Guardians of history

Living international networks: we present individuals who symbolise Germany’s partnerships around the world. After all, the only way to overcome global challenges is by working together.

The water of the Nile sparkles in the sunlight while the grasses sway beside it in the wind. Beyond its banks hide the remnants of ancient monuments. Their walls tell stories of the pharaohs and cultures who lived here long ago. And this is where Omar Kassab comes to work.

International interdisciplinary team

Eight hundred kilometres from Cairo and its world-famous pyramids, the 30-year old architect is working for the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), an international research institution which operates under the umbrella of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office. Kassab is helping with the excavations on the island of Elephantine in the Nile opposite the city of Aswan. He is part of an interdisciplinary team of people from different countries. Germany and Egypt make up the largest contingent, and other colleagues come from Brazil, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. “Germany and Egypt can learn a lot from each other,” Kassab says. “There are a lot of regulations governing how you look after ancient monuments in Germany. In Egypt, we have more freedom to act, which opens up more opportunities for us. On the other hand, the Germans know how important it is to treasure monuments and historic sites. So we can learn a lot from them in return.”

As an architect, Kassab works in managing the excavation site while his colleagues restore objects and buildings or analyse pottery, metal objects, bones and inscriptions. When carrying out excavations and other work, the DAI relies on local craftsmen from the city of Quft, who have worked in these jobs for generations. “They’re a central and indispensable part of the team,” Kassab says.

Time travelling in the imagination

Kassab studied architecture at the German University in Cairo and worked for a firm of architects in Munich. He particularly values the chance to discuss ideas with specialists from other fields. “You get a different perspective on things,” he says. “I’m fortunate to be able to combine architecture and graphic design in my work, while still constantly coming into contact with other disciplines.”Kassab’s responsibilities include tourist infrastructure on the Elephantine site, for which he designs visitor information boards. To do that, he must travel back in time – in his imagination, at least.

Studying the buildings in detail is an essential part of his work, he says. “If you don’t understand how a building functions, it’s hard to explain that in simple terms to other people,” he says.The structures on Elephantine are still impressive even today. Kassab says he was “overwhelmed” when he came for the first time. And the buildings still bear witness to over 5,000 years of human activity.

“Deciphering the layers of history is a long process,” says Kassab, which is why he and his colleagues investigate the buildings in such detail before they present their findings to visitors on the information boards. Kassab is passionate about actively involving people who live near the archaeological site. “It’s so important to let children get to know their culture, such as by bringing them on school trips here,” he says.Living history and digitalisation are at the forefront for Kassab and his team when it comes to designing the information boards. “We translate academic information into an exciting narrative. Who lived here, and what can the artefacts we found in our excavations tell us about these people?”

Kassab’s job includes coordinating the manufacture of traditional clay bricks on Elephantine. But before that happened, many questions needed answering. Which materials and techniques did people use back then, for example? Did they invent any tools for the purpose? And how can you protect the bricks against environmental influences? “Clay-brick buildings are extremely susceptible to changes in the climate,” Kassab says. “Recent heavy rainfall has caused huge damage and we’re working flat-out to repair it,” so the ancient can site can amaze visitors once again.