L'Institut d'Egypte

I was enormously fortunate to have had the opportunity to use the library of l'Institut d'Egypte (pictured above) in the midst of the research for my most recent book, on the development of modern education in Egypt.  I feel particularly fortunate now, given that the venerable institution has fallen victim to a fire ignited during the most recent attacks by the military on protesters near Tahrir Square.

In an interview for the KPFA radio program 'Voices of the Middle East and North Africa,' I spoke about the loss to Egyptian heritage that the burning of l'Institut d'Egypte represented:

http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/76249

The interview was subsequently posted on Jadaliyya, together with a series of images documenting the extent of the damage:

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/3725/an-interview-with-paul-sedra_another-victim-of-the

Great thanks to Malihe Razazan of 'Voices of the Middle East and North Africa' for the opportunity to bring attention to this vitally important issue.