presented the collective research of OmarElhamy, Ayman El Gohary and herself witha lecture entitled Sufi Moulids and IslamicRitual Practices in Alexandria. Moulidsare celebrations held in honor of a saint in

Egypt and other Arab countries. The originof this practice goes back to the period of theFatimid dynasty in Egypt. The developmentand institutionalization of Egyptian Sufism,especially during the Medieval period, hasled to the phenomenon as it is practiced

Attarine Mosque

The faithful place loaves of bread to be blessed in the

court yard in front of the Chapel of the Virgin, Eleusis,

Greece

The moulid of Abu El Abbas El Mursi in Alexandria

The procession of the El Bayoumeya order in

Alexandria

Pilgrims crossing the ancient Sacred Way at Eleusis, in

Greece

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Alexandrie:La lacune du Moyen geAndreu Claret1

Javais donc de lAlexandriemdivale une ide de ville vibrante,

qui ntait plus, certainement, la

mtropole grecque, ptolmenne,

romaine ou byzantine quelle fut,

mais qui ntait pas non plus le

village de pcheurs auquel on a

prtendu la rduire.

Dtail dune maison du quartier ottoman dAlexandrie

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Pour tous ceux qui nousintressons, en tantquamateurs, lhistoire fascinantedAlexandrie, le Moyen ge y apparatcomme une lacune insondable. Dansla plupart des annales de la ville, aumoins celles que jai pu lire en anglaisou en franais, lAlexandrie mdivaley est traite comme un momentobscur, une longue parenthsehistorique entre la conqute arabedu VIIme sicle et celle de Napolonau XVIIIme, qui ouvrit la porte lavnement de Mohamed Ali. Relayepar de nombreux auteurs, cette idedun interminable interlude renforcela magie de la ville, sa sduisantecapacit de rcuprer sa splendeur,son cosmopolitisme, son got pour laculture et son universalit, au XIXmesicle, aprs avoir t relguependant prs de mille ans sacondition originale de simple village depcheurs: une insignifiante Rakhotiscomme celle que connut Alexandrede Grand avant dy concevoir une desplus grandes villes du monde ancien.

En fut-il ainsi ? Ntant pashistorien, je nai pas de rponse

concluante, mais jai une aversion tout rcit qui ne tient pas comptedune certaine continuit danslhistoire, que ce soit celles des pays,des peuples ou des villes. Pourquoi

Alexandrie serait-elle une exception ? Etsi cette approche de lhistoire mdivale

alexandrine se rvlait biaise ou partielle,quelle en serait la provenance? Pourquoi leMoyen ge a-t-il pratiquement disparu de lamanire dont la ville elle-mme se prsenteaujourdhui aux visiteurs, hormis lexceptiondu fort Qaitbey aussi imposant que vidde toute explication contextuelle? Cest unmystre auquel jai essay de rflchir partirde mon exprience personnelle qui est celledun Catalan passionn par la Mditerrane,connaisseur des relations que Barcelonetissa, pendant le Moyen ge, avec les villesde la rive orientale, et vivant Alexandriedepuis quelque temps.

Avant de quitter Barcelone, javaisbeaucoup lu sur les consulats ou fondouks catalans en Mditerrane Orientale et enparticulier sur celui dAlexandrie, qui fut tablien 1262 par le roi Jacques Ier, en accord aveclgypte mamelouke que nous appelions,en Occident, le Sultanat de Babylone. Ceconsulat, plus connu en Catalogne quengypte, fut le second de nos fondouksdans la rgion, aprs celui de Tyr, sur lacte phnicienne. Je savais importance deces institutions depuis le XIIme sicle, pourBarcelone ainsi que pour dautres villescomme Venise, Gnes, Pise, Montpellierou Valence, qui vivaient du commerce entrelOrient et lOccident mditerranens. Javaisdonc de lAlexandrie mdivale une ide deville vibrante, qui ntait plus, certainement, la

fascinante mtropole grecque, ptolmenne,romaine ou byzantine quelle fut, mais quintait pas non plus le village de pcheursauquel on a prtendu la rduire.

Il ny a qu lire les livres de voyagescomme celui de Flix Fabri, un prtre suissede passage Alexandrie au XVme siclelors dun plerinage en gypte, comme tantdautres chrtiens europens, pour visiterle Monastre de Sainte Catherine au Sina.Son tmoignage dcrit une ville et non pasun simple village :

Je me perdis tant et si bien que jignoraistotalement de quel ct jaurais d me diriger.

