Between 12 and 28 September 2025, I had the privilege of conducting a research visit to the United Kingdom with the generous support of the Robert Anderson Trust. This was my second visit supported by the Trust, following my first in 2023. The continuity of this support has been invaluable, allowing me to build on my earlier work and to extend my engagement with archives, collections, and scholars in the UK.

Dr Hesham with a copy of his PhD thesis which he generously donated to the Trust’s library

The primary objectives of this visit were threefold:

• To access the Amarna archives at the Egypt Exploration Society (EES) in London, particularly the excavation diaries from the 1930s, which provide vivid and invaluable documentation of early fieldwork. Reading through these pages was an extraordinary experience, as if I were accompanying the archaeologists of nearly a century ago in their discoveries.
• To consult the Newberry Archives at the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford. These include unpublished notes, drawings, and correspondence relevant to Amarna, especially concerning the Northern Quarries, which remain under-studied and, in some cases, severely damaged in recent decades.

While examining Pendlebury’s Tell el-Amarna excavation diaries, covering the period between 1931 and 1936

• To examine and photograph selected museum collections that are directly connected to my research, especially in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (UCL) and the British Museum. These sessions allowed me to engage closely with artefacts that are of cultural and historical significance.

During the examination and photography of selected artefacts at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

In addition to archival and object-based research, this visit was enriched by important scholarly exchanges. I had the privilege of meeting with Dr Elisabeth O’Connell, Curator in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum, who is widely recognized for her expertise on late antique Egypt and monastic communities. Her insights and generous discussions provided stimulating new perspectives on my research. I also met Professor Dominic Rathbone, a distinguished historian of Greek and Roman Egypt at King’s College London.

My meeting with Dr Elisabeth O’Connell in the study room of the Department of Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum

Beyond these academic engagements, I also took time to explore London’s extraordinary cultural and historical landscape. I visited the Natural History Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Science Museum, in addition to enjoying the city’s remarkable parks and heritage sites. These visits offered a broader appreciation of the intersections between history, science, and culture.

My days in Oxford were equally rewarding. Walking through the historic campus was an inspiring experience in itself, and the city’s museums added further depth to my journey. Highlights included the Ashmolean Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, each of which embodies centuries of intellectual curiosity and preservation.

In front of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History

This visit was not only a period of academic productivity but also one of personal inspiration. The opportunity to access rare archival materials, study important collections, and engage with leading scholars has significantly advanced my research. It has also strengthened the bridges between Egyptian and international Egyptological communities.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Robert Anderson Trust for making this visit possible. Their support of Egyptian scholars ensures that critical resources in the United Kingdom can be studied and brought into dialogue with ongoing research in Egypt. This generous commitment contributes directly to the preservation and interpretation of Egypt’s ancient heritage, and I am honoured to be a beneficiary of such a vision.

For more information about the other students in the 2025 cohort please see here.