The church of Saints Bishai and Bigol, the ‘Red Monastery,’ was the heart of a large monastic community, in a region known as an important center for ascetic life in the 5th century, A.D. It is an astonishingly rare example of the coloristic intensity of late antique monuments in Egypt. In this church, late antique paintings cover about eighty percent of the walls, niches, columns, pilasters, pediments and apses. ARCE has administered the first major campaign of conservation, art historical study, and publication of the Red Monastery church sanctuary. Thanks to the amazing results of this joint ARCE-USAID conservation project, the monastery is already being mentioned in company with other outstanding Late Antique buildings such as San Vitale (Ravenna), and the Hagia Sophia (Istanbul). The project is directed by Dr. Elizabeth Bolman of Temple University. Read more>>

The Karnak and Luxor temple complexes on the East Bank of the Nile at Luxor are, without a doubt, iconic symbols of ancient Egypt. Yet, rising ground water has, until recently, been slowly destroying these sites. In 2006, USAID (United States Agency for International Development) funded a groundwater lowering project at the two temple complexes. With a multi-million dollar USAID grant add-on to the Egyptian Antiquities Conservation Program (EAC), ARCE has undertaken an essential monitoring and conservation project at the two temple complexes. Read more>>

Khonsu Temple is a beautiful example of an almost complete New Kingdom temple and is well worth exploring. But, due to its location--somewhat off the beaten track at Karnak--it is rarely visited by tourists.

Ministry of State for Antiquities has asked ARCE to prepare the Khonsu Temple for easier and safer access to tour groups, and now ARCE is leading four distinct projects in and around the area. Read more>>