Je rencontrais fnalement un jeune Sarrasin

auquel je ne pus dire que: O Sarrasin, ou

est le fontique catalan ! Il me saisit par

lextrmit du scapulaire et me conduisit

grands cris, chants et rires, travers les

rues dAlexandrie jusquau susdit fontique .(Voyage en Egypte, Flix Fabri, 1483).

La priptie du Pre Fabri nousrvle que, mme aprs avoir subi deuxdvastateurs tremblements de terre et lepillage des croiss venus de Chypre lesicle prcdent, Alexandrie tait encore unport incontournable, qui continuait jouerun rle dans le commerce mditerranen.Je savais limportance du consulat catalanquelle abritait par les tudes publies Barcelone et bases sur la documentationqui existe dans les Archives de la Couronned Aragon, mais je ne pensais pas que lefondouk catalan fut tel point connu entreles Alexandrins du XVme sicle pour quunjeune Arabe rencontr par hasard par FlixFabri puisse le ramener jusqu son aubergeen mentionnant son origine catalane.

Fort de lide que jamenais dans mesbagages jai t surpris, ds mon arrive

Alexandrie, en 2008, par le dlaissement deson histoire mdivale dans les brochurestouristiques et les muses locaux, et du peude place quelle occupe dans limaginaire desAlexandrins. Jai constat que lAlexandrie


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Issue17

La mosque Terbana construite en 1685 et renove en 1757 13NOV 2009JAN 2010

Lentre de la Mosque Terbana

mamelouke, en particulier cellequi va du XIIIme au XVIme sicle,tait pratiquement absente dans lamanire dont la ville sexhibe auxtrangers. Ce fut pour moi un choccar ces sicles figurent parmi lesplus actifs dans les changes entre

la Catalogne et lOrient, traversun commerce qui seffectuaitprincipalement au port dAlexandrie.En franche opposition lide queje me faisais de cette priode danslhistoire de la ville, je dcouvraisque lapproche officielle taittrs circonspecte au sujet dunepriode limite, dans les musesalexandrins, la bouleversantebeaut de lart mamelouk. Personnene semble se demander commentse fait-il quil y ait des ralisations si

clatantes dans le travail du verre,du bois ou des textiles, commecelles que lon peut voir au MuseNational dAlexandrie, sans que lecontexte historique y soit voqu?Maints touristes doivent dailleursse poser la question de savoircomment cette lite desclavesput tre si cratrice du point devue artistique si elle vcut dansune priode soi-disant si obscureet sans dimension historique, quipasse inaperue dans lhistorie de

la ville. Comment expliquer cescrations dans le domaine de lartsans les mettre en relation avecle rle majeur jou par Alexandrieentre les deux Mditerranes, etentre Orient et Occident, pendantle Moyen ge? Doit-on lexpliquerexclusivement par le choix du Cairecomme capitale de lgypte arabe?Pourquoi escamoter lexistencedune ville qui ntait plus, biensr, celle des Ptolmes, qui avaitperdu sa dimension, sa splendeur,

et surtout sa diversit culturelle etreligieuse, mais qui constituait tout demme un des centres de commerce etchanges les plus distinctifs du MareNostrum?

Dautres voyageurs, comme IbnBatouta, rapportent quun sicle et

demi avant la priptie du Pre Fabri ily avait dj Alexandrie 28 fondouksgrs par des Francs, dont les plusimportants taient ceux des Vnitiens,des Gnois, des Pisans et desCatalans. Il parat donc peu appropride liquider mille ans dhistoire enles englobant sous une notion dedcrpitude ou de parenthse entredeux moments de gloire. Il me sembleque cette approche, qui domineencore lide que lon se fait de la ville,demande tre revue.

Pourquoi les Alexandrins eux-mmes semblent-ils enclins accepter cette relativisation de leurhistoire mdivale? Je nai que deshypothses que jaimerais compareravec celles de ceux qui se sontpenchs professionnellement surce sujet. Plusieurs causes doiventexpliquer une telle drive. Il y adabord la comparaison avec unpass glorieux et mythifi qui a eu deseffets ravageurs. Si on confronte le nudcommercial et portuaire que fut Alexandrie

pendant une bonne partie du Moyen geavec la mtropole fabuleuse des 400thtres, 4000 palais et 40000 juifs quedcrivit le conqurant arabe, Amr ibn el-As son Calife, Omar ibn al-Kattab, on en revient

invitablement au village de pcheurs dontparla Napolon en voyant ce quil restait dela ville quil avait en tte, une mgapole lamesure dAlexandre le Grand. Cest le mmeeffet dvastateur qui se produit quand oncompare lAlexandrie de Justine et Cavafis celle daujourdhui, sans tenir compte descontextes.

