Mapping the Upper Nile: Reviving Nubian Heritage for a Sustainable Future
Call for Participants for an international and multidisciplinary In-Situ Graduate School (ISGS).
A collaborative programme of the International Institute of Asian Studies (Leiden), University of Aswan, and the Fakhour Ana community-based foundation (Aswan)
ISGS dates: 18-26 April 2026
Background and Concept
Aswan, a historic river city in southern Egypt (“Upper Egypt”), serves as a unique case study for exploring the interplay between culture, ecology, and the economy along the Nile. Positioned as the traditional gateway to Nubia, Aswan has long been a cultural and economic hub, shaped by its location on one of the world's most vital rivers.
Historically, the Nile has been central to Aswan’s identity, providing fertile lands for agriculture and serving as a trade route linking sub-Saharan Africa with northern Egypt and the Mediterranean. The city’s Nubian community, deeply tied to the river, developed unique cultural traditions and sustainable practices adapted to life along the Nile. However, the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s brought transformative changes. While the dam provided economic benefits, such as flood control and hydroelectric power, it also led to significant displacement of Nubian communities and altered the river's ecology, affecting local biodiversity and fishing practices.
Today, Aswan’s population is a blend of indigenous Nubians, Egyptians, and migrants from other parts of the country. The economy, once dominated by agriculture and river-based livelihoods, has shifted toward tourism and small-scale commerce. However, the city faces pressing challenges, including water management issues, climate change impacts, and the erosion of cultural heritage. Nubian communities are advocating for the preservation of their cultural identity and the revitalization of traditional practices.
This workshop is justified by the urgent need to address Aswan’s ecological and socio-cultural challenges. It aims to empower the community by documenting the region's heritage, fostering sustainable development, and creating educational tools that preserve Nubian traditions while addressing contemporary needs. By focusing on Aswan, the workshop will provide actionable insights into the complex dynamics of river cities and their evolving relationship with the Nile.
What is at stake: Nubian cultural and environmental heritage at risk
Nubian heritage is under significant threat due to a combination of historical and contemporary factors, including displacement, urbanization, and cultural homogenization, as follows:
- Displacement due to the Aswan High Dam: The construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s forced the relocation of thousands of Nubian families from their ancestral villages along the Nile to new settlements far from the river. This displacement severed their deep connection tto the land, disrupted community networks, and submerged numerous historical sites, including ancient temples, cemeteries, and traditional Nubian homes with unique architectural styles.
- Erosion of language and traditions: Nubian languages, including Nobiin and Kenzi, are at risk of extinction as younger generations adopt Arabic as their primary language. This linguistic shift has led to a decline in traditional oral storytelling, songs, and proverbs that are central to Nubian identity. Similarly, traditional crafts, music, and rituals are being replaced by more mainstream cultural practices.
- Impact of urbanization and modernization: The growth of urban centers and the influence of globalization have introduced new lifestyles that overshadow traditional Nubian ways of life. Modern construction often disregards the distinctive Nubian architectural style, replacing it with generic designs that lack cultural significance.
- Economic pressures and migration: Limited economic opportunities in Aswan and other Nubian areas have driven many Nubians to migrate to urban centers or abroad. This migration has diluted the cultural concentration of Nubians in their homeland, making it harder to maintain communal traditions and practices.
- Loss of historical sites and artifacts: Many Nubian archaeological and historical sites have been submerged or remain underexplored due to flooding caused by the dam. Artifacts that represent Nubian history and culture are often underrepresented in local museums or held in foreign collections, limiting local access to their own heritage.
- Environmental and ecological challenges: Changes in the Nile’s ecology due to dam construction and climate change have affected traditional Nubian livelihoods, such as fishing and farming, that were closely tied to the river. This disruption has further alienated Nubians from their natural heritage and the practices that sustained them for centuries.
Objectives and format of the ISGS
This week-long interdisciplinary In-Situ Graduate School (ISGS) will bring together a diverse group of participants, comprising 10 international participants and 10 students from Aswan University. The participants from the RCN and HAB networks will bring a global perspective, academic expertise, and experience with diverse research methods, while the Aswan University students will contribute their knowledge of the community, local ecological challenges, and cultural practices.
The ISGS aims to analyze and address the multiplicity of factors threatening the heritage of the Nubian communities along the Nile and engages participants in activities that explore traditional practices, stories, and the historical connection between the river and the Nubian people.
The workshop facilitates the integration of these insights into local community schools, starting with the Fakhour Ana (“I am Proud”) Community School, to ensure the preservation and intergenerational transmission of this unique heritage. The ISGS convenors and participants will bring into focus locally significant concerns and bring them into dialogue with other historically and culturally significant riverine ecologies around the world.
