It’s no doubt that Cairo is loud and noisy. But there is so much more to the bustling city if you’d just look around at every building, every alley and every sidewalk. It makes sense that the city has been an inspiring scene for writers and artists alike.
Often you find Egypt being listed in the top countries to visit with all sorts of tourist attractions in every corner. And the truth is that it’s much more than just textbook documented history such as the Pyramids, museums and beach areas.
Every spot all over the country has a story of some kind. And as we go about our regular day, it’s an interesting thought to realize all those who made history on these streets, buildings, walls and well, just about everywhere.
The “Memory of the City” Initiative
According to Egypt Today Magazine, Inas Abdel Dayem, Egypt’s minister of culture, launched the “Memory of the City” initiative that aims to document the architectural identity of ancient spots in Egypt and to understand the social conditions of its past inhabitants. Initially beginning in Zamalek, Cairo, this documentation is being coordinated by the National Organization for Civilization Coordination.
For Egypt, architectural heritage showcases day to day life of previous generations and civilizations, and the way urbanization developed across the years. Abdel Dayem said that Egypt has treasures across every era and that this initiative is solely made to preserve them, particularly the physical spaces themselves such as buildings in their colors and designs.
It is also interesting to add that this initiative will also have a series of books that tell the stories of these places and their communities. Recently, it was announced that the 1st book was about Zamalek and is titled “Zamalek Island.. value and heritage”.
More Than Just A Memory
Going beyond this project, there is a lot to document about the city and about every community in Egypt. In recent years, many projects have set out to restore buildings, especially downtown around Tahrir Square. Over the years, buildings that haven’t been maintained generally came to look rundown. But with their restoration, walking down downtown has a different ring to it, especially if you look up at the buildings.
Egypt Independent wrote last year that downtown is a mixture of European, Ottoman, Islamic and Egyptian heritage all in one go. Restoring this essence has been ongoing since 2014. Of course, with a heavy focus on building new areas in Cairo, such as the New Administrative Capital can often distract one from the beauty of what is old.
However, hundreds of buildings downtown have been restored and workers “repainted entire buildings and restored decorations using similar material to what was originally used during construction,” according to the aforementioned article. Restoring buildings has become a project that includes the government, the community, and private sector, over the years. Recently, perhaps the crown that marks downtown’s restoration can be seen in the placement of four ram-headed sphinxes placed in Tahrir square.
The most recent restoration project that hit the news was the Baron Palace. This tourist destination and historical exhibition in Heliopolis was originally built in 1911 and was being restored for a few years now by the Armed Forces Engineering Authority and the Arab Contractors Company on a budget of more than EGP 100 million, as per Ahram Online.
It has also recently opened its doors to visitors for people who wish to visit. And with it’s decorated Greek statues, Indian-inspired decorations, display of vintage cars and multimedia portals that showcase what real life looked like in Heliopolis in that time period, you’d definitely want to visit.
Teaching The Importance of Restoration
It’s easy to get caught up in whatever is new and shiny, especially as time goes by. But remembering the beauty of the past and history of once was in the city is important. Interestingly, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities made a little book for children teaching them all about the Baron Palace and its restoration, wrote Egypt Today.
Egypt is a country filled with gems. These gems can range from the delicious foods to being a country that has one of the original 7 seven wonders of the world: The Pyramids. Every crack on the pavement and every artist’s work on the walls of the streets hold powerful meanings and are a part of documenting the city.
