Al-Ahram Weekly | Profile | Gawdat Gabra: Horizons of hope

The chief editor of the St Mark Foundation for Coptic History Studies, active participant at International Congresses on Coptology, and author of several books on Coptic history and monasticism, Gawdat Gabra gives courses in the USA and lectures at various universities worldwide, "but my heart is in Egypt," he says. "When Zahi Hawass invited me to participate in the development of the Coptic Museum into a state-of-the-art landmark in Cairo, I was happy to oblige, and I confidently expect that within two years half a million tourists will visit it. But," he adds on a more sombre note, "although the revolution in the media in recent years has led to more awareness of Coptic culture and heritage, and major conservation and restoration have been carried out at monastic sites, there are still few Egyptians who specialise in Coptic archaeology, art, language and heritage. Too many Egyptology students become so absorbed in the Pharaonic era that they have allowed foreign specialists to run ahead of them in the study of early Christianity. This is changing, but not fast enough. The Supreme Council of Antiquities is not being provided with professionals, and it is our fault.

What I would love to see in my lifetime is a department of Coptic Studies in an Egyptian University," Gawdat Gabra declaims. "The faculty of tourism gives courses on Coptic studies, and there are departments for tourist guidance in some of our universities, but how can this produce professionals? Some of our universities give a single course in art history, which includes Coptic art; a few include the study of the Coptic language, but that is not nearly enough. Egypt lacks a department of Coptic studies in any university in the country. Don't you think it ironical that not one of the curators in our museums is a Coptologist, that we promote Coptic studies abroad while we lack even qualified inspectors at home?" Tall, even-tempered and congenial, Gabra exudes confidence as he goes on, speaking in measured tones. "Coptic studies lag far behind Graeco-Roman and Islamic studies," he explains, a pained expression on his face. "Coptologists in the United States and other countries are forging ahead, while we are only now beginning to take our place among them".

Gabra keeps a heavy schedule when in Egypt. Our first meeting, in the garden of the Marriott Hotel, was on a particularly hot and humid day, so we opted for the muted "coolth" indoors. We spent the first half hour reminiscing about the past. Or rather, he recalled his early years as a student while I took notes. "Egyptology was more than a hobby to me," he said. "It was a passion. I was 29 years old when I gave up Pharaonic studies and went into Coptic heritage -- by chance," he added. "I developed an interest in the Egyptian language of the Ptolemaic period during the Nubia salvage operations, in the early 1970s, when I was working at Qasr Ibrim." Eager to further his studies abroad, he applied to the British Council and was accepted. "I was offered a one-year scholarship to go to Liverpool to study under Professor Fairman. But he, unfortunately, was ill and not accepting new students, so I ended up in Cambridge. And there I found Martin Plumbley, a Coptologist I had met at Qasr Ibrim, and Barry Kemp, a competent Egyptologist and assistant to Plumbley. I like to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves, so I was easily persuaded to turn to Coptic studies, and what had earlier been one of my diversions became the focus of my interest. Much to my surprise, I found that Coptic was far easier to learn than the ancient Egyptian language. The discovery of the Nag' Hammadi codices in 1945 and engendered interest worldwide, and I was able to learn how to read these historically important Coptic texts. Later I spent over five years in Mènster, Germany, where I majored in Coptic studies under Professor Martin Krause, the father of modern Coptology. I also took a minor in Egyptology, and another in Islamic studies. I benefited greatly from such a well rounded understanding of Egypt's past".

On his return to Egypt, Gabra was anxious to encourage interest in Coptic studies among his colleagues. "That was why my appointment as director of the Coptic Museum in 1985 was so important to me, and why I put so much effort into renovating the museum, developing the area within the old Roman fortress of Babylon. It was in a terrible state, having been neglected for many years. My appointment gave me an opportunity to upgrade the whole area. The salary was paltry but I loved the challenge; and I put my heart into two objectives. To put Old Cairo on the tourist map, and to press for the opening of a department for Coptic studies at university level". Gabra settled into his chair as the waitress placed two glasses of fresh orange juice on the table. "Do you know that in 1984 only 8,000 tourists visited the Coptic Museum during the whole year? I was convinced that with the proper attention, Old Cairo could capture as large a percentage of tourists as the Egyptian Museum. I discussed the matter with Mohamed Salah, its director, and he agreed with me. In fact, within my first four years as director of the Coptic Museum (1985- 1989), the number of visitors increased to 120,000; and I can confidently say that it was I who put it on the tourist map." Under Gabra's direction, the rubble that had accumulated within the Roman fortress was cleared, the water level reduced with the aid of pumps, and churches restored. "The Coptic Museum was paid attention, and I planned a small gallery for the exhibition of new acquisitions. I also considered having a Centre for Coptic Studies built on a small vacant lot beside the new wing of the museum. I visualised it as a research centre for an international community of Coptic scholars studying the Nag' Hammadi codices, and also, being adjacent to the Coptic Museum, it would enable art historians to trace stylistic developments of the objects whose provenance was unknown, and eventually, with enough optimism and persistence, perhaps even put them in historical sequence rather than keeping them divided among different media: stonework, woodwork, icons, etc. It was very sad to watch all that I built up fall to pieces..."

