Tourism management of WHS - the case of Historic Cairo

Tourism Management of World Heritage Sites: The Case of Historic Cairo By: Farida Elghamry A paper submitted to: Dominique Vanneste Liliana Lozano Flores

Heritage a Sustainable tourism Development

Why Historic Cairo?

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“Tucked away amid the modern urban area of Cairo lies one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, with its famous mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains. Founded in the 10th century, it became the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century.” - Fruneau Yvon, UNESCO Historic Cairo was one of the first cities to be inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1972 – and with good reason. Few cities in the world are as rich in terms of monuments, artefacts and urban ensemble that reflect its long history as a dominant political, cultural, commercial and religious capital in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It is by far the largest urban area (at around 32 sq. km) of the cities on the World Heritage list and arguably the most complex in terms of its morphology and layers of history. Besides being a prominent capital for centuries, Cairo possesses a wealth of urban heritage, which is unveiled in a variety of historically significant districts and monuments.

Combining stunning architectural examples of human creativity from the early Umayyad, Tulunid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman eras, the city is a model of splendid Islamic architecture that has greatly influenced the Islamic world. The abundance of architectural treasures adorning Cairo’s skyline has earned it the title of “the City of a Thousand Minarets.”

For all of these reasons, Historic Cairo provides an interesting case study for sustainable tourism. After all, foreigners have travelled to it for hundreds of years. Moreover, this world heritage is dear to me because my grandparents and family are buried in its monumental cemeteries. Not just that, I have previously worked on a proposal for the management and conservation plan of a neighborhood in Historic Cairo during my time at the architectural firm Megawra. This allowed me to fully grasp Historic Cairo’s unquestionable historical, archaeological and urban importance. Finally, it also provided me with a window into the momentous task of understanding the many complexities that arise in the heritage management of this enormous site.

It is not surprising, then, that conversation management in Historic Cairo is not without its problems. Because of its vast geographical scope, its societal complexity and the numerous stakeholders involved, there is a variety of plans but very few coordination. In principle, the Egyptian government serves as the coordinator between the various actors involved. On the international level, however, the relationship between the Egyptian authorities and UNESCO has always been cumbersome; while on the local level only private interests (such as the organization I worked for, I would argue) tend to live up to

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international agreements and standards. Until this day, there is no comprehensive official management plan for all of Historic Cairo. There is, however, a sort of technical guideline, called the Urban Regeneration Plan for Historic Cairo (URHC), which was created by, among others, the Ministry of Antiquities and UNESCO. As it is a guideline, the URHC does not carry the force of law, though. This means that for several projects within Historic Cairo, it remains unapplied.

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Old Cario in 1798 versus Old Cairo in 1978

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The management of World Heritage sites “Management plans provide the means for establishing an appropriate balance between the needs of [...] conservation, tourism, access, sustainable economic development and the interests of the local community”. -UNESCO (2019).

Since 2005, management plans have become compulsory for sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This obligation serves the aim of formalizing the protection of World Heritage sites, but also to cope with pressure provoked by the use and commodification of the sites, e.g. for tourism.

At this junction, it is important to differentiate between management plans and management systems. Management plans are static (at least for a certain period), because they aim at ensuring that the site’s “outstanding universal value” is sustained or enhanced over time. Management systems, however, are dynamic and refer to real life. They are the management practices that are actually carried out on a daily basis.

Being formalized tools, management plans hold within them comparative capacities.

After all, several management plans can be compared to each other in both theory and practice, while a management system only refers to the actual situation at hand. This differentiation is especially relevant to the case of Historic Cairo, since a number of different management systems are operating side by side in the absence of one overarching management plan.

In its operational guidelines for management plans, UNESCO offers several modules that can be applied in a certain management system. In the past, tourism was not mentioned in these operational guidelines. The aspect of tourism, even though it is unavoidable to any heritage site of significant value, also did no use to figure much in (Egyptian) governmental management plans. In recent documents, however, more and more countries are starting to explicitly include tourism as a core element to the management of heritage sites. Both in theory (in management plans) and practice (in management systems), a shift is taking place towards paying attention to the relationship between heritage and tourism.

This is a step in the right direction since it is unwise to ignore this central tenet of heritage policy. More can still be done, however, because some important issues that are crucial to the site’s survivability, such as visitor management and zoning, are often still lacking in management plans. All in all, it is especially important that both positive and negative 4

repercussions are taken in mind. For optimal sustainability, these two need to be balanced against one another. On one hand, you need visitors to retain the contemporary value of a heritage site, without which it might be neglected. On the other hand, visitors should not be allowed to inflict damage. Management plans can help in this aim by managing the synergies between heritage and tourism policies.

