The Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l’Art Arabe: Towards a Balanced Appraisal

The article wishes to present a balanced view of the Comité des Monuments de l’Art Arabe, which was founded by Khedive Tawfīq in Cairo in 1881 with the task of conserving Arab-Islamic (later on also Coptic) monuments of architecture in Egypt. This was the period of classical colonialism, therefore it is understandable that a sudden appearance of interest in the Comité’s activities has been witnessed in recent years, not least within the framework of the Saidian discourse on Orientalism. The activities in question lend themselves to various, multifaceted interpretations on account of the complex nature of the subject. Here an analysis is offered of certain theses and statements in a book by Paula Sanders that was published on this subject some time ago (2008). In this context some basic questions concerning the Comité’s activities, along with their ramifications, are also dealt with.