Interpreting Red Sea: the potentials of eco-museums as a tool of public presentation and outreach
Interpreting Red Sea: the potentials of eco-museums as a tool of public presentation and outreach
The Red Sea coast of Egypt is noted worldwide for its outstanding marine environment and recreational aquatic activities such as diving, snorkelling, kite surfing, etc. However, major excavation work has been conducted at specific sites along the western coast, revealing several ancient harbours that cover a wide chronological range from ancient times to the 20th century. Still, little attention has been paid to the long-term sustainable management and public presentation of these sites, and, with the exception of the pioneering work done at Quseir through the community archaeology project, even less focus on community engagement with these heritage resources.
Moreover, several factors form direct threats to these sites, such as unmonitored touristic activities, power plants, and fast-growing urban development. Thus, there remain questions about the potential of introducing these heritage resources to the public by displaying the sites as eco-museums, encouraging visitor engagement through interpretive site management plans and collaboration between different stakeholders.
This research discusses the potential of presenting the Red Sea heritage to the broader public to ensure the safeguarding of the sites and achieving the educational and enjoyment purposes of heritage resources. First, this presentation briefly defines the theoretical research framework. Then it explores the archaeological context of the main sites along the coast, analysing their current condition of preservation, public presentation and threats. Finally, it discusses eco-museums as a suggested approach to preserving and interpreting the Red Sea heritage to the wider public and the feasibility of applying this approach.
Hamed, Noran
896ffaa0-2558-4139-b9ba-47a5704d0adf
June 2022
Hamed, Noran
896ffaa0-2558-4139-b9ba-47a5704d0adf
Hamed, Noran
(2022)
Interpreting Red Sea: the potentials of eco-museums as a tool of public presentation and outreach.
7th International Congress for Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
06 - 09 Jun 2022.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Other)
Abstract
The Red Sea coast of Egypt is noted worldwide for its outstanding marine environment and recreational aquatic activities such as diving, snorkelling, kite surfing, etc. However, major excavation work has been conducted at specific sites along the western coast, revealing several ancient harbours that cover a wide chronological range from ancient times to the 20th century. Still, little attention has been paid to the long-term sustainable management and public presentation of these sites, and, with the exception of the pioneering work done at Quseir through the community archaeology project, even less focus on community engagement with these heritage resources.
Moreover, several factors form direct threats to these sites, such as unmonitored touristic activities, power plants, and fast-growing urban development. Thus, there remain questions about the potential of introducing these heritage resources to the public by displaying the sites as eco-museums, encouraging visitor engagement through interpretive site management plans and collaboration between different stakeholders.
This research discusses the potential of presenting the Red Sea heritage to the broader public to ensure the safeguarding of the sites and achieving the educational and enjoyment purposes of heritage resources. First, this presentation briefly defines the theoretical research framework. Then it explores the archaeological context of the main sites along the coast, analysing their current condition of preservation, public presentation and threats. Finally, it discusses eco-museums as a suggested approach to preserving and interpreting the Red Sea heritage to the wider public and the feasibility of applying this approach.
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Published date: June 2022
Venue - Dates:
7th International Congress for Underwater Archaeology (IKUWA), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, 2022-06-06 - 2022-06-09
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Local EPrints ID: 490046
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/490046
PURE UUID: f7441dbf-e3ef-4e15-9bd6-ffd5abb78e29
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Date deposited: 14 May 2024 16:31
Last modified: 18 May 2024 01:59
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