Chiara Cavalieri interviews Professor Mervat Nasser Hermopolis is the ancient city of ‘Thoth’ - the god of wisdom, the inventor of writing and the ultimate communicator of all arts and knowledge. It lies in El Minia governorate, middle Egypt and its existence can be traced back to the earliest periods in Egyptian history. In Hellenistic Egypt, it was renamed after Hermes, the Greek equivalent of ‘Thoth’ and became a major centre of leaning credited with the production of a philosophy that influenced human thought throughout the ages till our present time. The remains of this city are to be seen in Ashmunin (Hermopolis East) where the relics of the legendary Thoth’s Temple still exists and in Tuna El-Gebel (Hermopolis West), the burial site for the priests/ scholars who served in Ashmunin- the most important one is the Petosiris tomb who was the Hermopolitan priest in Alexander the Great times. This was the time when a merge between the Egyptian and the Greek rentalities took place and gave rise to a syncretistic ‘new mind’ that believed in the possibility of un-territorial and integrated new world, and Alexandria became such ‘cosmic city’ and the capital of this new age. Despite this wealth of heritage, the region where Hermopolis lies has suffered in recent times from neglect and marginalisation with evident increase in extremism and fictional strife. This situation prompted the development of New Hermoplis as a Heritage for Development Initiative, inspired by the hermetic belief in the possibility of harmonious living and the role of human creativity in transforming the world. In general, this initiative seeks to harness the heritage of this region, both tangible and intangible towards its cultural and economic development. The New Hermopolis project is the brain child of Dr Mervat Abdel-Nasser who in 2007 retired from her job in England as a consultant psychiatrist and senior university academic to return to Egypt after 30 years of working there for the sake of establishing this project and has since become fully dedicated to it . New Hermopolis is positioned within walking distance from the antiquities of Tuna el Gebel village (20 KM from the main town of Mallawi/ 320 kilometres from Cairo). The area is central to the most archaeological and historical treasures of this region, including the famous site of Akhenaten City (El Amarna) and the beautiful middle Kingdom Tombs at Bani Hassan. The building of New Hermopolis began in 2007 and became operational in 2012. It is built on 10 acres of land and comprises an organic farm with olive groves, hospitality centre built in distinctive architectural style as well as a cultural space with a library, seminar/lecture rooms and areas for art exhibitions and creative performances. There is also an unbuilt area (4 acres) reserved for future development New Hermopolis, therefore is an integrated example of development combining eco-tourism, desert agriculture, education in arts& culture, and heritage inspired economy. It also aspires to serve in the future as a model for possible replication in other parts of middle and upper Egypt. …………………………………………………………………………………………. Dr Mervat Abdel Nasser MD, MPhil, FRCPsych She is a graduate of Cairo Medical School and fellow of the Royal college of Psychiatrists; London. She has master’s in philosophy and a doctorate in psychiatry from London University. She served as a clinical psychiatrist and university academic in England from 1977-2007 and all her publications in this field are on the interface between Mind and Culture. She has as well a long-standing interest in Egyptology and has written on the subject in the Arabic language several books addressed to the young reader, including 40-part illustrated series that won an award for best children writing in 1998. She took an early retirement in from her job as a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer, Kings College London in 2007 and returned to Egypt to pursue her dream of establishing the project of New Hermopolis. She has since dedicated herself entirely to this cause (www.newhermopolis.org). Her latest book ‘The Path to the New Hermopolis: The History, Philosophy and Future of the City of Hermes’. Rubedo Press. August 2019 #hermopolis #mervatnasser #chiaracavalieri #anubitv ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-h4dJS5gvg