Initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century, the Description of Egypt stands as a comprehensive catalog of Egyptian history and culture.
The Description de l’Égypte (Description of Egypt) was printed as a series of elephantine tomes between 1809 and 1829, following Napoleon Bonaparte’s brief but prodigious expedition to Egypt. They were published serially in 26 volumes and include 900 illustrated plates. Employing dozens of France’s best scholars, Napoleon instigated this systematic study of Egypt through his army of “savants,” who meticulously documented various aspects of Egyptian culture, from ancient sites and monuments to modern crafts and vocations. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the decipherment of hieroglyphs were some of the pathbreaking outcomes of this knowledge-production process undertaken at a key moment in France’s military, imperial, and colonial pursuits in North Africa.
Among the many details documented in Description de l’Égypte are architectural elements, including wooden lintels with Arabic inscriptions. The images selected for this display show these panels in both a medieval mosque and a 19th-century private residence in Cairo—attesting to the prevalence of such epigraphic reliefs in medieval and premodern Egypt.
Kufic inscriptions on wooden lintels at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Description de l’Égypte, État Moderne, vol. II, pl. D (Paris: Imprimerie Impériale, 1809). KM 2003.4.1v
The Description de l’Égypte meticulously records Arabic inscriptions that were found in Islamic monuments, such as these wooden lintels included in the 9th-century Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Unlike the epigraphic lintels found in private homes that offer general blessings and well-wishes, carved inscriptions ornamenting the walls of mosques typically include verses from the Qur’an or other religious content.
Astronomer sitting in an interior space with a wall decorated with inscribed and painted wooden lintels, Description de l’Égypte, État Moderne, vol. II, pl. B (Paris: Imprimerie Impériale, 1809). KM 2003.4.1v
The Description de l’Égypte represents the beginnings of Egyptology, modern archaeology, and ethnography. Here, an Arab astronomer—dressed in a loose-fitting robe, donning a white turban, and seated on a divan in a bay window—is shown looking at the sky and recording observations. An astrolabe, a globe, and measuring instruments are strewn around his work desk. We also get a glimpse of the building’s lavish interior decoration, which includes inscribed and painted wooden lintels mounted to the wall in the upper right.
