“Egypt in Africa” by Dr. Werner Daum.  

Archaeologist Henri-Paul Francfort is senior researcher (emeritus) at the National Centre for Scientific Research in Paris. Presented a lecture entitled: “Before the Silk Road: a Bronze Age network of arts and civilizations in Middle Asia” which discussed the “global” ancient historical phenomenon that was the Bronze Age trade network.

Dr Carlos A. Picon is the curator in charge of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Greek and Roman Art. He has been the guest curator of exhibitions in the US and Europe, participated in international symposia, and was a visiting scholar in the Department of Classics at the University of Texas in Austin. A prolific writer, his book The Sculptures of the Archaic Artemision at Ephesos in the British Museum is forthcoming.

Dr Fahd Rashid al-Mutairi, a professor of Theoretical Phonetics at the College of Basic Education, obtained his PhD from England (2011) in Linguistics. The lecture argued that it is not morally valid to hold a certain view, if it has a negative effect on others’ conduct, or lacks evidence. It pointed out that ethics is not bound only to the domain of conduct, but exceeds it to the area of thinking.  

Mamdouh Mohammed Jad al- Damatti, is a professor of Ancient Egyptian Archeology, at Ain Shams university, where he was the dean of the Faculty of Arts (2009- 2011). In his lecture, Dr. al-Damatti spoke on Ma’et: Right- Justice- Discipline. It is a philosophical concept referring to Right, Justice, and Discipline. And how this concept became a constitution to regulate the movements of the universe in ancient Egypt and a constitution to meet the needs of the modern Egypt to avoid mess in the life of every Egyptian citizen.  

Dr. Matthias Pfaffenbichler is the director of the Imperial Armouries at the Kunthistorisches Museum in Vienna and an Austrian Art History lecturer at the University of Vienna. The lecture’s topic was: The Noble Art of Falconry. Falconry was the most important form of court hunting during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In Europe, falconry was strongly influenced by Arab princes who passionately practised the noble art of falconry.    

Dr. Abdulla al-Rabie, Professor of Cultural Relations at Imam University, in Riyyadh, discussed the peaceful relations between Muslims and the Crusaders in Greater Syria, pointing out the importance of economic relations between them. The lecture mainly focused on the most important means, namely, currency, and how the Crusaders dealt with Islamic gold dinar, which was considered the “dollar” of trade between Muslim and Christian on the Mediterranean coasts. It traces the stages of minting, from distorted to exact copies, until the introduction of a Crusader currency with its special inscriptions and symbols.  

Dalu Jones is an Islamic art historian. She was the founder and editor of Art and Archaeology Research Papers (AARP). Together with George Michell she was the editor of the catalogue of the landmark exhibition: ‘The Arts of Islam’ in London in 1976. Since then she has written numerous books and articles as well as curated exhibitions on various aspects of Islamic art both in the UK and in Italy. She is also a regular contributor to ‘Minerva’, the International Review of Ancient Art and Archaeology.  

Dr. Abdulmuttleb al-Ballam is the head of Architecture Department in Kuwait University. He was awarded his PHD from University of California and worked in several committees in the Higher Board of Planning, public Authority of Housing and Kuwait University. He works as a consultant for many Architectural offices in Kuwait. His research concentrates on the reconstruction of old Kuwait City, in order to understand the human behaviour during the Pre-oil period, applying its positive side on contemporary Kuwaiti architecture.    

Prof. Susanne Wofford, Dean of Gallatin School of Humanities, NYU delivered a lecture entitled “Pluri-disciplinary Approaches to Knowledge”.