He looked at his watch, mumbled something about not having much time left, and continued: "Some problems in the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation in the early 1990s resulted in the appointment of non professional officials to administrative posts in the EAO, and this hindered my plans for the museum. In fact, coupled with delays in the completion of the government's Waste Water Project, all of Old Cairo was put on hold." But Gabra, not being the sort of man who would suspend his activities and wait for circumstances to change, put out feelers for activities outside of the museum. "I took a leave of absence to teach in some private tourist institutes, and I was invited by the faculty of tourism in Helwan University to give courses there. Coptic art and archaeology were added to their syllabus." But as he spoke, I could see that Gabra was making ready to leave. He called for the bill, and stood up... "We will meet again for sure and continue our discussion," he assured me.

It was many months before we met again, this time in my home in Degla, prior to the official reopening of the state-of-the-art Coptic Museum. He was clearly tired after a whole day of checking the accuracy of the labels in three languages in Old Cairo, so we chatted a little before I reminded him that we had ended our last meeting on the subject of the government having placed non-professionals in charge of museums. I had, of course, done my homework in the meantime; I knew that when Ahmed Kadry became the chairman of the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation in 1978, he was largely responsible for the government decree that earmarked funds gained from tourism for the restoration of Egypt's heritage, as a result of which, for the first time, not only Pharaonic but Islamic and Coptic monuments were cared for as part of the national heritage. Unfortunately, once substantial funds were made available, the government felt duty-bound to control its investment. "Kadry supported my continued directorship of the Coptic Museum, insisting that I was the most qualified person to continue in the post and handle the expenses needed to upgrade the area. But the EAO was a powerful institution. It overrode Kadry's recommendation, and since my plans for the area could not be realised with another at the helm, I took advantage of offers from those who wanted to make use of my expertise. I continued my research in Germany, agreed to give classes on Coptic studies in the USA, where I became visiting professor at a number of universities". In short, Gawdat Gabra - the man most qualified to continue in his post and inspire a new generation - was lost to Egypt. He became part of the brain- drain. "But I did make it clear that I was ready to act as a consultant whenever called upon," he assured me.

Gabra is married to Martha Malaty a professor of computer science; he has a daughter, Nefert, who studied business in Germany. He is one of four boy siblings. "My mother was an English teacher in a state school. She tried to make me speak English all of the time, but I was not an obedient child. I graduated at the age of 16, only to discover that I was too young for university; I could not get my identity card before my next birthday, on September 24." It was on joining Cairo University that he encountered "learned and charismatic" professors like Ahmed Fakhry Abdel-Moneim Abu Bakr, Abdel-Mohsin Bakir, Mustafa Amir and others. "After graduation, I worked in Nubia for three years on the reconstruction of the temple of Al-Derr, and Amada, and others. I identified scenes, matched them to each other, gave them numbers and translated texts. I studied old photographs and publications and found it amusing to spot mistakes in early publications. We lived on a houseboat in Nubia and worked from early morning before sunrise for weeks at a stretch," Gabra went on, "and then we had ten days vacation with a ticket from Aswan to Cairo. During that time I had nothing to do but read. So I bought cartons of books from Ezbekieh. I even read the Bible, the St James version of the Old Testament, to improve my English, and I compared it with the Arabic translation".

After his work in Nubia in the early 1970s, Gabra was appointed inspector of antiquities in Edfu. "It was an area not much visited by foreign scholars and I enjoyed my work. The history of Edfu could be traced from the predynastic period through to Graeco-Roman times, but surprisingly, there were no New Kingdom monuments. You can imagine how pleased I was when I located a cemetery of that period in an area known as Hager Edfu. I bought a camera from a Russian tourist for LE18 and photographed all the walls; some were covered with whitewash and the texts hardly visible. I wrote eight articles on Edfu. My first was written without assistance and published in 1974 in a famous Belgian periodical". Gabra's early years as an Egyptologist were productive, and he recalls them with pleasure. "I translated the text on a stela in the storeroom attached to the office of the inspectorate at Edfu, which I found in two parts along with a number of small fragments and flakes. Some of the inscription was covered with salt. Nevertheless, at first sight, I recognised it as something of special importance because I saw the cartouche of the 11th-dynasty Pharaoh Wahankh Inyotef, the hieroglyphic word for "army," and the names of the towns Thinis and Abydos along with some emblems. After some research, I learned that there was no reliable record of the discovery. I also ascertained that it was found at Al-Kab when a Cairo to Aswan asphalt road was being planned in 1963." Gabra studied the monument. "It concerned the re-unification of the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt in the First Intermediate Period, cast light on the careers of important officials during a militarily active period, and contained seven important lines of text which I am proud to say are taught until today in every department of Egyptology in the world ".

Gabra is stimulated by research. He realised that he had an important role to play in writing books for lay readers. "That is to say, books that are scholarly in content but written in language appropriate to the general public as well as the scholar," he explained. "I wrote a book on the Holy Family in Egypt, another on Coptic monasteries, and I edited and Massimo Capuani's Christian Egypt: Coptic Art and Monuments through to Millennia, which was published in French and German and which describes the largest scope of Christian monuments in Egypt." Gabra has a flair for recruiting competent and talented individuals to help him carry out the tasks he sets himself. This he does not deny. "What I want to achieve cannot be done single-handedly," he says. "Anyway, inspiration and encouragement is a two-way process in which both sides stand to gain. Students carry out some basic research for me, which I include in my publications, and they are inspired by my work and benefit from my methods. When I expand my knowledge through the expertise of foreign scholars specialised in different disciplines, they, in turn, have an opportunity to work and carry out research in Egypt. All horizons are broadened..." I mentioned that the American University in Cairo is now presenting a course on Coptic studies, and, while Gabra conceded that this was an important step, he added: "Coptology in the AUC is a minor. We still lack a single department of Coptic studies in any university in Egypt. It is about time we did something about that."