The management of Historic Cairo The process of Historic Cairo’s management plan is rather complex. It is not a straightforward story and thus needs some contextualization. As mentioned above, there is still no one specific management plan. Several management systems have taken hold in the aim of rehabilitating Historic Cairo and regenerating tourism within it.

One of the recent examples is the regeneration of al-Moez Street, conducted by the Egyptian government with the aid of UNESCO. This project has followed a top-down approach and focused only on enhancing tourism physically. In doing so, however, it has disregarded the social and economic fabric of the area. The project concentrated on interventions such as restating only the facades (i.e. façadism) or paving the street - to make it sort of an open air museum - while the residential areas are not given similar attention. The functions of a lot of areas were changed to be more touristic, forcing locals to shift the function of their shops from crafts-making to cafes or souvenir shops. In short, the whole area was developed to be more touristic or adapted to accommodating more tourists (Williams, 2002). This is why critics have criticized the initiative as shortterm enhancement. The negligence of the intangible aspect of heritage in this project was apparent in the aesthetic deterioration of the walls of Al-Hakim mosque just a few years after the project was completed. The walls are currently congested with drawings and writings that reflect some of the locals’ weak sense of ownership of the monument.

It also reflects the lack of heritage education (Abdelkader, 2020).

Two other examples show that more successful rehabilitation projects are possible.

These are the Darb Al-Asfar project and the Mugamama’ Al-Adyan project in al-Fustat.

In the latter, The Ministry of Tourism and the Cairo Governorate planned with the help of UNESCO to create a new pottery village in al-Fustat to preserve the pottery craft. It proved a success, especially because it attracted artists and artisans, who opened new studios in the area, such as the Azza Fahmy school of jewelry and the Darb 1718 culture center for contemporary art, founded by artist Moataz Nasr, to mention just a few. The project was started in 2003 and ended by 2006 (UNESCO, 2012).

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Al-Darb Al-Asfar alley, like so many other areas within Historic Cairo, was neglected for years. The rehabilitation project, carried out by the Ministry of Culture and the Supreme Council of Antiquities with the help of UNESCO from 1994 to 2001, focused on the idea of the home in this historical urban space. Given its historically fluid socio-spatial dynamics, the architects working in this sensitive heritage context understood the complex traditional system. They understood the need to develop locally informed functions and genuine designs that build on everyday local practices and the wider regeneration strategy for the area. After restoration, they allocated adaptive and sustainable functions to fit within the wider development of the area (Elnokaly & Elseragy, 2013). As restoration proceeded in the three houses, the surroundings were also improved, including infrastructure, such as electricity, water and sewage systems.

The project also implicitly adopted an integrated urban conservation approach and employed many of the concepts underlying cultural sustainability (AKTC, 2005).

Awareness sessions were conducted by Dr. Nawal El Mesiri for more than 100 families to explain to them the importance of living within a historical context, as well as the various aspects of renovation (Myllaya, 2008). The industrial activities within the areas were transferred to surrounding neighborhoods, like Mansheyet Naser. The commercial activities were also transferred to new settlements to the east. Yet, the retail activities and handicraft shops were kept within the area. Touristic facilities, including hotels and youth centers, were introduced in the area. Public services were also enhanced. For instance, a new garbage disposal system was implemented (Sutton et al, 2002).

These two examples show that regenerating heritage, promoting tourism and empowering local communities do not have to be antithetical to one another. With good management, they can be complementary. With this in mind, we can move on to the bigger picture of Historic Cairo. A technical support guideline (again, aided by UNESCO) was set up in 2010 to assist the Egyptian authorities in establishing an overall management plan for Historic Cairo. Parenthetically, it should be emphasized that the guidelines did therefore not constitute a management in and of itself, only a means that could be helpful to constructing one. The aim of this project was not only to protect the architectural heritage but also to regenerate a vitaI, though heavily dilapidated, urban fabric, with a very rooted population and a rich pattern of activities. In other words, the need to preserve and foster "intangible" heritage was recognized.

It is important to mention that the Urban Regeneration Plan for Historic Cairo (URHC), as the project is called, tried to follow another previous best practice, namely al-Darb alAhmar rehabilitation project. This neighborhood, too, is located in Historic Cairo (which emphasizes once again the sheer size of the heritage area) and was implemented by the

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Aga Khan Trust for Culture. This project has left an impact on all sectors of life, ranging from issues of women empowerment to encouraging different community associations.