Mais il y a aussi le fait que lhistoire

dAlexandrie (surtout celle de soucheanglo-saxonne) est tributaire dune visioneuropenne selon laquelle le Moyen gea t un malheureux interlude entre deuxpriodes fortes et courtes qui ont marqu sagrandeur: dAlexandre le Grand jusqu laconqute arabe, et de Mohamed Ali jusquNasser. Pour lopinion publique occidentale,cette ide devint inluctable depuis queForster affirma, du haut de son prestigelittraire, quAlexandrie avait t raye dela carte mditerranenne par la conqutearabe et le revirement spirituel qui sen

suivit. Amr and his Arabs were not fanaticsor barbarians and they were about to start

near Cairo a new Egypt of their own. []

Alexandria seemed to them idolatrous and

foolish; and a thousand years of silence

succeeded them. (Alexandria, a History anda Guide, E.M. Forster, Alexandrie, 1938).

Une ide que Forster reprend, prsdun demi-sicle plus tard, dans lditionlondonienne de 1982:

And though they had no intention ofdestroying her, they destroyed her, as a child

might a watch. She never functioned againfor over 1,000 years. (Alexandria, a Historyand a Guide, E.M. Forster, Londres, 1982).


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Cramiques de la Mosque Terbana montrant linfluence magrbine sur larchitecture de lpoque

La Mosque Shorbagui construite en 1757

Issue17

Alex Med Newsletter14

Ces mille ans de silence nemritent dailleurs que cinq pagessur les cent pages dhistoire queForster crit sur Alexandrie dans leplus fameux et ensorcelant guidequi ait jamais t publi sur cetteville.

Lide dune parenthse demille ans rendit encore plus

sduisante la renaissance dela ville vers la moiti du XIXmesicle, et contribua sans doute auculte que celle-ci suscita parmiles Europens en tant quidal demtropole cosmopolite. Plus leMoyen ge tait dlaiss, plus laville que Cavafis, Forster, Durrell,Tsirkas, Mahfouz, Edward ElKharrat, Robert Sol, Terenci Moix

ou Harry Tzalas ont immortalisedevenait unique, littraire, unemtaphore de toutes les pulsions

humaines.Dloger lpoque arabe et

mamelouke a permis de mettre enexergue les deux moments qui onteffectivement dtermin lhistoiredAlexandrie: ses premiers septsicles et la priode cosmopolitequi va de la moitie du XIXme sicle la moiti du XXme. Du point devue littraire, cette ide duneville qui renait de ses cendres estcertainement attrayante. Du pointde vue historique, elle mrite dtre

nuance. Une certaine continuitsimpose pour pouvoir expliquercette extraordinaire capacitqua toujours eu Alexandrie defaire face ladversit (humaineou naturelle). Chez certains,

cette amputation dune partie de lhistoirealexandrine ne connut pas de limite: dans Legot dAlexandrie, Eglal Errera parle de 15sicles dclipse historique . De Hypatie Napolon!

Un des reprsentants les plus clbresde ce que fut lAlexandrie cosmopolite,Ungaretti, la dit de manire encore plusemporte : en 641, linvasion arabe sonne

le glas dAlexandrie . Il semble acquis quela conqute arabe supposa effectivementla destruction de la ville, mais la questionnest pas l. Il sagit de distinguer entre ladestruction et la disparition. La notion deglas, cest--dire la fin dAlexandrie commeville, est une construction idologique quise base sur labsolutisation de son histoireancienne. Une ide qui a fait son cheminet qui, dans de larges couches de lopinionpublique, est accompagne de la lgendesuivant laquelle les Arabes mirent fin aussi une bibliothque qui nexistait plus depuis

longtemps. Mais si le raccourci historiquea russi, ce nest pas seulement par la

persvrance de linterprtation apporte parles Europens. Il me semble que la dcisiondes Alexandrins de mpriser leur Moyenge a contribu aussi ce que la thse de larupture et de la parenthse simpose celledune certaine continuit.

