Prof. Salima Ikram is an Egyptologist, archaeologist, media personality and Distinguished Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. Prof. Ikram has worked in many countries, such as Turkey, Sudan, Greece and Egypt. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Prof. Ikram developed an interest in archaeology from the tender age of 8 when she received a copy of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘Tanglewood Tales’, a retelling of the Greek myths, and ‘Ancient Egypt’ by Time Life Books Editors. This interest was heightened after Prof. Ikram visited Egypt when she was nine.

‘I still remember visiting the great pyramids, I still remember the first time I stood in the grand gallery and saw that extraordinary swoop that went up… it was magical.’

In order to sustain this childhood interest, she turned to books, visiting sites and museums.

‘The thing with Egyptologists is that we never grow up… whenever we (Prof. Ikram’s family) would travel… we were always going to historic sites, so history and archaeology were always part of everything one did, it was a given in life.’

Image from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=342214327273225&set=pb.100044539804968.-2207520000..&type=3

Image from: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=342214327273225&set=pb.100044539804968.-2207520000..&type=3

Prof. Ikram went on to obtain her undergraduate degree, double majoring in History and Classical and Near Eastern archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. Choosing to pursue her education further, she received her MPhil in Museology and Egyptian archaeology, and later, a PhD in Egyptian archaeology, both from Cambridge University, UK. Much of her research focuses on zooarchaeology, bioarchaeology, funerary archaeology, cultural heritage and ethnoarchaeology.

Prof. Ikram previously co-directed the North Kharga Oasis Survey (NKOS), the North Kharga Darb Ain Amur survey, the Animal Mummy Project at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, and the Valley of the Kings KV10/KV63 Mission.

As a media personality, Prof. Ikram has appeared on many television documentaries with National Geographic, Channel 4, BBC and, more recently, Netflix.

Being of Pakistani descent, Prof. Ikram faced many challenges in her archaeological career, such as being unable to apply for grants to do her research. To date, she is the only female Pakistani archaeologist working in Egypt.

‘You have to work bloody hard, and you have to be twice as good… can’t apply for ninety-percent of the grants out there, so you have to be very good, you have to be persuasive, and you have to find new paths.’

As the only Pakistani archaeologist working in Egypt, Prof. Ikram offered advice for those of us who find ourselves in similar positions:

‘We create this wonderful chain where we pass on experience, knowledge, and a helping hand, we hope, to pull everyone up through this procession… don’t let being a woman or being a colour… influence you too much… focus on the fact that you are a brain. And I also say… use lipstick, if it works, use it.’

*All quotes taken directly from interview with Prof. Salima Ikram. All images taken from Prof. Ikram’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SlIkram)

Guest post was written by Iqrra Mirza and video interview edited by Eponine Wong as part of the 2021 UCL TrowelBlazers Digital Fieldwork Project.