It reflected the communities’ needs and recognized residents as the stakeholders.

The URHC will be discussed further in the last paragraph. However, it is relevant to highlight here one element of the guidelines. In it, the authors recommend the selection of an action area within Historic Cairo for the implementation of its guidelines to avoid the pitfalls of centralized solutions. It recommends a detailed plan that integrates the socio-economic, conservation, rehabilitation, regeneration and renovation goals to the maximal possible extent.

This, finally, leads me to the proposed management plan for the action area of al-Khalifa neighborhood, in which I have participated during my work experience at Megawra, an NGO working on conservation in Historic Cairo which really takes to heart the need for involving the local communities. Al-Khalifa Management Plan (KMP), the subject of this paper, was written by Megawra in coordination with Cairo Governorate and with financial backing of foreign funds. When I was at Megawra, I contributed to the report in which this management plan was laid out.

The KMP is not binding by any law (yet). It is rather a proposal for the government to adopt. In that sense it fits the qualifications of a policy proposal, even though that name is not used by the authors itself. It has focused on al-Khalifa Street’s urban fabric, heritage sites and crafts. Collaborative design workshops were carried out with the various stakeholders in order to implement pilot interventions and to develop a heritage conservation and management plan for the area. The project was promoted as an advocacy tool for the mobilization of resources and as a means to build momentum for reaching a comprehensive management plan for Historic Cairo as a whole. On top of that, it serves as advice to the local government as much as it constitutes an advocacy tool for increased coordination vis-à-vis heritage management in Historic Cairo. What is most interesting and distinctive about this management plan, which is inspired by the URHC, is that it prioritizes local citizens’ participation and sustainable stakeholdership over short-term and short-sighted interventions.

Indeed, the URHC regards awareness as an important element in highlighting the outstanding universal values of the area. It specifically aims to launch campaigns to enhance the relationship between the community and the public at large within the world heritage property. Moreover, it seeks to strengthen the ties of Historic Cairo’s residents and emphasizes their role in the maintenance and preservation of the site first and foremost by the local citizenry. Indeed, the first and most important target group in the management plan would be Historic Cairo’s local communities and residents, for they 7

bear the property’s tangible and intangible heritage. Nevertheless, tourism is also envisioned to be safeguarded in the management plan. Two types of tourists are distinguished: cultural tourists, i.e., the people visiting the historical buildings and

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museums, and religious tourists, i.e., the visitors of shrines, mausoleums and mosques for special occasions, rituals, and mawlids (religious festivals). !

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The management plan for Al-Khalifa Street Significance and Values – goal and objectives It bears repeating that there currently does not exist a holistic management plan for the whole of Historic Cairo. Building on the URHC, the government claims to be working on a comprehensive management plan for the entire World Heritage site, but this initiative is still a work in process of which we have few details. This analysis will therefore focus on Al-Khalifa Street, an area within larger Historic Cairo for which a working management exists. Megawra, the author of the plan, was inspired by the guidelines of the URHC. However, the ensuing discussion does not seek to substitute the necessity for a comprehensive management plan for Historic Cairo. This is an utmost necessity in its own right. Nevertheless, the focus on a micro-example could set an example, if successful, for implementation on a larger scale. Thus, the interventions and activities presented in al-Khalifa Street’s management plan could be integrated later on in a management plan for Historic Cairo. This is especially true because al-Khalifa is one of Historic Cairo’s recognized strategic areas according to the Ministry of Antiquities. The management plan will include required actions on the district level in order to achieve the vision, goals, and the proposed conservation plan of al-Khalifa Street. In this way, the plan can serve as a pilot for management planning in Historic Cairo. It can inform the various management systems within the area and foster the competition of ideas on how best to integrate heritage, tourism and community empowerment policies.

Al-Khalifa Street lies on the main historical spine of the old city (al-Qasaba). This makes it of the main gates to the heart of Historic Cairo. The street moreover acts as a link between the old city and the cemeteries. The relation between the residential part of the area and the cemeteries is unique because it has always been used as an extension for the daily activities of the residents, in spite of the fact that the area of the cemeteries is of a completely different urban fabric. It is home to many shrines, important mausoleums, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun (one of Cairo’s oldest and biggest mosques), the Gayer Anderson museum and many commercial and local crafts workshops. Although this trend is declining, some people even appropriate the graveyard as residential infrastructure.

This is why the cemeteries of Historic Cairo are popularly called the “City of the Dead.” In short, an unambiguous dividing line between the cemeteries and al-Khalifa would be artificial in any case.

