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Salima Ikram facts for kids

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Salima Ikram
Salima Ikram.jpg
Ikram in 2015
Born (1965-05-17) 17 May 1965 (age 60)
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields Egyptology
Institutions American University in Cairo

Salima Ikram is a famous Pakistani professor who studies Egyptology. This means she is an expert on ancient Egypt! She teaches at the American University in Cairo. Salima Ikram has worked on many archaeological digs in Egypt. She has also written several books about ancient Egypt and appeared on TV shows.

Early life

Salima Ikram was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1965. She became interested in archaeology when she was only eight years old. This happened after she read books about ancient Egypt. A trip to Egypt when she was nine made her even more excited about Egyptology.

Education

Ikram studied Egyptology and Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College. She earned her first degree there. She then continued her studies at the University of Cambridge. There, she earned her master's and PhD degrees in Egyptology. Her PhD research was about how meat was produced in ancient Egypt.

Career highlights

Salima Ikram lives in Cairo, Egypt. She teaches about ancient Egypt and archaeology at the American University in Cairo. She is a full professor there. In 2017, she was a visiting professor at Yale University. She taught classes about death, burial, food, and drink in ancient Egypt. She was also chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Archaeological projects

Ikram helps lead the Animal Mummy Project at the Egyptian Museum. Since 2001, she has also led the North Kharga Oasis Survey. She has worked on other important digs too. These include the North Kharga Oasis Darb Ain Amur Survey. She also worked on the Amenmesse Mission in the Valley of the Kings. She has also studied ancient Egyptian leather items.

Media and film work

Salima Ikram is often seen in the media. She writes articles about Egyptology for magazines. These include Egypt Today and National Geographic. She has also been on many TV shows and documentaries. You might have seen her on channels like PBS, Discovery Channel, and Netflix. She was in a Netflix show called Tomb of Saqqara. This show was very popular in 2021. She also helped with the Universal Pictures movie The Mummy. In 2020, she acted in a film called Luxor.

Conferences and lectures

In 2018, Ikram went to a big meeting in Tenerife, Spain. This meeting was about mummies and immortality. There was an exhibit of mummies from different places. This included mummies from the Guanche people of Tenerife. Their mummification method was similar to the Egyptian mummies. She gives talks all over the world. Her classes cover topics like ancient Egyptian art, architecture, and daily life. She also teaches about death and burial in ancient Egypt.

Research interests

Her main research interests include how people were buried in ancient times. She also studies daily life and ancient animals. She looks at rock art and how to protect old buildings. She also explores how ancient people experimented and lived.

Salima Ikram is the only female Pakistani archaeologist working in Egypt.

Awards and honors

  • Excellence in Research Award from The American University in Cairo (2006).
  • Annual Award in Investigation from the Spanish Geographical Society (2013).
  • Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2017).

Published works

Salima Ikram has written many books and articles. Here are some of her important works:

  • Choice Cuts: Meat Production in Ancient Egypt (1995)
  • Pyramids (1995)
  • Royal Mummies in the Egyptian Museum (with Aidan Dodson, 1997)
  • The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity (with Aidan Dodson, 1998)
  • Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt (2003)
  • Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies In Ancient Egypt (2005)
  • The Tomb in Ancient Egypt (with Aidan Dodson, 2008)
  • Ancient Egypt: An Introduction (2010)
  • Egyptian Bioarchaeology: Humans, Animals, and the Environment (with Jessica Kaiser and Roxie Walker, 2015)

Works for young readers

She has also written books especially for younger readers:

  • Egyptology (1997)
  • In Ancient Egypt: Gods and Temples (1998)
  • In Ancient Egypt: Mummies and Tombs (1998)
  • Pharaohs (1997)
  • Land and People (1997)

Archaeological tours

Salima Ikram also leads special tours. These tours teach people about Egyptology. She works with Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips and Ancient World Tours.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Salima Ikram para niños

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