Waseda House
About
About
When the Japanese Archaeological Expedition from Waseda University first began working in Luxor in 1971, they were stationed at Carter House where they continued to work until they were granted permission to build their own dig house. The site selected by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization for the construction of the Waseda House is quite close to Carter House and is overlooked by Stoppelaere House situated high on the cliff at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings.
Like other dig houses in Luxor, the Waseda House was built of mud brick, but it also included aluminum window and door frames, rather than wood, that were brought from Japan. The house also consists of a dome and arched doorways that are similar to those found in the other historic dig houses of the West Bank.
The first stage of the house consisted of nine bedrooms in the southern wing, and six rooms dedicated to study, storage, photography, and office work in the northern wing. In the rear of the house is the kitchen, dining room, living room, meeting room, and bathrooms. In 1989, the house was expanded to accommodate a new study and drawing laboratory, as well as a small roof terrace.
Site History
With funding secured by Dr. Sukenaga Murai, the then President of Waseda University, the Japanese Archaeological Expedition was able to start construction of the Waseda House in 1976. The construction of the house was aided by the expertise of the Director of the Luxor Inspectorate, Dr. Mohamed el-Saghir, the Deputy President of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, Dr. Ahmed Kadry, the Inspector at Qurna, Dr. Sayed el-Hagazy, and the Director of the Polish Mission at Dayr al-Bahri, Dr. Zygmunt Wysocki. The house was completed December 25, 1976, having taken more than ten months to construct.
The founder and first director of the Japanese Archaeological Expedition, Professor Kiichi Kawamura, passed away in 1979 and was buried in the southern area of the Waseda House. His headstone was provided by the Polish Mission at Dayr al Bahri.
Dating
This site was used during the following period(s):
Exploration
Conservation
Conservation History
There is no information on conservation projects at Waseda House.