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Components of the management plan The management plan was not merely thrust onto al-Khalifa in an ad-hoc-manner without consultation of the community, who, as is evident from above, has deep connections to the (in)tangible heritage. Megawra has itself subdivided its preparatory work into three separate stages. The first centered on a study of the relevant literature on management plans (such as UNESCO and ICOMOS guidelines) and recent case studies of world heritage management across the world. After that, Megawra went over to a second, crucial step: analysis of the desires and needs of the citizens. This was done in the framework of the Citizen Participation Plan for Historic Cairo (CPHC), to which I have contributed. In addition to taking this in mind, CPHC organized collaborative workshops and other activities to involve the locals to the maximal possible extent. This proved successful, because it laid bare differences between the needs of residents facing main streets and residents facing inner streets. Moreover, it turned out that the needs of al-

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Khalifa Street were not always equal to those of the people in Historic Cairo as a whole.

In the final phase, the study of secondary and primary sources of the first stages made it possible to set differentiate between 1) an overarching vision, 2) the long-term aims, and 3) the prioritized short-term measures.

The management plan itself is structured into four main sections. The first part is an introduction of the plan and a description of purpose, process, overall aim and structure.

Analysis of the key stakeholders and management issues of al-Khalifa Street comes second. The neighborhood vision is set out in the third part. From there, it lays out the objectives and actions to be achieved. Finally, the management closes with a bridge to the URHC. A case is made for general action on the level of Historic Cairo.

Al-Khalifa Study Area and al-Khalifa Street Area. (Elghamry, 2020) 12

Monitoring plan There is currently no monitoring system for management tasks. A monitoring system, and a post-occupancy evaluation of projects and implemented tasks related to the management plan, should be adopted. Additionally, the management does not define a fixed implementation period, because the heritage management context in Egypt is rapidly changing and is prone to political changes (e.g., because of a change of cabinet).

Government-led actions are implemented according to their changing and planned timeframes. Hence, al-Khalifa Street’s management plan should be revised once the government publishes the management plan of Historic Cairo.

Visitors management plan Due to the presence of religious monuments connected to prominent figures in al-Khalifa neighbourhood, it is an area regularly visited by local as well as international visitors. In the management plan of al-Khalifa Street, heritage and tourism development are mentioned within the needs assessment conclusion.

The needs that were defined in this regard included well-maintained heritage sites that the community can benefit from, tourism services and signage to promote heritage sites, local businesses and crafts, small tourism-based businesses run by the local community and education programs and mechanisms for citizen involvement. According to the monuments study, a project for adaptive reuse for monuments in good state of conservation is needed. Some of these monuments have been restored in the past few years, yet they remain underutilized. They can be used as a catalyst to attract further visitors to the area and generate economic income. After the needs are tackled, the neighborhoods’ greenery, routes and accessibility, cultural hubs and gateways should be enhanced.

Perception of the interviewed stakeholder(s): Egyptians share a recent loss of hope as a result of the failed revolution of January 2011.

The days of the occupation of Tahrir Square, a little over ten years ago now, inspired great sense of belonging and hope for the future. As the years progressed, however, hope faded, and people started to lose faith. This process permeates all of Egyptian society, including heritage policy, because architect Injy Waked, one of the principal authors of the URHC, was also slightly pessimistic of the prospects for a consistent and 13

sustainable (in)tangible heritage policy in Historic Cairo. Not long after the revolution, UNESCO finished its involvement with the regeneration project, which, of course, leaves open the possibility of further neglect by the Egyptian authorities. Moreover, Waked also fears that less attention might be paid to Historic Cairo as opposed to other areas more prone to visitors. Indeed, Historic Cairo is often neglected as an urban site, with tour operators preferring to focus on Khan al-Khalili and the Egyptian Museum close to Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. This is why raising awareness of the site through media as a strategic tool would be essential for branding the World Heritage site.

Nevertheless, Waked has reasons not to give up hope. With regards to conservation policy, she believes that planning tools and detailed action plans are required. This is not enough, however. Planning has to be backed up by appropriate legislation, for one should not discard contingencies where the planning is not followed through or, worse, contradicted by unilateral government demolitions. Indeed, in areas where there is dispute as to where the borders of the buffer zones of world heritage lie, the government routinely carries out demolitions of what heritage advocates consider important historical buildings. An urgent task is therefore properly defined legislation, requiring coordination between the various administrations involved to prevent further damage to the city’s historical urban fabric. A common ground has to be established.

