Entry 4-in a State of Statues

So it has been a while since I posted on this and we've had snow but I know thats snow excuse (puns!). Anyways I think I might have a meeting with my professor today about my topic. I have decided to focus on three architectural features or statues that are modern but incorporate ancient themes. I've decided to focus on Nahdet Misr or Egypt's Renaissance statue, the pedestal embellishments on Saad Zaghloul's statue in Alexandria, and some of the adornments of the Egyptian Museum (antiquities). All three have some sort of Ancient Egyptian theme but also relate to a modern peception of the sculptor or architect and explore the changing perceptions of Ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian Museum is the oldest and is an example of what western minds thought about Ancient Egypt. It was built in the early 1900s. Then comes Nahdet Misr around 1915 which has a sphynx, but with a more masculine face, and a fully robed woman. And lastly there is the statue of Saad Zaghloul which was erected in 1935. It has the image of a man (Saad Zaghloul?) but on the base there are 2 smaller sculptures of Ancient Egyptian-looking women. These were created in very turbulent times when the perception of Egypt's identity was hotly debated. I also find it extremely interesting that the three monuments all incorporate an image of woman in some way.

I have the book by Reid that explores the Museum and its symbolism but I need to find out more about Nahdet Misr and the statue of Saad Zaghloul. I found an article on Al-Ahram Weekly (http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/789/chrncls.htm) that talks about the "war of statues in Alexandria" and I think it is a good source to look at a (possible) Egyptian perception of these monuments. I also have a book chapter by Fekri A. Hassan who I believe is an archaeologist. His chapter is in Archaeology Under Fire: Nationalism, politics, and heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East and is entitled "Memorabilia: Archaeological materiality and national identity in Egypt". I briefly discussed this article earlier but I think in light of my selection I should look at it again. Other than that I am still looking for sources and will poke around Hassan's article for more and look for more articles on Al-Ahram Weekly's page but it sometimes has trouble searching.