by Jessica Izak
Mohamed Effendi Chabân was an Egyptian archaeologist who worked as a local inspector of antiquities at various sites. After his uncle Ahmed Kamal retired, he worked as an assistant curator at the Cairo Museum. In 1900, he reported the unusual distribution of archaeological artefacts in the Hermopolis Magna region of Middle Egypt, which attracted the attention of the IFAO. They then carried out excavations and discovered the Bawit Monastery.
In 1901, a colossal statue of Rames II/Merenptah (Cairo JdÉ 35126) was discovered in Ashmunein, which is now on display in the museum in Cairo. Chabân led the excavations there and uncovered the front part of the temple of Amun, the remains of pylons and a hypostyle hall. He published his findings from Ashmunein and Tuna el-Gebel, among others, in 1907.
Bibliography:
- H. M. Abdel Rahman, The Egyptian Role in the Excavation and Conservation of Tutankhamun’s Collection (1923-1930), NMISR 20 (20), 2022, 18–19
- M. L. Bierbrier, Who Was Who in Egyptology (London 2019) 95M. Chabân, Fouilles à Ashmounéin, ASAE 8, 1907, 211–223, Taf. I–IV