Moreover, Waked thinks there is a resurgence of hope because the office of the prime minister is showing interest and is giving it a lot of attention. While the implementation of the URHC’s guidelines remains uncertain, the government is currently working on a comprehensive management plan for Historic Cairo, as mentioned above. This initiative dates from 2019 and includes several partners, including the Ministry of Housing, Armed Forces, Engineering Authority, Cairo Governorate as well as other stakeholders and advisors. This project’s relation to URHC’s planned activities is not clear and has not been confirmed, however.

Finally, with regards to tourism, the URHC guidelines include an entire chapter on promoting the property by proposing an awareness campaign. Tourist centers, hotels, motels and tour operators are important outlets for the campaign’s products and printed materials. This campaign would target independent and organized tourism as well as secondary tourism service providers like taxi drivers and car rental companies. So far, most of the tourism development considerations are abstract as it is not the main focus of regeneration, however.

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Additionally from my interview with Prof. Pini and artist Mshshchk, it shows clearly that the

complexity of Historic Cairo and the residential quality that it holds make it different from most other World Heritage sites, because they tend to be uninhabited. It is not a site suitable for luxurious touristic hotels as that would be destructive, for example, and hygienic, economic and ways of accessibility have to be taken into consideration and enhanced.

The AKTC program was successful in drawing attention to the crucial importance of housing as an engine for revitalizing and regenerating the most derelict neighborhoods of the historic city without compromising its heritage characteristics. In such an urban fabric, intervening is a delicate matter that should be based upon deep understanding and genuine intent to protect both the tangible and intangible heritage. The rights of the local communities in Historic Cairo are to be respected - which we know is not always the reality in developing countries, where the balance in power is seldom achieved and land ownership can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. Unfortunately, the Egyptian authorities have a twin horrific record of demolishing “unofficial” heritage and evicting people from their homes without proper notice or compensation. Moreover, experience shows that the projects that are thought out, designed and sustained in dialogue with the local population tend to be the more successful. This is acknowledged by many practices in Historic Cairo - and thankfully, there are plenty of them. So once, the Egyptian government acknowledges these common pitfalls and give more trust and empowerment to the local urban practitioners a sustainable management plan and management system, community involvement should and will be a top priority.

Conclusion Recently, there has been some coverage on the Egyptian government’s heritage policy in Historic Cairo. In March, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly joined the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Cairo’s governor, among others, in a site visit to the old city.

There, he said that the government would do everything in its power to “preserve all of Historic Cairo.” Internal and external tourism would be promoted, while the traditional craftsmanship would be sustained. In the private sector, too, the intersection between tourism and heritage management is confirmed by statements of professionals. (primetimezone, 2021) Madbouly’s words are encouraging, but, not surprising for press statements, they do not contain any reference to a detailed plan to develop a sustainable heritage and tourism policy towards Historic Cairo. As I detailed in a paper for another subject (‘Conservation Policies: Rule of Law’), a clear system of accountability is missing. A lot of different ministries are involved, which makes it easy for all of them to claim success but shirk responsibility. It should therefore be clear which government actors are taking up which role. Otherwise, Madbouly’s statements that the goal is “development to achieve the general good of the state and citizens regardless of the billions of pounds that the [heritage] projects may cost,” rings hollow.

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The central objective developed in this paper was the interconnection between regenerating heritage, promoting tourism and empowering local communities.

Community practices, when closely examined, are patterns that have significant driving forces; economic, social or psychological needs that are explained in the human sciences. Most are universal needs, shared by humans in many contexts, yet their manifestation into behavior varies by culture. Yes, restoration is badly needed, and the Egyptian economy is in desperate need of new streams of tourism revenues, perhaps that is the reason why the government does not promote Historic Cairo to the international public as it does with the Pyramids of Giza, for example, or the Pharaonic temples in Luxor. But the inhabitants of Historic Cairo cannot be forgotten in the process, unlike Pharaonic sites, the locals of Historic Cairo still have a lot of shared ideas and contested meanings with their landscape. If they willingly participate in the future plans and designs of the historic landscape, they would protect and cherish the intervention as much as they perceive it serving their own benefit as well as the visitor’s benefit.

