AS engineering works are in full thrust to finalise the New Administrative Capital which symbolises the modernisation of new Egypt, and while huge activities are under way to upgrade the urban character of Greater Cairo especially in terms of housing, transport and public services, magnificent efforts are proceeding to preserve and restore Cairo’s cultural heritage. Combining modernisation with cultural heritage preservation helps invoke the historical dimension of the country’s metropolis with its history of more than one thousand years. ‘Historic Cairo Development’ is the framework plan that aims to put the aspired combination in action. As an urban project, Historic Cairo Development involves the restoration, preservation and requalification works that are considered essential for reviving the original value and splendor of the buildings and structures categorised as distinguishing signs of the old city. As such, the engineering works serve to highlight the cultural and social eminence of the old city, thereby fostering the link between Cairo’s past and present.
The ambitious project now involves the restoration of as many as five districts simultaneously to ensure the cohesiveness of preservation works. It’s indeed a huge project, enlisting 149 buildings and structures for restorative and preservation operations in Historic Cairo’s five districts of al-Gamaliya, al-Azhar, al-Ghouri, ad-Darb al-Ahmar and Bab al-Wazeer. Other old buidings, palaces and structures of historical value outside these five districts will also undergo renewal and requalification works under the Historic Cairo Development’s master plan. In addition to restorative and requalification operations, the Civic Development Fund which is the state agency tasked with maintaining the city’s urban features, is overseeing the lifting of encroachments on structures and spaces in the old city; and traffic connections are undergoing such re-planning and upgrading as to facilitate entrance to and exist from Historic Cairo. These moves would make it easier for citizens and tourists to tour the districts and streets to get directly acquainted with the old city’s fascinating features.
Last month, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani and Housing Minister Assem al-Gazzar last month went on an extensive inspection tour of Historic Cairo where they discussed with senior officials and the supervisors of on-site works the progress of restorative activities. The tour and pointed to the state’s keenness on accelerating the pace of upgrading districts and buildings of relevance to the country’s cultural heritage, especially following the Cabinet’s decision last year to consider the Historic Cairo Development scheme a national project.
UNESCO’s literature and documents contain allusions to Historic Cairo as one of the world’s oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, schools, public baths, fountains and other signs of flourishing cultural and social life since it was founded in the 10th Century. As centuries passed, Egypt’s capital continued to reflect such rich and varied urban and cultural features that have formed Cairo’s distinguishing character. The ongoing Historic Cairo Development project revives this character as part of the state’s orientation to maintain Egypt’s unique cultural heritage in a neat shape by means of advanced techniques and meticulous planning.