Il se peut que le caractre controvers

de tout ce qui a trait avec le rle de laMditerrane dans la formation de lidentitgyptienne ait aussi jou un rle danslincapacit de construire un discoursalternatif celui de Forster et Ungaretti. Jailimpression que lon a accept descamoterces sicles du Moyen ge qui ont contribu donner Alexandrie un rle majeur dansla Mditerrane pour ne pas reconnatrepleinement la dimension mditerranennede lhistorie alexandrine et gyptienne.Cela aurait contribu, aussi, la victoire decette vision rductrice de lhistoire. Le dbat

vient de loin. Face la tradition romainequi voyait Alexandrie ad-Aegyptum oumme apud-Aegyptum (cest--dire enmarge de lgypte ) pour mieux laffirmercomme une ville de lEmpire, il y a eu uneraction nationaliste gyptienne tendant contester sa dimension mditerranenne.Les critiques dont fut objet un intellectuelcomme Taha Hussein pour avoir soutenuque la mentalit gyptienne, lorsquelleest influence par une chose, cest par laMditerrane sinscrivent dans ce contexte.Il sagit dune dispute identitaire, dont une

histoire plus quilibre dAlexandrie a pay leprix. Par contre, la revendication de lhistoiredu Moyen ge gyptien permet une approchemoins idologique, qui noblige pas choisirentre une Alexandrie qui se voudrait apud-Aegyptum et une gypte qui tourneraitle dos la Mditerrane. Approfondir laconnaissance de cette Alexandrie mdivalequi fut, pendant quelques sicles, le principalnud dchanges commerciaux entre Orientet Occident, devrait permettre de se penchersur son histoire et sur celle de lgyptedans une plus grande complexit et dans la

diversit.


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qui ne permet pas dimaginer ce qutaitla ville au XVme sicle. Il nexiste pasdAlexandrie mamelouke comme il existe unbouleversant Caire mamelouk. La mosqueoriginale dAbou El Abbas El Morsi, le cheicksoufi qui arriva lui aussi en provenance duLevant espagnol (Murcia) au XIIIme sicle

nexiste plus et celle qui porte son nom,magnifique, fut construite au XXme sicle parun architecte italien. En attendant que desrecherches archologiques apportent deslments nouveaux, il y a la documentationsur le trafic maritime conserve aux Archivesde la Couronne dAragon, o lon peut lire,entre autres, un trait de paix, amiti etcommerce sign par le Sultan Barsbayavec le roi catalan Alphonse le Magnifique, en1430, qui dit beaucoup sur la complexit desrelations entre lgypte et les pays europensqui ne se limitaient pas au commerce. Il fallait

bien donner une rponse aux questions quenous appellerions aujourdhui culturelles,en rgulant le mode de vie des Catalanset autres Francs qui, comme le Pre Fabri,shbergeaient dans des fondouks soumisaux normes de Dar al-Islam.

Le Monastre orthodoxe de SainteCatherine, au Sina, constitue une des raresdestinations gyptiennes qui permet decomprendre les enjeux de cette poque. Onpeut en effet y contempler une ravissanteSainte Catherine peinte en Catalogne (ou Majorque?) par un tel Marti de Vilanova qui

dbarqua en gypte en 1387, dans une desces nefs qui faisaient le trajet entre Barceloneet Alexandrie. Elle fut offerte aux moines dumonastre par un autre consul catalan, celuide Damas, en qute de bonne relations avecune institution qui jouait un rle dcisif dansle trafic des caravanes qui remontaient versAlexandrie et constituaient un chelon de cequi a t appel lOdysse des pices. Cenest pas grand-chose, mais cest suffisantpour substituer lide de la parenthse parcelle dune certaine continuit. Une continuitcimente sur le commerce et la gographie.

Sur ce lieu unique o se trouve Eskanderia etquAlexandre le Grand fut le premier saisiravec lassistance de loracle dAmon.