Above, I have highlighted several projects in Cairo’s historic core, such as those in alDarb al-Asfar, al-Darb al-Asfar and Mugamma’ al-Adyan, which have successfully restored decaying neighborhoods while involving the local communities. The URHC, too, recognized the need for enhancing community awareness in combination with attracting cultural and religious tourists. The many advantages perceived and utilized in Historic Cairo such as the strong social ties, the high perceived safety, the appropriation of public space, proximity to work, etc. would pave the way to mobilize local community as well as Egyptian society at large. (Shehayeb, 2019) Megawra’s management plan for the al-Khalifa neighborhood, finally, mentioned a number of examples for promoting sustainable tourism, such as signage, easier modes of transportation and fostering local tourism businesses. In closing, it should be mentioned, however, that these cursory remarks were but a small element in the KMP. Further research (e.g. additional surveys, in-depth studies and workshops with the local population) could serve to better the cooperation between heritage managers and the inhabitants of al-Khalifa. Recognizing the intangible heritage value that is still alive and increasing on the marketing efforts, their narratives and liveliness can compensate for the weakening and dilapidation of the tangible resources and help in attracting tourists to the historical landscape. This requires good organizational skills and professional know how to valorize these cultural resources and sustainably manage them. (Jansen-Verbeke, 2007). Needless to say, the same goes for other regeneration projects in Historic Cairo, they should all be contributing to cultural ends, to mainstream socio-economic and socio-environmental aims.

Bibliography

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Abdelkader, Omar (2020), Participatory Conservation Approaches for Upgrading Historic Areas in Cairo: Study of Al-Moez Street and Al-khalifa District, Master of Science in Sustainable development, The American Universtiy in Cairo Fairclough, Graham, and Heleen van Londen. 2010. “Changing Landscapes of Archaeology and Heritage.” In Landscape and Heritage Series. The Cultural Landscape and Heritage Paradox. Protection and Development of the Dutch ArchaeologicalHistorical Landscape and its European Dimension, edited by Tom Bloemers, Henk Kars, Arnold van der Valk, and Mies Wijnen, 653-669. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Jansen-Verbeke, M. (2007), Cultural Resources and the Tourismification of Territories, Acta Turistica Nova, 1 (1), pp. 21-41.

Mansour, A., el-Kousy, O., Emad, A., Elghamry, F. (2020), Third report: Al-Khalifa Street area Conservation and Management plan. Citizen Participation in Historic Cairo.

Available at: https://atharlina.com/projects/citizen_participation_in_historic_cairo/?fbclid=IwAR3mM Z6twlOao_s8rdASYxBh4VimvudPCAR6aKRNuZjC06YWPezcyv5Xoz4 Pini, Daniele (2018), Historic Cairo as a world heritage site: A long and uncertain path to urban conservation, Cairo: Renewing the Historic City, Prestel Shehayeb, Dina (2011), Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo Sector Study: COMMUNITY-ORIENTED ACTIVITY PATTERNS. Available at: https://issuu.com/shehayeb/docs/urhc_activity-patterns_hc_2011._red URHC Team (2012), Urban Regeneration Project for Historic Cairo. UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Management of World Heritage Sites in Egypt Available at: http://urhcproject.org/Content/studies/Report_2014_EN.pdf Vanneste, Dominique (2021), Tourism Management at UNESCO World Heritage Volume 3, Tools for Managing World Heritage Sites: Site Management Systems and Plans assessed Primetimezone (2021) “The government presents proposals to develop “Historic Cairo” to a number of experts and archaeologists” Accessed at 12/05/2021. Available at: https://primetimezone.com/world/gulf-news/the-government-presents-proposals-todevelop-historic-cairo-to-a-number-of-experts-and-archaeologists/ 17

Daily News Egypt (2021), Egypt aims to restore Historic Cairo’s role as traditional industries centre Available at: https://dailynewsegypt.com/2021/03/13/egypt-aims-torestore-historic-cairos-role-as-traditional-industries-centre/

The Regeneration plan for Historic Cairo (URHC): a thematic summary, according to the Vanneste- framework Source(s): The regeneration Urban plan of Historic Cairo report 2012-2014

Thematic Framework: D. Vanneste, MOOC 2.0 2018; analysis by Farida Elghamry, 2021

Significance/ The Outstanding Universal Values of Historic Cairo includes its cultural and social values, urban fabric, architecture, crafts, festivals, and markets. value

Goals/ objectives for the heritage zone

The project intends to foster a subsequent urban conservation policy whose prerequisites are: (a) the definition of clear concepts on conservation to be implemented through new urban planning tools, special projects and building regulations; (b) the creation of adequate institutional capacities and technical skills; and (c) an increasing and wide awareness of heritage issues amongst the relevant authorities and the larger public.

Guiding strategy

“conservation” has to be associated with “rehabilitation”, favouring interventions that aim to improve the quality of life and sustain, or initiate, compatible activities in the historic city.

