17
Apr
2026

Identity and Connectivity at the Oryx District: Insights from the Tombs at Beni Hassan

Annual Herta Mohr Lecture
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Temple Hall
16:30 - 17:30
Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek
Detail from the tomb of Ibsha at Beni Hassan (Herta Mohr Lecture 2026 campaign image)
Register to attend the lecture in person
Register to follow the livestream via WebinarGeek

The Oryx District was once a thriving town located almost in the middle of Egypt. From the late Third to Second Millennium BCE, its officials decided to carve their tombs in the cliff-face at Beni Hassan. These beautifully decorated monuments offer us glimpses into the identities, achievements and desires of the District’s members, as they lived through a pivotal period of changing socio-political dynamics. Several tombs contain scenes of individuals represented with features atypical of Egyptians, signalling the presence of foreigners. Who were these individuals, and why were they pictured in these tombs?

In this Herta Mohr lecture, we will explore identity and connectivity at the Oryx District. We will consider a community’s shifting world view as it negotiated connections through a tumultuous period, representing a rich local identity while navigating complex affairs with those from within and beyond the borders of ancient Egypt.

Speaker: Dr Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek (ISAC, The University of Chicago)

Practical information

The Herta Mohr lecture will be held as a hybrid event. Please join us!

  • Date: Friday, 17 April 2026
  • Venue: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden and online (via WebinarGeek)
  • Time: Doors open at 16.00; lecture 16.30-17.30 hrs, drinks afterwards
  • Admission: free – registration required

 

Annual Herta Mohr lecture

The Netherland Institute for the Near East in cooperation with the National Museum of Antiquities annually organises a lecture to showcase and focus on early career contributions to Egyptology.

The lecture series is named after Herta Mohr who, as a native Austrian, moved with her family to the Netherlands and studied Egyptology at Leiden University from 1937 onwards. She published a volume on the mastaba of Hetepherakhty in the National Museum of Antiquities. Together with her parents, Herta was deported and ultimately died at concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Records mention April 15th, 1945, the day that Bergen-Belsen was liberated, as the day of her death.

Jaarlijkse Herta Mohr-lezing

Het NINO organiseert in samenwerking met het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden elk jaar een lezing die zich toespitst op bijdragen aan de Egyptologie van wetenschappers die aan het begin van hun carrière staan. Alle geïnteresseerden zijn van harte uitgenodigd.

De lezingenreeks is vernoemd naar Herta Mohr, die vanaf 1937 Egyptologie studeerde aan de Universiteit Leiden, en met haar ouders van Oostenrijk naar Nederland verhuisde. Zij publiceerde een boek over de mastaba van Hetepherachty in het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. Samen met haar ouders werd Herta gedeporteerd; zij overleed in concentratiekamp Bergen-Belsen. 15 april 1945, de dag dat Bergen-Belsen werd bevrijd, wordt officieel als haar sterfdag beschouwd.

Herta Mohr-lezing 2026: Identiteit en verbondenheid in de Oryx-gouw

  • Spreker: dr. Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek (ISAC, Universiteit van Chicago)
  • datum: vrijdag 17 april 2026
  • locatie: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, en online (via Zoom)
  • tijd: inloop vanaf 16.00u; lezing 16.30-17.30 uur, gevolgd door een borrel
  • entree: gratis – aanmelding verplicht
  • voertaal: Engels
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