AbdelHaleem Osman Tayaa ElDaramaly interview

AbdelHaleem El Daramaly, a 48-year-old former resident of the Qurna hillside who works for the Swiss Archeological Institute, describes his life experiences. He outlines Qurna’s origins, settled by brothers originally from a place near the Temple of Seti who relocated to the cemetery on the Qurna hillside; these original families were joined by other of Turkish and Levantine origin. AbdelHaleem tells of coming from a family of farmers, with the extended family living together, and the men involved in agriculture (as well as being conscripted into military service) and female members playing traditional household roles. He recalls that a local healer specialized in calming infants and babies, and that shrines were frequently visited for healing and for achieving good fortune, with the hillside generally believed to be blessed. The night was dedicated for play and communal entertainment among the neighbors. AbdelHaleem was educated in the local school before dropping out to work in tourism and in digging up artifacts. Working with various foreign expeditions, he developed conservation, restoration, and other skills. He notes that tourism was the more conventional source of income, while the Coptic Christians in Qurna monopolized the carpentry trade. AbdelHaleem describes the relocation of residents from their homes on the Qurna hillside, calling the process of removing the residents barbaric from beginning to end. He laments the loss of history and heritage resulting from the demolition of many of Qurna’s houses, as well as the loss of communal spirit, something diminished by apartment living that separates families and siblings. He also compares the recent relocation of Qurna’s residents with that associated with Hassan Fathy’s New Qurna village project in the 1940s.