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Show ' was • t. mne Mount Sinai Exp eel t ion/constituted towards the end of 1949 from a) The Farouk 1st University (Alexandria) and b) The American Foundation for the Study of Man (Washington) to microfilm the ancient manuscripts of the Monastery 6f St, Catheriae ia Mount Siaai on behalf of .The Library of Congress. The Library of Congress subsidized the Expedition with the Dollars as well as the apparatus required and a technician from its ZESIXgr3¥xxliaMII£EXI?g Photoduplication Service to train a numcer of assistaats whose services were ooatribute d by Ths Egyptian Goverament, The work in the Monastery lasted until the ear5 of July 1950, aad at present is oontinued ia the Library of Congress, The operations at the monastery were only the prelude to other important stages ia Washington where the elaborate department of Photoduplioation is aow undertaking the /oomplet.eMon of this task until cv^e/y manuscript is made available. t6*AaJf>plicants/, IXZOE as a whole 23L inAindividual reel/, (Z~~ For the first time ia the history of this monastic iastitutioa siace 545 A.D., its walls rang with the dim of electrical generators, its rooms dazzled with floodlights, and a battalion of workers from the 013 aad Hew Worlds transformed the maaguid atmosphere of a sleepy peace into a beehive of workers/of all sorts, Scholars, photographers, technicians, mechanic B, secretaries eto etc. negotiations for this expeditioa started in 1947 and foAfc|$tot§|*werc only or owned with success by the ead of 1949.* The monks were reticent about letting foreigners handle their treasures. The memory of the Tischeadorf Bpisoac and the Codex Sinaiticus were still alive in their minds, and they still call Tischeadorf "The Thief". It was oaly th&nks to the goodwill of H.B. Archbishop Porphyries III and his excellent relatione with Prof, Dr. Aziz Suryal Atiya that all existing difference's were overcome and fiaally the gap bridged, this only after Prof. Atiya gave the Arcbishop all the necessary assurances. and Materials were shipped ia haste from Hew York" including cars/ trucks specially ftyxrETSXHuTE equipped for the Siaai wilderness, geaerators, refrigerators, electrical equipment photographic aparatus, huadredj cf micro-film reels,-meohinal outfits, utensils of all sorts, and a host of other articles accessary for the daily life aad existence of the Expedition, . . The Egyptian Goverameat did not lack behind in its co-operation by granting all possible facilities including free customs, ra?g licences and lodgiags, and deligated a aumbcr of scholars from its uaiversitie s/and a'number'of assistants in microfilming under the leadership of Prof, Atiya. * The Moa&s of St. Catherine's Monastery who at first rejected this project/oh seeing this formidable expedition/ ptffc beoame helpful/and did their utmost to facilitate matters arxJ the achievement of the work, . •- » .' The Staff of the Expedition consisted of several classes of workers:- * ' > 1) The Administrators who looked after the coavoys and needs of the / Expedition included Wendell Phillips, Gladys and William*. Terry and v several American Secretaries. 2) The Technicians/who attended to the mechanics of the expedition and the micro-filming photography were' led by Wallace Wade, and with him AZAnumerous Egyptian Assistants. %) The Scholars/who shouldered the examination of the manuscripts aad the preparation of the scieatifio targets,for*each manuscript was undertaken by a body of university professors. Thus from v America came Dr, Clarke and Howard Kee who took charge of the Jreck manuscripts. Prof. Garitte of Louvain (Belgium) handled the 06^uSiYty4L.rssfi caf ceofl,l Gtethoe r Aagr iatbaei,amc A ,r oTmfu ernEkigyiapnst,hi ,aL naC toipSntc ihaocnl,da rAsbS ylshaesvaoidneidca nbm ayan ndPu rsPocerfri.sp Aittasin. y mTath.ae - |