Notes

1 Directeur Excutif de la FondationAnna Lindh, Alexandrie. Courriel: [email protected]

Plan d Alexandie publi en 1619 o figure lancienne muraille de lpoque islamique

Une tour de lancienne muraille de lepoque islamique

Des voix bien plus autorises que lamienne ont suggr le besoin de revaloriserlpoque mdivale alexandrine. Dans undes meilleurs livres de divulgation qui ont tcrits sur la personnalit de la ville fondepar Alexandre, Jean-Yves Empereur nousapprend que des trouvailles archologiquesrcentes ont altr positivement lavision quon avait jusqu maintenant delAlexandrie mdivale. Je men rjouis. ceux qui doutent de la vitalit de lAlexandriemoyengeuse, je recommande aussi letravail de Damien Coulon sur les relations deBarcelone avec lgypte et la Mditerraneorientale entre 1330 et 1430. (Barcelone

et le grand commerce dOrient au Moyenge, 2004). Au long de mille pages Coulondmontre ce quun autre historien, AndrClot, avait dj dit sur cette priode, savoirque ce fut probablement lpoque desMamelouks quAlexandrie atteignit lapogede son activit et de sa prosprit . Quandon parcourt la liste de nefs qui arrivaient auport dAlexandrie provenant de Barcelone, eton dcouvre le montant des taxes payes ausultan gyptien pour y embarquer des pices,du poivre, de la cannle, du sucre, desesclaves, des textiles et des crales achets

au souk El Attarine, et pour y vendre desdraperies catalanes, de largent, de lambre,du corail ou du safran venus dOccident, onsaisit tout de suite quAlexandrie ne vcutpas toute cette priode comme une simpleparenthse. Une preuve de son rle dansle contexte mditerranen rside dansle fait quon appelait Alexandrinis lesmarchands vnitiens, catalans ou gnois quiacceptaient de payer une amende au Papepour contrevenir les restrictions que Romeimposait sur le commerce de certains produitspouvant tre utiliss par les Arabes contre

les intrts de la Chrtient en Orient.Le choc que subit Napolon en voyant

Alexandrie nest pas pour peu dans ce procsau Moyen ge. Lui qui rvait de la splendeurde lgypte pharaonique, trouva une ville qui

tait au plus bas deson histoire et deson estime. Un portdcim et mauditpar plus dun sicledpidmies depeste. Mais surtout

une ville qui avaitperdu son atoutfondateur, celuidtre un pont entredeux marchs etdeux mondes. Troissicles staientcouls depuisque le commercedOrient avaitemprunt la routedu Cap de Bonne-

Esprance, plongeant le port dans un dclin

instantan et durable dont la ville ne se remitque quand Mohamed Ali la raccorda au Nil,en construisant le canal de Mahmoudeyaet imagina un destin mditerranen pourlgypte. La cause de ce dclin est lamme qui permit dexpliquer son apoge: lecommerce. Pourquoi cela a-t-il t oubli?Comment peut-on construire lhistoire duneville sans tenir en compte ce qui fait sa vitalitet sa richesse? Voltaire lavait compris il y alongtemps:

Alexandrie ne dgnra point sous les Arabes. Les Mamelucks et les Turcs, qui

la conquirent tour tour avec le reste delgypte, ne la laissrent point dprir. Les

Turcs mmes, lui conservrent un reste

de grandeur. Elle ne tomba que lorsque le

passage du Cap de Bonne-Esprance ouvrit

lEurope le chemin de lInde, et changea

le commerce du monde, quAlexandre

avait chang, et qui avait chang plusieurs

fois avant Alexandre. (Dictionnaire philosophique. uvres compltes de

Voltaire, 1764)Laffirmation du philosophe des Lumires

sur le commerce comme moteur de lhistoire

alexandrine est ce point vraie que laville put encore se refaire aprs les deuxtremblements de terre dvastateurs quelleconnut pendant le XIVme sicle. Quand lePre Fabri y sjourna, il manquait encorecinq ans pour que les Portugais dcouvrentle Cap de Bonne-Esprance.

Il y a probablement une autre raisonqui explique le silence sur cette priode:il en reste peu de traces, de restes et demonuments, au moins dans leur versionoriginale. Il ny a rien dquivalent la colonnede Pompe, aux aiguilles de Cloptre ou

aux catacombes de Kom el Shokafa. Le fortQaitbey, dont la construction sinitia en 1477et qui fut totalement reconstruit aprs lebombardement britannique, est bien l, maistout au bout de la Corniche, lextrmit duport Oriental comme une forteresse isole


