At AUC

In 1956, the Suez Canal affair erupted in Egypt. Creswell, fearing more for the safety of his books than his life, refused to be evacuated until the authorities decided his safety could no longer be assured. When he learned how the export of his library would be prohibited, he resolved to stay in Cairo by working out an agreement with the American University in Cairo.

The American University in Cairo came to Creswell’s rescue and offered him indefinite sanctuary for his books. As a result of this agreement, Creswell decided to present his book and photograph collection as a gift to the University. He stipulated, however, that he retain absolute control over his collection, assured by his constant presence in the room in which they were held. The American University in Cairo also appointed Creswell a Distinguished Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture. Creswell greatly appreciated this timely generosity because it solved his awkward problem.

By the time of Creswell’s appointment to the American University in Cairo, many other honours, military, civil, and academic, had already been bestowed upon him. For example, he was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 1947 and became C.B.E. in 1955. A later accomplishment came in 1970 at the age of ninety when he received knighthood from the Queen.

Creswell never married and in his ninety-fourth year his health failed him, rendering his bachelor life in Cairo impossible. With the help of friends and officials in Cairo, not without difficulty, he returned to England for the last time in June 1973, and after a short time in the hospital he spent the last seven months of his life cared for—by a twist of faith—by monks. Creswell stayed with Alexian Brothers in Acton, where he later died on 8 April 1974.

Following Creswell’s death, the American University in Cairo finally permitted students and faculty to access Creswell’s collection, containing over 3,000 volumes on Islamic art and architecture from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Creswell’s collection is one of the most comprehensive collections of books on Islamic monuments and architecture in the world. Scholars travel to the American University in Cairo from around the world to use the collection in their research.