Creswell's Cairo: Then and Now

At the American University in Cairo's Sony Gallery and at AUC's Rare Books Library visitors were able to get a glimpse of an older and monumental Cairo they probably had never seen before. On the December 22, an exhibit entitled "Creswell's Cairo: Then and Now" was inaugurated to honor the memory and achievement of the man born in 1879 and widely acknowledged as the founding father of the discipline of Islamic Art and Architecture. Sir Keppel Archibald Creswell devoted his life to the study and documentation of Islamic monuments-a most unlikely mission for someone born into a line of English Clergymen. Dr. Zahi Hawas, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities was joined by Sir Derek Plumbly, British Ambassador to Egypt , Noha Abu Khatwa, Director of the Islamic Art Network (IAN) and Philip Croom, Director of the Rare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) at a press conference before the opening of the exhibition, which was the product of collaboration between the IAN and the RBSCL .Each speaker outlined the significance of Creswell and his work in their comments to the press.

Sir Derek and Dr. Hawas were later joined by His Excellency the Grand Mufti of Egypt Sheikh Dr. Ali Gomaa (who had also attended the press conference) and Dr. David Arnold, AUC's President, at the Sony Gallery where they opened the exhibition.

On exhibit at the Sony Gallery were forty items taken from Creswell's collection of about 11,000 photographs-a product of his diligent fieldwork, which started 1920 and continued up till 1968-selected by IAN to be re-photographed, giving additional significance to the already interesting idea of allowing viewers a glimpse of Creswell's historic record, most of which has never been published before. Still more photographs as well as personal effects were exhibited at the Rare Books and Special Collections Library.

"Creswell's Cairo: Then and Now" thus attempted to highlight the importance of preserving the monuments of Islamic Cairo, through allowing a comparison of Creswell's stark black and white photos and their color twins, shot by the IAN's staff photographers -- the Venezuelans Chemane and Jenny Arias -- from the same identical perspective, giving a direct view of the changes-for better or worse-in the state of the monuments over fifty years. Noha Abu Khatwa, director of IAN, asserts that retracing Creswell's steps and re-photographing his photos proved to be a more difficult task than initially envisaged: "As we embarked on it we faced several problems, which in some cases prevented the re-photographing of some very interesting shots." Trees, power lines, and new constructions now block the view that was clear for Creswell long ago, while some of the architectural jewels embellishing the crown of Cairo have become dump sites, she complains. Pollution and overcrowding have marred the once glorious views that Creswell documented.

The IAN, which boasts an extensive archive of photographs and documents pertaining to Islamic Cairo counts among its objectives the creation of a comprehensive reference for scholars, students, the media, and anyone interested in the field of Islamic Art and Architecture. It can be visited at www.islamic-art.org

At the press conference prior to the opening,. Hawass praised Creswell's work on Islamic Cairo as an "indispensable tool for the restoration and conservation work going on in the city at the moment," thanking the sponsors' efforts to honor the work of Creswell and stressing the need for "constant attention to the marvels of Islamic Cairo."

The exhibit, which has been commended by Prof. Christel Kessler, the renowned art historian who served as an assistant to Creswell, as a "most interestingly conceived exhibition honoring the memory of Creswell and an often underrated part of his historic documentation," ended at the Sony Gallery on January 29, 2004, and remained open at the RBSCL until February 29, 2004.

Click here to view the Creswell Cairo: Then and Now virtual gallery.

By Maha Shahba