Egyptian museums nationwide are holding workshops for children during their
mid-year holidays which run till the second week of February. The aim is to create
a bond between the children and museums; and to increase their awareness of
heritage.
Elham Salah, head of the Museums Sector at the Antiquities Ministry, said it is the
role of museums to offer culture and heritage awareness and that, in the case of
children, museums are translating this role into a bunch of artistic, recreational and
cultural activities as well as offering guided tours in museums and archaeological
sites.
The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, Cairo, will hold a special day on the
morning of 14 February to highlight ancient Egyptian food. The event is open for
tourists as well as children. Four children in ancient Egyptian clothes will carry
baskets of Egyptian foods of which participants may sample. The names of the
tourists will be written in on papyrus in hieroglyphs.
The Textile Museum at al-Muizz Street in Fatimid Cairo will run a series of
workshops that will include embroidery, information on materials used in the
textile industry, and painting on fabrics. There will also be a workshop on sabeel,
also written sabil and literally meaning water fountain, which were buildings the
ground floor of which was used to offer passers-by water, whereas the other parts
of the building or the upper floors housed schools. Many of these buildings were
built by the rich for charity; they were architectural masterpieces beautifully
decorated with Islamic art motifs.
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Ismailiya Museum is holding a workshop on “Mummification and the Natural
Materials Used”. During the workshop the participating children and their families
are guided in a tour inside the museum hall to get to know all about
mummification.
The New Valley Museum is also holding activities on the topic of “Treatment by
Massage in ancient Egypt”.
The Mummification Museum is tackling the topic of the ancient Egyptian belief in
immortality. Workshops include explanations of the process of mummification and
its progress until the 21st Dynasty, as applied to the mummy Mashrty (Most Senior
Priest of Amun, and the commander of the army and the son of King Ba Negm I
from the 21st Dynasty).
At the health room of Helwan Corner Museum, formerly a rest house for Egypt’s
King Farouk, a mini model of a dining hall is used by the guide to explain the
importance of health food, including fruits and vegetables. At the smoking room,
the guide explains the dangers of smoking and how it destroys health and causes
serious illness.
At the Gayer-Anderson Museum in Cairo’s Islamic quarter, a workshop will be
held on medicine through the ages, methods of treatment between past and present,
and teaching children all about first aid.
Watani International
5 February 2017