First founded on the 1^st of April 1907, as the "Kaiserlich Deutsche Institut für Ägyptische Altertumskunde" (Imperial German Institute for the History of Ancient Egypt), and later integrated into the more encompassing German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the Cairo Department celebrates the centenary of its activities in Egypt this year. On this occasion, several celebrations and events were held between the 18^th and the 22^nd of November 2007. | Photogallery |

The centennial festivities began with a press conference at the Conrad Hotel on the morning of November the 18^th. More than 80 journalists representing the Egyptian and international media attended the event and addressed their questions to Bernd Erbel, the German Ambassador in Cairo; Prof. Dr. Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities; Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger, the President of the German Archaeological Institute, Prof. Dr. Günter Dreyer, the Director of the Cairo Department; and Dr. Daniel Polz, the Deputy Director of the Cairo Department. In addition to general statements and congratulatory addresses, it was officially announced that the beautifully preserved wooden coffins of Imeni and Geheset, excavated in 2004 by the Cairo Department in Dra Abu el-Naga, had been transferred to the Museum of Luxor and are now on display for the public.
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On the evening of November the 18^th, the centenary was officially opened with a reception in the garden of the Institute's premises in Zamalek. Around 300 attending guests and colleagues were welcomed by Farouk Hosni, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, Georg Boomgaarden, the State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, and Prof. Dr. Parzinger, the President of the DAI.
During the following three days, a scholarly symposium was held at the Conrad Hotel. Results and prospects of past and ongoing excavations and projects of the Cairo Department were presented by the respective project directors and were complemented and commented on by distinguished external scholars. Up to 350 international scholars and researchers of various fields attended the symposium every day.

A major highlight of the centennial was the opening of the special exhibition "Meeting the Past" in the Egyptian Museum on the evening of November the 19^th. This exhibition showcases artefacts and finds from German excavations in Egypt and will continue to be open to the public until the 15^th of January 2008, in room 44. The festive opening reception in the garden of the Museum was attended by over 400 guests. Against the musical backdrop provided by the choir of the German School of the Borromäerinnen in Alexandria, congratulatory addresses were given by Martin Kobler, Director General for Culture and Communication in the German Federal Foreign Office as well as by Prof. Dr. Zahi Hawass and others more.

The end of the official part of the Institute's centennial was marked by a grand reception hosted by the German Embassy in Cairo, in the garden of the Ambassador's residence in Zamalek.

On the following day, November the 22nd, two excursions took place to offer participants an opportunity to visit sites of activities of the the Cairo Department. The larger excursion, consisting of ca. 100 colleagues from Egypt and abroad, including journalists, went to the Institute's excavation site in Tell el-Fara'in/Buto. The site had been especially prepared to improve accessibility and enhance the visibility of certain excavated areas. A small exhibition with posters and artefacts complemented the guided tour.
A smaller group consisting of around 50 participants went on an excursion to Historic Cairo to visit some of the 12 monuments in Gamaliyya and Bayn al-Qasrayn that the Cairo Department has restored since the early 1970s.

The DAI Cairo would like to seize this opportunity to thank all of those who contributed to the wonderful atmosphere and the success of the centennial events: We thank in particular our Egyptian colleagues and partners in the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Egyptian Museum, our partners and sponsors, the numerous speakers and contributors, and, last but not least, our guests, who came from many different countries to honour our celebrations with their presence. The members of the Cairo Department of the German Archaeological Institute say:

Shukran