Marcus Simaika

Father of Coptic Archaeology

Nonfiction, History, Africa, Egypt, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Marcus Simaika by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein, The American University in Cairo Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein ISBN: 9781617978012
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press Publication: August 31, 2017
Imprint: The American University in Cairo Press Language: English
Author: Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
ISBN: 9781617978012
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
Publication: August 31, 2017
Imprint: The American University in Cairo Press
Language: English

Marcus Pasha Simaika (1864-1944) was born to a prominent Coptic family on the eve of the inauguration of the Suez Canal and the British occupation of Egypt. From a young age, he developed a passion for Coptic heritage and devoted his life to shedding light on centuries of Christian Egyptian history that had been neglected by ignorance or otherwise belittled and despised. He was not a professional archaeologist, an excavator, or a specialist scholar of Coptic language and literature. Rather, his achievement lies in his role as a visionary administrator who used his status to pursue relentlessly his dream of founding a Coptic Museum and preserving endangered monuments. During his lengthy career, first as a civil servant, then as a legislator and member of the Coptic community council, he maneuvered endlessly between the patriarch and the church hierarchy, the Coptic community council, the British authorities, and the government to bring them together in his fight to save Coptic heritage.This fascinating biography draws upon Simaika's unpublished memoirs as well as on other documents and photographs from the Simaika family archive to deepen our understanding of several important themes of modern Egyptian history: the development of Coptic archaeology and heritage studies, Egyptian-British interactions during the colonial and semi-colonial eras, shifting balances in the interaction of clergymen and the lay Coptic community, and the ever-sensitive evolution of relations between Copts and their Muslim countrymen.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Marcus Pasha Simaika (1864-1944) was born to a prominent Coptic family on the eve of the inauguration of the Suez Canal and the British occupation of Egypt. From a young age, he developed a passion for Coptic heritage and devoted his life to shedding light on centuries of Christian Egyptian history that had been neglected by ignorance or otherwise belittled and despised. He was not a professional archaeologist, an excavator, or a specialist scholar of Coptic language and literature. Rather, his achievement lies in his role as a visionary administrator who used his status to pursue relentlessly his dream of founding a Coptic Museum and preserving endangered monuments. During his lengthy career, first as a civil servant, then as a legislator and member of the Coptic community council, he maneuvered endlessly between the patriarch and the church hierarchy, the Coptic community council, the British authorities, and the government to bring them together in his fight to save Coptic heritage.This fascinating biography draws upon Simaika's unpublished memoirs as well as on other documents and photographs from the Simaika family archive to deepen our understanding of several important themes of modern Egyptian history: the development of Coptic archaeology and heritage studies, Egyptian-British interactions during the colonial and semi-colonial eras, shifting balances in the interaction of clergymen and the lay Coptic community, and the ever-sensitive evolution of relations between Copts and their Muslim countrymen.

More books from The American University in Cairo Press

Cover of the book The Theocrat by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book The Time-Travels of the Man Who Sold Pickles and Sweets by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Mapping Arab Women's Movements by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Islamic Monuments in Cairo by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book The Baghdad Eucharist by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Mortal Designs by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book A Man of Letters by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book The Time-Travels of the Man Who Sold Pickles and Sweets by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Visionaries of Silence by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Papa Sartre by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Fustat Finds by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book The Red Land by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
Cover of the book Dates on My Fingers by Samir Simaika, Nevine Henein
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy