July 5, 2026
CIPEG Annual Meeting 2026
CIPEG is proud to announce that the 2026 annual meeting will take place between 30th November – 5th December, 2026 in Alexandria and Cairo.
In principal partnership with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the American University in Cairo, this year’s theme is Egypt-Mediterranean Encounters. This theme explores the intersection of Egyptian perspectives on Mediterranean encounters in museum practice. A session will also focus on digital reunification of dispersed collections – aligning with CIPEG’s selected goals of decolonisation and digitisation as per ICOM’s strategic plan.
To present a paper at CIPEG’s 2026 annual meeting, please submit your title and abstract of no more than 200 words (in English). Abstracts should be submitted via the Speaker Registration Form: here.
*Papers will be 15 minutes with discussion time at the end of each session*
The deadline for submitting abstracts is Saturday 1st August, 2026.
If you wish to attend the annual meeting without presenting a paper, please also inform us by 1st August via the Non-Speaker Registration Form: here.
Conference fees*
If paid in person:
- 40 Euros for CIPEG members
- 50 Euros for non-members
- 25 Euros for students
- Free for those with a CIPEG grant (see below)
If before conference, online:
- 30 Euros for CIPEG members
- 40 Euros for non-members
- 20 Euros for students
* Free for Egyptian/Sudanese participants delivering a conference paper with a CIPEG grant (see below)
Online payment opens on 21st August (3 weeks after the abstract deadline, once speakers have been notified about their papers) and concludes on 15 November 2026:
Le Conseil International des Musees/CIPEG
Bank Name: HSBC (Bank 30056) 15 Rue Lasson 75012 Paris
Account no: 05110019206
IBAN: FR76 3005 6005 1105 1100 1920 669
SWIFT/BIC: CCFRFRPP
Your receipt of payment should be sent to CIPEG Treasurer, Dr Emily Teeter: eteeter55@gmail.com copied to CIPEG Secretary, Dr Melanie Pitkin: melanie.pitkin@sydney.edu.au
Conference Fee Includes
Conference; abstract booklet; conference bag and notebook; coffee breaks, excursions in Alexandria with local transportation, and in Cairo as indicated in the programme; opening and closing receptions as indicated in the programme.
Conference Fee Does Not Include
Accommodation; transportation to/from Alexandria*; meals; entry fees to sites; transportation to/from airport, visa fees.
Conference Venues
November 30, December 1 and 2 (09:00–18:30) at Bibliotheca Alexandrina;
December 5 (14:00-17:00) at The Oriental Hall, AUC downtown campus.
Note that December 3 will consist of a site visit in Alexandria, then time to travel to Cairo.
December 4 (9:00–12:00); visit to GEM.
Please consult the programme for full details.
*Transportation Alexandria/Cairo. CIPEG will charter a bus on December 3 from Alexandria to Cairo. Seats will be available at a subsidized cost per person each way. Please reserve a seat when you register. Seats are limited. The final cost per seat will be advised.
CIPEG Grants
CIPEG will support up to ten Egyptians or Sudanese participants with a grant of 3750 EGP each and an exemption from the conference fee. Preference given to young scholars. Applicants must also present a paper and prepare a submission for the CIPEG journal. To apply for a CIPEG grant, please click here.
Accommodation options in Alexandria
For a list of hotels in the close vicinity of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, please see here:
https://conferences.bibalex.org/aent3/StaticPage?pageName=accommodation
Additional options, a 20 to 30-minute drive from the BA include:
San Giovanni Hotel
205 El Geish Rd, Alexandria, Egypt
+203 5467774
Plaza Hotel
394 El Gaish Ave, Zizinia – Alexandria – Egypt
https://www.alexandriaplazahotel.com/
reservation@plazahotelalex.com
Hilton Green Plaza
14th of May Bridge Road – Smouha, Alexandria, Egypt
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/alygphi-hilton-alexandria-green-plaza/
The Grand Hotel Plaza
14th May Avenue, Smouha, Egypt 21646 Alexandria, Egypt
Accommodation options in Cairo
If you require any guidance around accommodation options in Cairo, please email: secretary.cipeg@icom.museum.
Preliminary CIPEG programme:
November 30 (Monday): Conference Centre, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria
9:00: Welcome and housekeeping by Dr Christian Greco
9:10-12:30: Welcome Keynotes and discussion
12:30-1:30: Lunch (not included)
Session 1 (15 min papers – theme ‘At the Crossroads: Egyptian Perspectives on Mediterranean Encounters in Museum Practice’)
1:30-3:00: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
3:00-3:30: Coffee break
3:30-5:00: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
6:30pm: Opening Reception, location TBA
December 1 (Tuesday): Conference Centre, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria
Session 2 (15 min papers – theme ‘At the crossroads: Egyptian perspectives on Mediterranean encounters in museum practice’)
10:30-11:00: Papers (2 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
11:00-11:30: Coffee break
11:30-1:00: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
1:00-2:00: Lunch on own
2:00-3:30: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
3:30-4:00: Coffee break
4:00-5:30: Panel discussion. Theme ‘Reframing Egypt-Mediterranean histories’
6:30pm: Optional group dinner (TBA)
December 2 (Wednesday): Alexandria
9:00-10:30: Institutional reports (Pecha kucha style)
10:30-11:00: Coffee break
11:00-12:30: CIPEG strategic plan plenary session
12:30-1:30: Lunch on own
Afternoon: Site visit TBA
December 3 (Thursday): Alexandria/Cairo
Morning: Site visits in Alexandria TBA
Late afternoon: travel to Cairo; no group activity in Cairo
December 4 (Friday): Cairo
AM: Site visit (TBA)
PM: Visit GEM
December 5 (Saturday): Cairo
9:00–12:00 EMC Visit
Lunch on own
Session 3: Oriental Hall, AUC (downtown campus): (15 min papers – theme ‘Digital reunification of dispersed collections’)
2:00-3:30: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
3:30-4:00: Coffee break
4:00-5:30: Papers (4 x 15 mins each, plus discussion)
6:30–8:00: Closing Reception: ARCE, Cairo House (6 Al Mostashar Mohamed Fahmy El Sayed Street, Rostom Basha Sabika, Garden City) [the old Canadian Embassy]
Session details
Session A: At the Crossroads: Egyptian Perspectives on Mediterranean Encounters in Museum Practice
Egypt has long stood at the crossroads of the Mediterranean world – a place of exchange, movement, diplomacy, trade, conflict, and cultural encounter. Yet the histories of these interactions have often been interpreted through external or Eurocentric lenses. This sub-theme invites participants to reconsider Mediterranean connectivity from Egyptian perspectives and to explore how museums, collections, and curatorial practices can more fully centre Egyptian voices, scholarship, and narratives.
Papers and discussions may examine how ancient Egypt engaged with neighbouring Mediterranean cultures, how these encounters were represented historically in museums, and how contemporary Egyptian and international institutions are rethinking those narratives today. The sub-theme also encourages reflection on the role of museums in addressing colonial legacies, rebalancing interpretive authority, and fostering more equitable collaborations across the Mediterranean region.
By foregrounding Egyptian perspectives in museum practice, this strand seeks to open new conversations about shared heritage, contested histories, and the responsibilities of museums in shaping more inclusive understandings of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Session B: Digital reunification of dispersed collections
Ancient Egyptian collections are among the most geographically dispersed in the world. Through centuries of excavation, collecting, exchange, and acquisition, objects originating from a single archaeological context, monument, or collection have become separated across museums, universities, archives, and private collections spanning multiple continents. While these dispersals have often fragmented knowledge and obscured original relationships between objects, digital technologies are creating new opportunities to reconnect what has long been physically divided.
This sub-theme explores the potential of digital reunification to transform research, interpretation, access, and collaboration in Egyptology and museum practice. By bringing together collections, archives, excavation records, photographs, and associated documentation in virtual environments, institutions can reconstruct historical contexts, reveal previously overlooked connections, and facilitate new forms of scholarly and public engagement.
Papers are invited that examine innovative approaches to the digital reunification of dispersed Egyptian heritage, including collaborative databases, linked open data, digital archives, virtual exhibitions, 3D modelling, and AI-assisted collection research. The session also encourages critical reflection on the opportunities and challenges of digital reunification, including questions of access, authority, sustainability, ownership, and the role of digital technologies within broader decolonising museum practices.
Topics may include:
- Virtual reunification of archaeologically or historically connected collections.
- Collaborative digital projects between Egyptian and international institutions.
- Linked data, collection interoperability, and digital infrastructures.
- Databases and collection management tools to manage large data sets.
- Digitisation as a tool for research, access, and heritage preservation.
- Reconnecting archives, excavation records, photographs, and objects.
- Digital approaches to provenance research and collection histories.
- Ethical considerations in the digital sharing and representation of cultural heritage.
- The role of digital technologies in supporting more equitable and inclusive museum practice.
