The French Institute of the Near East (, IFPO) is a French

social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

with locations in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

(

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

) and until 2011 in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

(

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

), with additional operations in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. It was founded in 2002. Operating under the

French government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères) portfolio, the IFPO is part of a network of French research centers abroad. The IFPO is organized into three departments: Arabic (Modern and Medieval) Studies; Archaeology and History of Antiquity; and Contemporary Studies.

History

The IFPO was established in 2002, combining three existing French institutes in the area: IFEAD (French Institute for

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Studies in

, established in 1922), IFAPO (French Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, established in

and

in 1946) and CERMOC (Centre for Study and Research on the Contemporary Middle East, established in

in 1977 and

in 1988). The IFPO holds the status of a "Joint Entity of French Research Institutes Abroad" (UMIFRE no6, ''Unité Mixte des Instituts français de recherche à l'étranger'') and is under the aegis of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the

CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...

(French National Centre for Scientific Research). In 2010, the IFPO opened a research center in the Erbil Citadel in Iraq.

Fields of research and area purposes

Organization

The institute is organized into three scientific departments: Archaeology and Ancient History (Director Carole Roche-Hawley),

, Medieval and Modern Studies (Director Iyas Hassan); and Contemporary Studies (Director Matthieu Rey). The institute recruits researchers from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, as well as

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and from the rest of the world. Researchers come for a maximum of four years and are selected to take part in various academic projects the institute initiates. IFPO also welcomes young researchers (PhD candidates, grant holders, etc.) of all nationalities. The duration of their stay varies according to the individual. The institute also awards some short-term grants for limited projects.

External links

IFPO website

IFPO's Digital publications

IFPO's Open archives

''Syria'' on line

Website of the French research centers abroad

library online catalog
* https://www.jstor.org/publisher/ifpo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Institut francais du Proche-Orient Social science research institutes Archaeology of Syria Government agencies of France Asian studies Institut Français Archaeological research institutes