#MAREMonday 13

On 04.04.2022 we present the 13th session of our online lecture series with a contribution by

Noran Hamed
(University of Southampton)

Our Red Sea: preservation and presentation of the archaeological resource
along the western coast of Egypt

Abstract:

The western coast of the Red Sea in Egypt has been rapidly growing during the last four decades as a touristic destination for seafront resorts and marine activities such as snorkeling, diving and sea safari. Nevertheless, major archaeological excavations have previously been conducted at specific sites along this coast, revealing several ancient harbours that cover a broad chronological range from the Old Kingdom around 2500 B.C. to the 20^th century. However, little attention has been paid to the long-term management of these sites with regards to their public presentation, protection, and, in particular, with the exception of the pioneering work done at Quseir, even less focus on community engagement and sustainable archaeological development for the benefit of the local community.

Moreover, several factors directly threaten these archaeological sites, such as unmonitored touristic activities, power plant construction, looting and fast-growing urban development. This raises the importance of introducing these archaeological resources as heritage assets and touristic venues by publicly presenting the sites and engaging the visitors through interpretive site management plans based on the collaboration and co-creation between different stakeholders.

The presentation discusses how this research is concerned with assessing the protective measures and the public interpretation of these archaeological sites. First, the presentation explores the research questions, methodologies, objectives and previous research, then briefly discusses the archaeological context of the main sites along the coast, analysing their current condition of preservation, public presentation and threats. Finally, it explores the analysis of the primary qualitative research conducted through interviews with different stakeholders.