France rediscovers Idris Effendi

The program of the festival entitled "The French Love Cairo", to be continued till the end of this month, includes a symposium on the French painter Prisese d'Avennes (1807-1879) known to the Egyptians as Idris Effendi.

D'Avennes held various official positions in Egypt whether in teaching or engineering. But his main interest lies in the Egyptian history as his papers and manuscripts reveal as they have been published lately after being kept for so long in the French National Public Library.

D'Avennes was born of English origins and he volunteered in Napoleon's army in 1814 to take care of the soldiers who are infested with the typhoid.

He then resumed his studies till he graduated from the school of arts and crafts as an architect. After that, he went into the service of Mohamed Ali Pasha as he worked in irrigation and agriculture projects then as a professor of typography in the military staff school at Khanka.

He faced a lot of troubles till he was forced to resign and dedicated himself completely to drawing the Egyptian people and monuments and studying Hieroglyphics.

Idris traveled throughout Egypt wearing local Arab costumes and mixed with the Egyptian peasants everywhere. He settled down in Luxor to study Egyptian monuments.

He took utmost care of drawing the engravings and ornaments of the Egyptian monuments. Such huge efforts consumed his health so much that he died in abject poverty. His wife was forced to sell some of his works to the English.

Idris Effendi left numerous volumes of drawings dedicated to Egypt; its people and monuments, which reflects his deep love to this land; the cradle of civilization.