 Good day. I'm John Harrison, and on behalf of Arlington Community Media, we are going to speak to Dr. Mohamed Solomon of Egypt. He is in Japan six months into a two-year assignment at Ritsu Maikan University in Kyoto under the auspices of the Japan Society for Promotion of Sciences. His mission is to learn technology of the university, which he will take back to Alexandria to learn through this technology more of the ancient city of Alexandria and the library of Alexandria, once the repository of all that was known about the world at that time. Welcome, Dr. Solomon. Thank you for joining us. And to begin, please tell us about your career and explain your mission in Japan in greater detail. Okay, but Boel, thank you so much for this very nice introduction. Basically, I'm an archaeologist. I graduated from Alexander University and I'm getting my PhD from Egypt in Islamic Archaeology. And after that, I have been employed to the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. And now I am in Japan for, as you have mentioned before, for two years as a fellow for GSBS. So, I am here for promoting my research using advanced technology, Japanese technology, in archaeology for achieving sustainable development goals. About my thesis study, it is about Alexandria of Egypt. So, I think this kind of collaboration would be beneficial for both the sides of Egypt and Japan. Okay. And how did you get this opportunity of collaboration? How did that start? When did it begin? Actually, GSBS Fellowship is a very competing fellowships over the world. It's the most difficult one because so many scholars who are getting PhD are seeking to get that post-doctoral fellowship, but so many few of them get succeeded. So, I have applied over three years for four times and this is my successful one to get that by applying and getting in contact with Japanese scholars. And my professional here in Ritz-Maker University. So, they supported me so much to get that, scientifically of course. So, then the objective of the project ultimately is? Ah, the objective of my research or my project is using advanced technology for preservation of archaeological sites, particularly Alexandria, all the Alexandria, and how to get that data for observing urban planning and urban change of course in the same time, and also for planning in future for sustainable development of all the Alexandria within the frame of all the Alexandria. Exactly. And then what kind of technology do you use? Basically, I use here in Ritz-Maker University all applications of GIS remote sensing and also geovysical application. Geovysical application, but this part of geovysical application, I will travel to Egypt sooner maybe after COVID-19 would begin. I will travel there to get implement geovysical application in all the Alexandria. And I just should mention you are walking the streets of Kyoto right now. And as you've told us, it is a holiday in Japan and that's the reason mostly why the streets are empty and not particularly because of the coronavirus. Yeah, that's true. Now I'm walking the streets forward to Badai Dori, forward to Ritz-Maker University, and we'll go through that street with some magnificent archaeological sites or historical sites in Kyoto. And due to COVID-19 and the holiday, you will find the streets today is a little bit or maybe entirely empty. Yeah, that's surprising. What outcome do you expect or hope for ultimately for both Egypt and Japan with this project, with this mission? I think this mission represents a new type of collaboration between Egypt and Japan in field of archaeology. It's not usual for archaeologists to use such as this very complicated and very technology in archaeological research generally. But when we use it for sustainability, this will provide or promote such as this project to be improved in the future for both sides or get another type of collaboration with both states, both countries. And you've been in Japan, I guess this is your third time you've said that you've been in Japan? Yeah, this is my third time. So what has been your experience as an Egyptian in Japan, culturally? Actually, during my first visit here, I have been shocked when I see my first time to travel abroad outside Egypt, because my first trip was here in Japan. So I get shocked with an entirely different people, an entirely different country, an entirely different concept as you know probably. So what I find the Japanese people are very disciplined, they're banked with and love their culture and preserve their heritage very well. And on the other hand, due to other features of culture here, if someone wants to visit or live in Japan, he has to get maybe a few or a little bit of an overview of Japanese language. Basically, because it's not common for a Japanese to speak in other languages. For common or the great pleasure of Japanese don't speak other languages. This is my first impression about Japan. And the second thing, you have to be so sensitive and so disciplined and respect their laws and regulations. If you get succeed in that, you will be insider and there is very important for Japanese community. That is the point. But the funny thing is about their life, mainly for Egyptian to get used to Japanese food. Because basically Japanese kitchen is depending on seafood. So all the time you have to eat fish and other stuff of seafood. On the other hand, of course, there is other types of food but not so familiar for Egyptian. So that is the problem. Well, Kiyoto is a cosmopolitan city for the most part, isn't it? Actually, my impression about Kiyoto is not cosmopolitan as much as it is a historical capital of Japan. So you will find all types of heritage, such as tangible and interchangeable heritage equally. So you will find heritage even in the soul of people. So I don't see cosmopolitan but it is a very preserved city. Okay. Now you are in Japan right now during an unprecedented virus. How has this affected your work and your daily activities? Actually, all activities such as workshop, conferences inside and outside Japan have been delayed or even cancelled due to COVID-19. So I cannot go anywhere outside Kiyoto due to the set of emergencies that have been declared by Japanese government. So it is affected negatively on my mission here but there is another part I am working on. You don't need to move out of Kiyoto such as applying GIS or remote sensing applications. So you are able to do your daily activities in the university pretty much unimpeded by this pretty much? No. Actually, my university here is closed due to the set of emergencies, wanting to do that. And probably we will return after 6th May. Maybe. We are not sure until now. Yeah. It is like all over the world. What do you expect after finishing your tenure as a JSPS fellow? Hopefully to resume my research here in Japan, but I have to get