The programme will comprise a mix of guest lectures by the international and local conveners and local scientists, historians and practitioners, and field visits and interactive group work by the local and international participants. An indicative programme will cover the following themes:
Day 1: Arrival and introduction to the ISGS
Day 2: Exploring local culture and heritage
Day 3: Environmental and ecological insights
Day 4: High Dam and technological impacts
Day 5: Exploring riparian communities and geopolitics
Day 6: Community-based planning
Day 7: Reflection, synthesis and conclusion
Programme Partners
The Fakhour Ana (“I am Proud”) school is a new initiative, launched in 2025 in Aswan, dedicated to nurturing the talents and potential of Nubian children. Designed as a community-based foundation, the school aims to provide a unique, skill-centered education model that emphasizes creativity, cultural preservation, and adaptability.
 | Aswan University, a leading institution in Upper Egypt, offers a diverse range of faculties spanning the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering — including Arts, Archaeology, Al-Alsun (Languages and Translation), Social Work, Education, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Fisheries Technology, and Engineering. Its strong regional and cultural ties, particularly to Nubian heritage and the Nile ecosystem, make it an ideal partner for this initiative. Ten students from these relevant faculties will be selected to participate in a cross-cultural workshop aimed at reviving Nubian culture through storytelling, sustainable practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
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 | Humanities Across Borders (HAB) is an educational cooperation programme of the IIAS, comprising multi-university clusters of collaboration, co-funded by the Mellon Foundation. The initiative aims to create shared, humanities-grounded, interdisciplinary curricula and context-sensitive learning methodologies at the graduate and postgraduate levels.
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 | River Cities Network (RCN) is a transdisciplinary and global network, established at IIAS, to promote ecologically and socially inclusive regeneration of rivers and waterways and the landscapes, cities and neighborhoods that co-exist with them.
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Convenors
Ereeny Yacoub is an Advisor to the River Cities Network. She is the Head of Educational Production at Madrasty for Education in Cairo. She has almost twenty years of experience in the field of development and education in Egypt. The focus of her work has been on providing experiential learning to students through collaborative hands-on educational methodologies.
Nehal Omran is a specialist and trainer in the fields of women's human rights, gender equality and rights-based community development. She has twenty years of work experience, half of which are as coordinator and specialist in the field of development and women rights, and the other half of which is focused on research, design and delivery of training courses in gender equity and rights-based development.
Laila Alhamad is a cultural researcher with a background in social and economic development. She has been documenting culture and crafts in Kuwait for over a decade. She is the founder of Zeri Crafts, an initiative that highlights the Gulf’s crafts heritage by working with artisans. Previously she worked on gender and social development issues at the World Bank.
IIAS Facilitators
Aarti Kawlra is the Academic Director of the IIAS education collaboration programme, Humanities Across Borders. She has developed courses and taught at the major design schools in India as well as at IIT Madras and has experience working with national and international craft advocacy groups and institutions. She is co-founder of an ethical craft production enterprise for women workers in rural Tamil Nadu, research advisor to the Thinai Foundation in Chennai, and President of the global network, Knowledge House for Craft. She is the co-founding editor of the Humanities Across Borders Methodologies book series of IIAS, published by Taylor & Francis.
Paul Rabé is the Academic Coordinator of the Cities cluster at the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) at Leiden University. From IIAS, he coordinates the River Cities Network. He is Series Editor of the “Asian Cities” book series of IIAS and Taylor & Francis. Paul is also lead specialist in urban land and water governance at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at Erasmus University Rotterdam and co-coordinator of the Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change programme at IHS.
Eligibility
RCN and HAB invite applications from within our networks from graduate students (doctoral, including doctorate practice-based research, and research master's) and early-career professionals (up to 3 years after the completion of the PhD) in the arts, design, social sciences, humanities, environmental sciences, natural sciences, education and pedagogy.
This ISGS format will provide an inclusive and collaborative space for an enriching exchange of theoretical and research-driven insights between the international and Aswan-based participants, combined with on-the-ground knowledge and cultural context, thereby enhancing the workshop’s relevance to the community’s needs and aspirations.
Financial support
Accommodation in Aswan during the workshop period will be covered by IIAS. In addition, IIAS can offer a limited number of (partial) travel grants to qualified candidates. A travel grant covers (partial) travel expenses. If you need a travel grant, please leave your request in the comments box of the application form.
Travel advisory
IIAS is working closely with its local partners to ensure a safe and inspiring ISGS in Aswan. While there are currently no security concerns in Aswan, the situation in the Middle East and Sudan is being monitored closely.
Should circumstances change, IIAS and its local partners will reassess the viability and timing of the event. Participants will be informed in a timely manner of any necessary adjustments.
How to apply
Applications for the ISGS are to be submitted via the application form below. The deadline for applications is 15 October 2025. Application forms received after the deadline cannot be considered.
Applicants are requested to submit the following documents:
- Completed online application form (see below).
- An updated curriculum vitae.
- A short video (max. 5 mins) by the applicant, clarifying what motivates them to apply and what demonstrates the applicant’s affinity with, or expertise in, the ISGS theme. This video will be used to select participants for the ISGS.
All complete applications will be evaluated after the deadline and the selection results are expected to be communicated (via e-mail) by 1 December 2025.
Successful applicants receiving an acceptance letter must formally confirm their participation in the graduate school within one week of notification. Applicants who fail to send a confirmation email within one month of notification will forfeit their letter of acceptance.