Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities will sign on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in order to broaden institutional engagement through cultural joint ventures and exchange programmes and activities in the field of museums and archaeology. Secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Amin said that the MoU aims to develop joint ventures in the fields of conservation, museum programmes, archaeological research and exhibitions. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, director-general of Historic Cairo, told Ahram Online that among the most important articles of the MoU is the collaboration between the Ministry of Antiquities and the Aga Khan museum in Toronto, Canada in the field of exchanging experiences through the exchange of professional staffs and works of art on a loan basis for temporary exhibitions from the collections of museums as well as scientific research projects. He also said that the Aga Khan Programme for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) has been launched at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The programme – dedicated to the study of Islamic art and architecture, urbanism, environmental and landscape design and conservation – prepares students for careers in research, design and teaching, and aims to enhance the understanding of Islamic architecture. Luis Monreal, general director of the AKTC, said that there are also many facets of cooperation between the foundation and the antiquities ministry such as in the restoration of several archaeological buildings in Egypt. He explains that a technical committee is to be established through the composition of a steering group to monitor the development and implementation of this MoU, prioritise initiatives and identify further avenues of collaboration.
