There are three main, serious,
long-term aims of the Qurna History Project as of 2001:
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to preserve historical
data for the future
The Qurna History Project aims to raise awareness of the richness
of the cultural heritage of Qurna and the Qurnawi and thus encourage
recording and publication/presentation. The data is under threat
and the recording must happen now. It is a community that is dispersing,
its buildings are falling into decay and being purposely - and
in some cases systematically - demolished, and the rapid changes
over the last generation have accelerated family and community
memory loss. The raw data is vanishing fast and it is important
that it is collected or recorded without delay. The very work
of collecting and recording may encourage its preservation. Copies
of the collected data and documentation will be deposited in a
collection in Egypt, UK or wherever most appropriate for conservation
and use. This will comprise:
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• Annotated
and indexed photographs and drawings - modern and historic where
available.
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• The
oral history information attached to these buildings, places and
people will also be annotated and indexed with cross referencing
to the visual images.
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• Copies
of information collected from published and unpublished sources
and full references where copies are not available.
Update 2010: the people have moved and the buildings gone
- but work continues. We are appealing for a well-resourced oral history
project which is urgently needed before the memories of the resettled people
fade completely.
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to aid scholars
seeking such documentation
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An underlying theme
of the Qurna History Project is to make information and documentation
about Qurna and the Qurnawi publicly and generally available.
For instance, the exhibition of which the Hay drawings are a major
part, also includes drawings by Nestor l'Hote and E.W.Lane and
photos by a number of known and unknown 19th century and early
20th century photographers whose work is mainly in private collections.
Full references are given for all material used, and visitors
wishing to follow up any aspect may contact the QHP co-ordinator
for further information. One of the aims of the project is to
enable people to realise the wealth and importance of material
available if only it is searched for. After the data/material
has been deposited in a collection (see above) it will all be
accessible.
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to encourage collaboration
between scholars and experienced lay people, Egyptians and non-Egyptians
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Without the co-operation
and involvement of many Qurnawi men and women the project could
not have advanced. Families have allowed access to their homes,
and given access to all parts of their buildings for initial survey
purposes. A team of craftsmen and conservators have restored and
repaired mud-brick buildings using traditional materials and techniques.
People have made available documents and personal papers and have
spent many hours talking about what they remember of the community
in general and their own families in particular. The oral history
collection is (2004) at an early stage, and much more work needs
to be done by a dedicated team.
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