100th Anniversary celebrations of German Archaeological Institute in Cairo

The "Kaiserlich Deutsche Institut für Ägyptische Altertumskunde" in Cairo was founded in 1907 by Ludwig Borchardt on the recommendation of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. In 1929 it was made a department of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), which, in addition to its headquarters in Berlin, has several departments in Germany and abroad. The department in Cairo (DAIK) carries out numerous archaeological research projects in Egypt covering the classical periods of ancient Egyptian culture from prehistoric times to the Late Period, and also the Greco-Roman, Coptic (i.e. Early Christian), and Islamic periods.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the DAI in Cairo, several events will take place in cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) from the 18th to the 22nd of November, 2007 in Cairo.

In an international symposium, the institute’s most important works of the past 50 years will be presented. Invited experts will discuss the results and perspectives with the representatives of the DAIK. The symposium is open to the interested public and will be held from the 19th to the 21st of November, 2007, at the Hotel Conrad in Cairo.

On November the 19th, a special exhibition in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo will be opened. For two months, it will present selected finds from the institute’s various excavations

(among them Abu Mina, Buto, Maadi, Abydos, Dra' Abu el-Naga, and Elephantine), most of which have never been exhibited before. Through this exhibition, the Cairo department would like to present its previous and current research and results to the broad public. A catalogue of the exhibition will be available in German, English, and Arabic.

There are also various publications on the institute’s activities
1. The Festschrift Begegnung mit der Vergangenheit - 100 Jahre in Ägypten. Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Kairo 1907–2007 is a richly illustrated history of the institute’s research and projects.
2. A Future for the Past. Restorations in Islamic Cairo 1973–2004 reports on restoration work in the Old City of Cairo (German/English).
3. Für die Ewigkeit geschaffen - Die Särge des Imeni und der Geheset presents, partially in digital form, an unusual ensemble of coffins from the Middle Kingdom.

The centenary will be held during the German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007. This, in addition to providing support for young researchers, promotes the exchange between scientists. At the same time, 2007 is also the year of humanities in Germany. In addition to numerous workshops and conferences, the 100th anniversary of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo is one of the major events of the German-Egyptian Year of Science.