Integration

The integration of social, physical, and environmental work in conservation represents an integrated approach toward conservation by the several NGO projects and can be replicated to other comprehensive projects in old Cairo

Core/Buffer Broader context

Ambiguous, seen differently by different parties. The example of mosaic of “areas of peculiar value” identified by NOUH offers an extraordinary modern attempt to define Cairo’s heritage areas, including the development of the city until recent times and incorporating internationally-accepted standards and criteria in urban conservation.

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Taking into account the contextual elements of flexibility

not valid.

Stakeholders

The involvement of governmental authorities, such as SCA, MoC, NOUH, GOPP and MoT, is crucial. The local community and international institutions, UNESCO, development programs and non-governmental organizations all provide services in the site.

Protection

Strength and coordination between the different stakeholders involved in the protection is currently lacking

Conservation

numerous conservation studies and actions have been undertaken in recent years, including the restoration of monuments and clusters of urban significance.

Sustainable development

The plan aims to form an institutional framework to undertake an overall sustainable urban consevation policy and promote collaboration between the various stakeholders managing the site

Sustainable use

Long-term sustainability plans are on agenda this includes: effective funding system, Promotional merchandise like creating tourist centers, info points and cultural locations.

Tourism: visitors management

Often neglected as an urban site, with tour operators preferring to focus on the Khan al-Khalili area and the Egyptian Museum close to Tahrir Square.

Tourism: carrying capacity

Historic Cairo has local, international and religious tourism.

In general, political instabilities since the 2011 revolution have ! caused tourism rate to decrease.

Measures & Several measures are taken for every aim on the management plan implementatio n: action plans Measures for monitoring

The lack of a clear decision-making strategy and monitoring mechanism results in a wide variance in the state of conservation of listed monuments.

The Athar Lina initiative Prepare yearly monitoring reports on management issues in certain focus areas within HC and present it to government.

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Other important dimension(s)

Safeguarding of monuments by saving listed monuments from deterioration, Applying a holistic concept of conservation rather than the restoration of single buildings and divide the work into phases according to status and needs

Annex

The MP for Alkhalifa district within Historic Cairo: a thematic summary, according to the Vanneste- framework Source(s): Report 3: Al-Khalifa Study Area Conservation and Management Plan September 2020 Thematic Framework: D. Vanneste, MOOC 2.0 2018; analysis by Farida Elghamry, 2021 Significance/ value

- The street acts as a link between the old city and the cemeteries and is one of the main gates to the heart of the old city.

- The unique relation between the residential part of the area and the cemeteries is of a completely different urban fabric, it has always been used as an extension for the daily activities of the residents.

Goals/ objectives for the heritage zone

- To prepare the management tools necessary for the conservation of the heritage values, socio-economic revitalization and environmental up- grading of the inscribed World Heritage property.

- Intends to foster a subsequent urban conservation policy whose prerequisites are: (a) the definition of clear concepts on conservation to be implemented through new urban planning tools, special projects and building regulations; (b) the creation of adequate institutional capacities and technical skills; and (c) an increasing and wide awareness of heritage issues amongst the relevant authorities and the larger public.

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Guiding strategy

- Favors interventions that aim to improve the quality of life and sustain, or initiate, compatible activities in the historic city. “conservation” has to be associated with “rehabilitation”

Integration

- The integration of social, physical, and environmental work in conservation represents an integrated approach toward conservation by the several NGO projects and can be replicated in other comprehensive projects in old Cairo

Core/Buffer Broader context

-The project corresponds to Athar Lina initiative action area which is part of a larger study area within south of Historic Cairo.

-It consists of parts of the qism/district of al-Khalifa and al-Sayyida Zaynab.

The Citadel boards it to the east, Salah Salim Street and al-Sayyida Nafisa square to the south, the mosque of Ibn Tulun and the Housing Project of Zaynhum to the east and al-Rifa"i and Muhammad #Ali streets to the north.

The study area is situated roughly between the two hilly areas of the Citadel and Qal"at al-Kabsh and is connected to the Sayyida Nafisa and Bab alWazir Cemeteries.

Taking into account the contextual elements of flexibility

- The flexible open spaces and hubs are part of the overall enhancement approach for the development in al-khalifa; designed to accommodate different activities and cultural events.

Stakeholders

- Megawra is the main author of the study, while cairo governate, UNESCO, Ministry of tourism and ford foundations are sponsors to the study.

- The monitoring implementation is said to ensure management plan review and flexibility to context changes.

- Elaborated further in the Annex: The involvement of governmental authorities, such as SCA, MoC, NOUH, GOPP and MoT, is crucial. The local community and international institutions, UNESCO, development programs and non-governmental organizations all provide services in the site.

