| 1864 | Marcus Simaika is born in Cairo on February 28 |
| 1874 | Establishment of the first Coptic Majlis al-Milli |
| 1881 | Khedive Tewfik establishes the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Art |
| 1882 | Egypt occupied by British forces Simaika graduates from school. He is appointed secretary to Emily, Viscountess Strangford (Victoria Hospital; temporary, four-month appointment) |
| 1883 | Simaika is appointed translator, Engineering Department, Egyptian State Railways; transferred to Accounting Department, Egyptian State Railways, then to Purchasing Department, Egyptian State Railways |
| 1884 | Publication of A.J. Butler’s The Ancient Coptic Churches of Egypt. Butler was assisted by Marcus’s brother Abd al-Messih Simaika |
| 1888 | Simaika is appointed chief, Purchasing and Contracts Office, Egyptian State Railways |
| 1889 | Simaika is elected to the Majlis al-Milli at age twenty-five |
| 1890 | Herz is appointed chief architect of the Comité Pope Cyril V refuses to recognize the Majlis al-Milli and shuts down clerical college and girls’ school Simaika is appointed secretary to the chairman of the board, Egyptian State Railways; meets Somers Clarke at A.J. Butler’s house in Oxford |
| 1891 | Somers Clarke visits Egypt. Simaika accompanies him on a visit to all the ancient churches. Somers Clarke writes a letter to the Times of London deploring the poor renovations. Simaika accompanies Lord Cromer on a visit of the churches in response to Somers Clarke’s letter. |
| 1892 | Pope and Bishop of Alexandria are exiled at the request of the Majlis al-Milli for opposition to reform Khedive Abbas Hilmi II appoints his brother, Prince Muhammad Ali, as honorary president of the Comité |
| 1893 | Boutros Ghali convinces the Majlis al-Milli to recall the exiled pope, who promptly dissolves the Majlis al-Milli and appoints a weak administrative committee Simaika is appointed secretary of the Traffic Department, Egyptian State Railways, and secretary to the chairman of the board |
| 1895 | Simaika is appointed inspector general of Accounts and deputy chief of Audit, Egyptian State Railways |
| 1896 | Coptic monuments are put under the control of the Comité. The patriarch objects, blames Simaika, and blocks his appointment to the Comité for nine years. Nakhla Bey al-Barati is the Coptic appointee to the Comité instead. |
| 1897 | “The Awakening of the Coptic Church” is published anonymously in the Oxford Contemporary Review by “A Coptic Layman” |
| 1899 | Title of ‘bey’ conferred upon Simaika |
| 1901 | Simaika is appointed director general, Accounts and Audit, Egyptian State Railways |
| 1902 | Somers Clarke settles in Egypt |
| 1904 | Britain and France sign the Entente Cordiale |
| 1905 | New Majlis al-Milli elected Simaika heads Majlis al-Milli committee in charge of schools and spearheads initiative to build industrial schools Simaika is appointed to the Comité, remaining a member until his death in 1944 |
| 1906 | Simaika retires from government service at age 42. He is appointed a permanent member of the Legislative Council and also appointed to the first Superior Council of Education |
| 1907 | First attempt to establish a small Coptic Museum adjoining the Mu‘allaqa Church |
| 1908 | Pope gives permission to start museum Simaika starts a subscription list for the museum Simaika is appointed vice president of the Majlis al-Milli Simaika’s first visit to Sudan as a member of the Legislative Council Delegation for the inauguration of Port Sudan harbor by Abbas Helmy II |
| 1909 | Simaika visits Sudan with Cyril V for the consecration of the Coptic cathedral. Stops in Upper Egypt along the way. |
| 1910 | Assassination of Boutros Pasha Ghali Formal inauguration of the Coptic Museum Former US president Theodore Roosevelt visits the Coptic Museum Simaika’s third and final visit to Sudan at personal invitation of Reginald Wingate, governor general of Sudan |
| 1915 | Title of ‘pasha’ conferred upon Simaika |
| 1919 | Approval of proposal to build Coptic hospital in Abbasiya |
| 1920 | Sultan (later King) Fuad visits the Coptic Museum |
| 1923 | Dissolution of the Legislative Assembly Simaika leaves Superior Council of Education and retires from public life |
| 1928 | Simaika resigns from Majlis al-Milli in protest over its financial policies. He is appointed president of the technical committee of the Comité in June of this year, remaining president until ca. 1940. |
| 1931 | Decree issued declaring the Coptic Museum a state institution. The decision is met with much opposition within the Coptic community. |
| 1936 | Start of transfer of Coptic relics from the Egyptian Museum to the Coptic Museum |
| 1938 | Simaika publishes A Brief Guide to the Coptic Museum and to the Principal Ancient Coptic Churches of Cairo |
| 1939 | Second World War breaks out; Coptic Museum artifacts are packed up and moved to Saqqara for safekeeping Simaika publishes Catalogue of the Coptic and Arabic Manuscripts in the Coptic Museum, the Patriarchate, the Principal Churches of Cairo and Alexandria and the Monasteries of Egypt with Yassa Effendi Abd al-Messih |
| 1944 | Marcus Simaika dies in Alexandria on October 2 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank my wife Yolande for her continuous help and unwavering encouragement throughout this endeavor, and Fayka, my sister, for kindly providing various family photographs from her albums.
To Jonathan Harris, I owe a great deal for his invaluable help, creative advice, and, above all, for his patience. Thank you, Jonathan.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Donald Reid for his insightful critique and wholehearted support and for very generously agreeing to write an introduction to the book.
Many thanks, also, to the American University in Cairo Press team for believing in the historical value of this book and making it happen.
I am also indebted to my co-author, Nevine Henein, for transforming my initial, hastily thrown-together account into a clear narrative befitting the life, wisdom, and achievements of an exceptional man, Marcus Pasha Simaika.
Samir Simaika