A forgotten pioneer

Many Germans have a particular fascination with ancient Egypt. The public's interest was piqued in the 19th century when German architect Franz Christian Gau went on a research expedition to then unknown Nubia, today part of Egypt and Sudan. Gau was the first explorer to document the landscape of temples along the Nile, including the Temple of Dendur (pictured).

The adventurous architect and archeologist Franz Christian Gau (1790-1853) is little known today, so the City Museum in his birthplace of Cologne has dedicated a new exhibition to him. Gau left his hometown during his university studies and moved to Paris. He was fascinated by the spirit of the French Revolution: "I was born a free man," he wrote.

The reason for Gau's expedition to the Orient from 1818-1820 was not his love of freedom, but Napoleon Bonaparte (pictured). The architect was supposed to build a mausoleum for Napoleon, but after French invasion of Russia in 1812 the plans fell apart. Gau traveled to Rome and found a patron who shared his interest in antiquity, the Prussian Baron von Sack.

Gau and his patron had a falling out before their arrival in the Orient and the architect was left stranded and penniless in Alexandria. Undeterred, Gau made the best of a bad situation, borrowed money and set off to research the unknown temple on the banks of the Nile. Before that time, very few other Europeans had ever penetrated beyond the rapids pictured in Gau's etching.

Most of the temples documented by Gau no longer exist. Many were lost in the floods during the construction of the Aswan Dam. Others were dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, like the Kalabsha Temple (pictured). Today, Gau's drawings are important records of ancient Egyptian culture.

Franz Christian Gau's most important contribution was his research at the famous Abu Simbel temple complex, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gau was the first to measure and document the gloomy interior of the place of worship, the construction of which began around 1264 BC. Here Gau is pictured in the Temple of Hathor at Abu Simbel.

Gau's drawing are almost as exact as photographs, as this 1850 image of Abu Simbel, taken by the photographer Maurice Du Camp, proves. The Frenchman traveled in the footsteps of Gau. He met European tourists on his expedition tour of Egypt just 30 years after the architect and archeologist was there.

With his sketchbooks full to bursting, Gau returned to Alexandria in 1819. He later went on to Paris, through Palestine and Rome. In Paris, Gau began work on a study of Nubia which ganered much attention when it was published in Germany and France. His drawings were turned into exquisite copperplate engravings for the edition.

What remains of Gau's travels? The hype for ancient Egypt provided a boost for archeological research and sparked the beginning of tourism in the region. Gau's discoveries and publications also contributed to that. Artists were also fascinated by his travels, as this watercolor based on Gau's work by the painter Norbert Bittner shows.

For his discoveries in Egypt, Franz Christian Gau was honored in France. He took French citizenship, but remained connected to his home city, supporting, for example, the completion of Cologne Cathedral (pictured). Until his death, the architect and archeologist played a key role in intercultural exchange between Germany and France.