Arsh Ali

Archeologist & Egyptologist

Arsh Ali ‘Chandel’ is the 'Youngest Archaeologist and Egyptologist of India'. Born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and educated in the cities of Allahabad, Lucknow, Delhi and Oxford; since the age of fifteen, Arsh has worked at several archaeological explorations and excavations in India and abroad. Proficient in over twenty languages and scripts- both ancient and modern- Ali’s interests range from the nuances of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics (Middle Egyptian) to Sanskrit and from Latin of Horace’s time to Arabic and Persian. Ali is a life-member of the Indian Archaeological Society (New Delhi) and the Egypt Exploration Society (London). From discovering traces of Early Buddhism in Egypt, as proselytized by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in Egypt in 2017 to Experimental studies into Egyptian mummification and culinary techniques, and from reconstructing the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya since the time of Ashoka to acting as Cultural Representative to the Middle East and North Africa during the G20 in 2022-23. 

Arsh is also a student of Law, with interest in comparative family laws of marriage and divorce, the Jurisprudential aspects of ancient Sanskrit legal texts, and Constitutional Law. He leads the ‘House of Kosam’, an initiative to revive and promote aged-old traditional craftsmanship, while encouraging social and rural empowerment using sustainability alternatives, based in the erstwhile estates at Kaushambhi.