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Once upon a time in 1996, in thefamous Cordahi Street in Rushdy,Alexandria, the beauty center that

was once owned by a host of Alexandrianwomen in the 60s, and had been closed foralmost three decades, was metamorphosedinto Faradeese ; an art gallery that

emblematizes its owners long-cherisheddream. Having pondered different namesfor it, they eventually settled on such anoriginal one. Literally meaning paradises,Faradeese may be said to be a highly aptname since it has become for its owners notmerely a venue for buying and selling artifacts,but is, more importantly, an artistic haven oran Eden-like spot in which they feel stronglyanchored. Equally apt is the choice of setting:in a neighborhood that outnumbers anyother in Alexandria in its resident foreigners,Faradeese inevitably gratifies their fascination

with Egypts eclectic culture. The beginningwas a personal experiment that had long

been envisioned by the family, says AlaaKhaled, an organic chemist by education,

and an artist by passion and inclination,who, together with his wife Salwa Rashad, agraduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts and nowa professional photographer, satisfied theirpassion for art and heritage by breathinglife into the shop that was once owned bythe latters mother and aunts. Brought upin an ambiance where crochet, quilting andother handcrafts were inherently embedded

in the family, Rashad not only nurtured herartistic aspirations via Faradeese, but alsoimparted her artistic fervor to her husband,who abandoned his field of study and gavefull rein to the latent artist inside him. In thisregard, he refutes any allegation that artand science are incompatible. Once it wasreopened, Faradeese became a uniqueplace that captured the artistic reservoirEgypt is endowed with. We are primarilymotivated by the desire to create a unique

spot that is imbued with a genuine Egyptian

spirit, Khaled explains. In the midst of mass

production, there are those who still look forindividualistic and rare pieces that reveal the

real essence of Egypts artistic heritage.When they first embarked upon such aventure, they displayed their own works:mostly, patchwork, mosaic and stainedglass. Then, having gained a foothold in thisdomain, they began to display other artistsartifacts. Aided by friends and foreigners whohad long inhabited the neighborhood, thecouple succeeded in making Faradeese afavorite destination for those endowed with apenchant for handmade artifacts and unique

artistic items.The moment one steps into the gallery,one gets a glimpse of a vast array of artifacts,pottery, copperware, glassware, mosaic,traditional fabrics, hand-made jewelry andcards, all of which are culled from different

Faradeese :When an Art

Gallery Becomesan Artistic Haven

Jaidaa Gawad Hamada

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places all over Egypt, but mostly from UpperEgypt, renowned as it is for its fabrics andalabaster artifacts, and to a lesser extent fromthe Delta, in addition to a very few importeditems from India and Indonesia. Besides,some of the displayed artifacts bear theimprint of Alexandria, as can be observed inthe different wooden frames and mirrors thatfeature Qaitbey Fort, Alexandrias Lighthouse,as well as old photos of Alexandria from

bygone days. Obviously, the gallery exhibitsits owners keen eye for art and also bearswitness to the eclectic talent of not-well-known Egyptian artists. Hardly ever are thedisplayed artifacts subjected to alterations,whereupon they maintain the individualisticspirit of the artists who forged them. Whatsets Faradeese apart from the crowd of otherart galleries is the homespun flair that prevailsthere. Though Khaled laments the waning

of handmade artifacts, he still believes thatthere will always be those who appreciatethe artistic dexterity that such works entail.

To his delight, the gallery has lately been

frequented by young people, which testifiesto the survival of homespun art among ageneration geared towards technology andflashy fads.

At the outset of their enterprise, bothKhaled and his wife had to travel themselves

in search for these works of art. In fact,travelling has always been of paramountimportance to them, unearthing a plethoraof unheard of places in Egypt from which

they have enriched and continue to enrichtheir gallery. Broadly speaking, travelling hasbecome a leitmotif that punctuates their livesand was also the driving force behindAmkena,orPlaces, the magazine Khaled and hiswife first published in 1999, together with agroup of friends, with the purpose of foundingan open literary forum, based on dialogue,personal anecdotes and photographs thatbespeak personal experiences. Focusingon a segment of society that was somewhatmarginalized, the magazine has succeededin creating its own community of readership,

and to the contributors delight, was well-

received with the first issue, dedicated toAlexandria, selling over 600 copies andgaining wide popularity. Taking issue withthe literary magazines of the time, which,according to Khaled, sought to present

literature in preconceived moulds and wasthus encumbering to the artists imagination,the impetus forAmkena was to create acounter literary culture that challenged thedryness of these magazines. Published

annually, and unfolding thematically in theform of personally inspired articles aroundthe same topic, the magazine addressesissues that pertain to daily life in Egypt andAlexandria, highlighting the significance ofseemingly mundane aspects and bringing tothe fore oft-neglected people and social strata.Chief among the topics it has tackled are thedesert, the peasantry in Egypt, imagination,the changes that city life has undergone, thenotion of borders, the conventional view ofthe hero and the intricacies of university life,among many other topics that, though highly

personal, manage to strike a chord in allreaders. The tenth issue is expected to seethe light of day soon.