back to Egypt. But in that case, if I will return back to Egypt, I will work to enlarge and support my scientific network with Japanese schoolers, which I have already so much of them for getting more collaboration in many aspects. And do you expect to return to Japan? Will there be, will you need to do more work? Even though you are going to be there another year and a half, but going forward, looking forward, do you expect to have to come back to Japan to continue this project or after the two full years you feel the project will be finished? No. Hopefully I am planning to return to Japan after the two years because one of the benefits of the JSPS fellowship is serving a kind of sustainable collaboration with Japanese schoolers and diversities. So it is very important for me to continue that within JSPS and other Japanese support. So you expect the current and future cooperation between Egypt and Japan. Are Japanese scholars coming to Alexandria or coming to Egypt to work with you in Egypt at some point or have they already or what is that like? Yeah, actually I've already got a Japanese network of schoolers, they are friends now not only just colleagues. We have started working in Egypt three years ago or more than four years ago, but in very small projects, while the projects may be. But for the case of Alexandria, the case study of this little bit huge project, my professor, Kejianu, the supervisor of my project here, will visit Egypt with me. By the way, it will be his first time to visit Egypt, so it's very nice for both of us to know that. And also other Japanese colleagues here is collaborating with me in that field, so I invited them to visit Egypt during the field trip maybe after COVID-19. Yeah. And then when they come to Japan, will it be, I mean, when they come from Japan to Egypt, will they be primarily in Alexandria or will you go to several cities and sites in Egypt once they visit? My home city, by the way, so also, but I have to visit Cairo as well, because one of my objectives is collecting data from former Egyptian Association such as statistics authority and nurses, Nariage, and other maybe Irma Harmony, of course, other facial associations to improve and support the outcome of my projects. So this project though, it seems like this is going to be something that's going on for years. There's a lot to this project, it's a big project with many moving parts, so you are going to be involved in this, it seems, for quite a long time. Yeah, exactly, yeah. But the major objective of that project is not for saying for people that's our heritage. Yeah, yeah, it's nice to say to people we have a heritage. Already all of us know our heritage, but this is not the point. The point is how getting benefit from this heritage for our recent life and for the future for other generation. How to preserve this heritage and also how getting improve and or serve sustainability or achieving sustainable development goals within frame of preservation is very important. And mostly in Irma fabric, most of them are suffering of that kind of conflict between authenticity and the modernization. I think my mission is how to find that sort of collaboration between both of them, how to find and convince people with coexistence between authenticity and modernization. I think this is the philosophy of this project. And do you feel that that is happening? Are you confident of that as this program continues? I think so, I think so, because all of that all of outcomes and the result of that project, we will convert it into a implemented project for a small area in all of Alexandria in collaboration with Alexander Governor. Hopefully we are going to do. Now, are you or are any of your colleagues working at other universities to the same end, or is it just the university in Kyoto that's involved in this project? No, no, I'm the only one. So that's the only the only country, Japan. Do you think there will be others in the future to enlarge on this project or is it as far as you can see only this association with the JSPS and your country? Actually, JSPS, if you are talking about that kind of fellowship is open for all fields or all majors, but for archaeology, I think I'm the only one who getting this fellowship as archaeologists, because it is very competing. As you know, probably Japan is interested in basic sciences more than humanitarians. But in this type, I think it is a price for archaeology not only for me to getting this very competing fellowship. Hopefully, I hope for all archaeologists, Egyptian archaeologists is getting this fellowship to resume and improve that kind of process. Have there been any big surprises, unexpected things as part of your research and as part of this mission that really surprised you that you never would have expected or have things gone along pretty much as you expected? Actually, day by day, I find more surprises. That is the fact. Basically, my university here, actually, I like this university so much and my professors, they are very supportive. And this overall needs or requirements for improving and promoting projects such as devices and getting as a collaboration with Japanese schoolers over Japan, not only in Kyoto such as Skoba University. Skoba University, I have a good collaboration with them or Tokyo University and also Tokyo University for foreign studies, language studies. So I think I have a good chance and I'm lucky to get this fellowship, especially here. That's very, very, very interesting indeed. Do you have anything else you would like to add before we part? First of all, I hope COVID-19 will be finished as soon as possible. As do we all, yes. Yeah, to continue our ordinal life. The second thing that I want to tell everybody, don't lose your hope because I was struggling fighting for over more than three years to getting GSBF fellowship. That means I have failed three times before getting this successful one. And for younger researchers, I won't say to them and also my colleagues, you have to get a concept of how to be always new. I think that's very important for any schooler. Yes, you're right. And you seem to embody the truth that perseverance wins in the end. And that reinforces might not, in a few months or something, see what has happened in the meantime. And by that time, coronavirus should be a thing of distant memory, hopefully. But meanwhile, continue your research and thank you for taking the time to speak to us about what you're doing. This has been very, very interesting indeed. Thank you so much, John. And thank you for a very interesting interview and for talking with you as well. And hope everybody, including you, of course, be safe away of any diseases, mainly COVID-19. Yeah, thank you so much indeed. You're welcome. This has been great. Thank you very much. Thank you, Dr. Solomon. Thank you so much. See you.