What does an egyptologist have in common with Solidarity?

It all started with the preparation of an exhibition organized by the Polish Embassy in Cairo due to the celebrations commemorating the 20th aniversary of political transformations in Poland. The photographic exhibition presented the beginnings of the Solidarity movement as well as the parliamentary elections from 1989.  The portal ArcheologiaEgiptu.pl inquired of the first Secretary of Press Information at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Cairo, Karol Leśniak. According to what he said, due to the cooperation with the Warsaw University Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology in Cairo, it was also possible to reproduce, in  large format, the photo from 1981 which shows a signboard with the inscription of Solidarity.  The photo was placed on the gate of the Polish Embassy in Cairo.

The signboard was put up by Polish egyptologists at the entrance to Hatshepsut’s temple in Deir-el-Bahri shortly after introducing the martial law in Poland. It soon became a tourist attraction. People from all over the world expressed their sympathy for Poland by putting their signatures on the surface of the board. The object was removed after an intervention by the Egyptian government and indirect action from the USSR Embassy. The front part of the board has been preserved until today.

According to Zbigniew Szafranski, PhD at the Warsaw University Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology in Cairo, the board will be handed over to the European Solidarity Center in Gdansk most probably by the end of the year. It will constitute a part of the exhibition entitled Paths to Freedom.Photo by courtesy of Karol Leśniak, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Cairo