Egyptian dispatch: Feb. 13, 2013

Yesterday we received a call from the Egyptian funeral home handling the return of Arda's body to the USA, asking that we meet with them at the Armenian Church on Ramses Street in Cairo. They needed to know the name of the airport that she was to be transported to. I emailed the Cotter Funeral Home in De Pere for this information (O'Hare International, Chicago). We arrived before the appointed time and were led into the secretary to the Bishop's office and explained our mission. He was not aware of an appointment having been made. It turns out that the funeral home people had gone to Fayoum yesterday to pick up the body but the hospital would not release it because she was a Christian, and thus written permission was needed from the Bishop of the Church.

While in this man's office I noticed this incredibly beautiful vase-like object sitting on top of a cabinet. When I asked what is was he could only say that it was Arabic. We were then led into the office of the Bishop Ashod Mnatsaganian, the primate of the Armenian Church in Egypt. He was polite and understanding of our situation. I started looking at the artifacts he had in two cabinets in his room, explaining that I was an art historian.

We were then led into a waiting room and he came back with a big illustrated book about Armenian cultural artifacts from a particular area. Looking at the array of embroidery I got tears in my eyes as in a number of ways it reminded me of Arda's constant preoccupation with embroidery, it felt like this was something coming from deep within her Armenian ancestry and she had given it full expression.

A little while later the old man who is the director of the funeral home appeared. He explained what he needed, I told him the name of the airport and paid the fee in two large bundles of cash, both Egyptian pounds and US dollars.

Later the assistant came back with the paperwork for the funeral director and a set of copies for us. Arda will be brought to the Italian hospital in Heliopolis within the next day or so. I asked if it would be possible to see the coffin, but it turns out that it will not be available until shortly before she is transported. I continued to express my wish to see the coffin and then asked about how her body would be prepared. The bishop's secretary translated the procedures (inject with substances into her body etc...). It turns out that in preparation for transportation she will be bathed, wrapped in a white sheet, then clothed in a dressing gown type of garment and finally an outer wrapping of a plastic sheet. On tops of this will be placed a cross. I expressed my interest in photographing her wrapped body, but no desire to see her uncovered face. The funeral home will contact me when I can come out and view her. Upon arrival in the USA, and after delivery to the funeral home in Green Bay, she will be stored until I can come in and prove my relationship to her — since we both have different last names.

Before leaving the church compound we check out the church. A kindly worker turned on the lights and drew back the curtain around the altar. I was especially moved by a small side room in which there was a memorial commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The paintings above the alter were big, with bold figures painted in a somewhat naive manner. Another side room for baptisms had quite an elaborate painting of Jesus with numerous smaller portraits.

Our driver took us home and later in the afternoon we went to the shopping area in Heliopolis and purchased a number of prints on papyrus. We plan to make these available to visitors to the House Party for Arda event we are planning for Saturday, March 16th in our home in De Pere. Our friend Maysa had a locksmith come over to open up the two locked doors. Unable to gain entry, he's coming back tomorrow to complete the job.

Above is a photo of Nina with Foullee, the apartment's porter. For a variety of reasons that I am unable to disclose here he does not know about Arda's death, but he has known her for many years.