Adel spent the month of April 2026 working on his research project, ‘Quarries of Gabel el-Asr and Mines of Wadi el-Hudi: A Study of the Workers’ Society, the period from 2613 to 1650 B.C.’

In the study room of the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, British Museum.

From April 1st to 30th, I had the honour of traveling to London with the support of the Robert Anderson Trust. Although the trip was short, it proved extremely beneficial to my research project.

The trip achieved several important objectives. I was able to copy all the drawings and data from the British expedition to the Chephren quarries in the Aswan area (Egypt). The directors of the British expedition, Drs Elizabeth Bloxham and Ian Shaw, provided me with these drawings and data, which I copied and digitized for use in my research and also for use in the Aswan Antiquities Office, as this site is at significant risk.

The visit also allowed me to hold several meetings with Drs Bloxham and Shaw, to discuss my research project, challenges, and potential solutions. These meetings were very helpful to me and my project.

The second part of my plan involved reviewing the archaeological archive of Fred Wendorf, director of the Prehistoric Archaeology Expedition in Egypt. This archive is housed in the British Museum, and Alice Leplongeon and I specifically requested access to the sections pertaining to Wadi Kubbaniya and Wadi Abu Subira. The archive was reviewed, parts of it were copied, and some of the stone tools found at the site were examined.

The trip was very beneficial to me and I am grateful to the Trust for the great support on the trip and especially all the assistance provided by Dr Chris Naunton.

For more information about the other students in the 2026 cohort please see here.