About the aims and structure of ASTENE

The Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East (ASTENE), established in 1997, encourages and promotes education and research in the history of travel and travellers in Egypt and the Near East.

ASTENE’s sphere of interest ranges from ancient travellers such as Herodotus to those of the present day, and covers a region from Greece and the Ottoman Balkans eastward to Turkey and the Levant, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and the Mesopotamian region. Membership is open to interested persons of any nationality.

ASTENE acts as a focus for the collection and dissemination of information, materials and contacts by means of conferences, lectures, tours, a website and publications. The Association is keen to foster an international co-operative network of academics, private scholars and other parties interested in the history of travel.

ASTENE’s principle activities include:

• Quarterly publication of the ASTENE Bulletin: Notes and Queries, which features news, events updates, book reviews and articles, and serves as a medium for posing research queries
• Regularly updated website - http://www.astene.org.uk/, including a database of research resources
• Yellow Pages directory of member interests
• Biennial conference and regular day schools, with conference bursaries available
• Tours to areas such as Cyprus, Syria and Sinai
• Private visits to museums, archives and other places of interest
• Publication in book form of selected conference papers.

The committee is elected annually with members serving up to two periods of three years before standing down
for one year before being eligible for re-election.

If you would like to find out more information abut joining ASTENE, then please visit our Membership and Subscriptions page, or download a copy of our membership application form (PDF 6MB).