Ruins of St Simeon's Monastery. Near Aswan, Egypt

Object Details

Local Numbers: Negative number 62235 C-20, 4.
General: Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
Local Note: Typed index card reads, "T 6 Egy. Egypt. Aswan. View of Convent of St. Simeon and the desert. Coptic Period. 3/1961. EE. neg.no. 62235 C-20, 4." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Egypt

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

Collection Citation: Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Collection Rights: Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Scope and Contents: "In the centuries immediately after the age of Antony and Pachom, monasticism in Egypt flourished, and several hundred coptic monasteries, and many convents for nuns, were built throughout Egypt. Today, most of them have disappeared and are known only through the lists compiled in the fifteenth century by the Arab historian, al-Maqrîsî. The ruins of St Simeon's Monastery (Aswan), which was built in the seventh century and destroyed in 1173 by troops sent to Nubia by Sâlah ad-Dîn (Saladin), are in good state of preservation, and the Copts of Aswan still use the Church of St Simeon occasionally for services." [Watterson B., 1988: Coptic Egypt. Scottish Academy Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.