Khaleds voracious interest in literature

culminated in publishing two collectionsof poems to be eventually crowned withhis memoirs Allam Khafeef2009( )or Slight Pain, in which he delineates thenarrators odyssey against the backdrop ofthe 60s and 70s tumultuous Alexandriansociety. However, the book is not so muchabout the narrators character per se as itis about his experience of growing up in a

society fraught with a barrage of changesthat render him more like a stranger. Thewinds of change that have blown hard in the60s and 70s over Egyptian society in general,and the Alexandrian community in particular,

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are evoked by Khaled in a tone replete withconflicting feelings towards a once familiarplace, but, as the narrator laments, isfading under an onslaught of changes thatleave him at a loss. Yet, it is not the politicalAlexandria that the book features, but ratherthe personal, wherein memory operates ontwo narrative/time frames: the timeframe ofthe mother who emerges as a legendarycharacter, and that of the child-narrator.Particularly instrumental to both Khaled and

the narrator is the mothers voice, enablingthem to bring the past to bear upon the

present. Equally important are the workings ofimagination which make possible a constantoscillation between the past and the present,

thereby enabling the narrator to perceivethe changes that have befallen his milieuand have wrought drastic transformationsin his own life. The changes he discerns aremost visibly manifested in haircuts, outfits,musical bands, the departure of Syrianand Lebanese families, the pulling downof villas and the sense of hollowness thatplagued his university years. Documenting apivotal moment of change in the narratorsAlexandria, the book may be viewed asan attempt at restructuring his past, whichultimately amounts to only traces of it. The

remnants of the past, the writer concludes,indelibly permeate the present. The bookends on a poignant note that is meant to

describe the narrators state: A slight painlike a birds feather moving quietly from one

place to another ) . )So deeply attached is Alaa Khaled

to Faradeese that he chose it as the venue forwriting his retrospective contemplation of theAlexandria of his childhood and youth. Justas it is for him an artistic refuge that is vibrantwith memories and affiliations, it is for thesurrounding people and its regular customersa haven they resort to whenever they cravea taste of genuine Egyptian art and culture.Having stood in the neighborhood for 14

years now, it has become part of the setting,and its owners, in their turn, have become aninextricable part of it.

Tagine (tajine) is the name given toboth the cooking vessel and the recipesthemselves. Used both as a cooking and asa serving dish, a tagine is made of glazedearthenware with a conical lid. Tagines were

traditionally used by nomads as portableovens over charcoal braziers. Today, mosttagines can be used either on top of the stoveor in the oven. Tagine recipes can also be

cooked in more conventional cookware suchas casseroles. Basically, tagines are a kindof stew, usually with vegetables and eitherpoultry or lamb. They generally have a thickspicy sauce, and are served with couscous,rice or bread. Sometimes fruit, especiallydried fruit, are added to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

4 large chicken portions, skinned andhalved1 tbsp vegetable oil tsp ground allspice tsp black pepper1 tsp ground cinnamon2 tsp cumin seeds tsp ground nutmeg1 tsp ground turmeric

200gms pitted prunes2 large sliced onions1 tbsp freshly grated ginger3 crushed garlic cloves

Salt360ml chicken stock

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large flameproof1.

casserole or tagine. Add the chickenpieces and brown on all sides.Add the allspice, black pepper, cinnamon,2.cumin seeds, nutmeg, turmeric, prunes,onions and garlic to the chicken andcook, stirring, over a medium high heatfor about 5 minutes or until the onionsare soft.Add the stock, season with salt, mix well3.and bring to the boil. Reduce the heatand cook very gently for 2 hours, stirringfrom time to time.When cooked, remove the lid and boil4.

rapidly to slightly reduce and thicken thesauce if necessary. Serve over hot riceor couscous.

Moroccan Chicken and Prune Tagine

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