Protection

International Organizations are Key players in heritage protection as they help with technical and financial assistance and also conduct monitoring and reporting tasks. It is mostly a voluntary effort, except when tied to an international agreement.

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Conservation

-Conservation plan is a main part in the report along the management plan.

-Conservation and adaptive reuse of selected monuments in al-Khalifa Street Area.

Sustainable development

A new Solid Waste Management system is proposed.

Sustainable use

-this study was devised as a tool to guide Athar Lina Initiative along its path to use heritage as a driver for development in order to optimise the impact of its work through effective linkages between its projects and other efforts to develop al-Khalifa, and in order to bring the people of al-Khalifa to the fore as primary actors without whom no work is possible.

Tourism: visitors management

Tourist services and signage to promote heritage sites, local businesses and ! crafts. !

Small tourism-based businesses run by the local community.

Tourism: carrying capacity Measures & implementatio n: action plans

! A lot of cultural and religious tourism. !

Enhance the overall quality of the neighbourhood activities hubs, gateways and routes. Enhance the neighbourhood gateways and routes to increase connectivity with surrounding neighbourhoods and activities.

Measures for Monitoring plans are developed and measures are implemented in all monitoring listed monuments of bad or dilapidated state of conservation.

- Report of supervision of each monument is presented to MoTA. Other important dimension(s)

The plan ensures that heritage is used to support the vitality and wellbeing of the local community. !

Interview transcript with Ingy Waked, Architect, UNESCO Cairo.

Interview with Ingy Waked, Architect, UNESCO Cairo.

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The interview was conducted in Arabic. The author then translated into English. This may have led to some alterations that may not have been implicated by the interviewee.

- How did you come to work on the URHC and what was your input?

The URCH project started in 2010 and ended in 2014. There are 2 main reports , one from 2010/2012 and a follow-up one from the period 2012/2014. The good news is that you can find all the reports on the UNESCO website and sector studies are accessible online until this day. I started in 2010 with the core team.

Franca [MIGLIOLI] was the director of the project from the side of the World Heritage Center and the Italian urban conservation architect Daniele Pini was the UNESCO consultant who served as the main coordinator. Federica [FELISATTI] is another Italian architect who was with me in the core team and basically acting as the assistant of Franca. Also, Ahmed Mansour and Mariam El-Korachy later joined us in the core team.

They were both full time and I was working part-time with them as I was living in Germany.

I was more more involved on the craftsmanship study for the pilot area of Al-khalifa and how to evaluate workshop local production activities, i.e. what should be preserved and what not.

Historic Cairo was one of the first sites that was listed as world heritage, back in 1979.

And that was before any regulations and management plans, conservation plans were created. All these guidelines did not exist back then. So in 2005, UNESCO has created the operational guidelines which says if a site is listed as world heritage, what is obliged of it, etc. So, world heritage site has to have a management plan, a conservation plan, and delimitation (meaning a map confirming where does the site enclose and what its buffer zone is).

Any world heritage site has a governmental body that is responsible for it and has to report directly to the UNESCO. Before 2010, there was a the ministry of Culture that was responsible for that. Later it split into the two ministries: the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Antiquities. The Ministry of Antiquities became the main body that is responsible to report back to the UNESCO. So, in the 1990s, they made several

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detached maps stating what is historic Cairo. This started as a technical support project from the UNESCO to Egypt, which was remaining from the funds to Nubia project budget.

- What is the difference between the URHC and the management plan of Historic

Cairo?

The urban regeneration project was the name of the technical support project implemented with the aid of UNESCO’s World Heritage Center in Egypt between 2010 to 2014. Its goal is striving towards a management plan and a conservation plan. That was after the publication of the 2005 UNESCO operational guidelines for world heritage sites.

After the project was done, the plan was to form a unit within a governmental body (e.g. the Ministry of Antiquities) and the same team would technically support this unit and its formation. This has not been achieved yet due to political instabilities but it is still on the agenda. The previous prime minister, Ibrahim Mehleb in 2014 created a decree for the management of Historic Cairo. But he left and so was his decision. So for now, we are still waiting for the specialized body to be formed, which has to be formed and work based on the technical team support to apply the efforts that has been made so far by them.

- Can you please describe your work methodology?

We first started on the evaluation of Historic Cairo through regular site visits. We based the heritage value assessment on five criteria: The architectural value, the street alignment, plot subdivision, existing activities, plot density. Based on that we assessed which areas were the oldest. We also took the oldest maps of Historic Cairo, dating from the time of Napoleon’s occupation, as a base and we compared the borders of Historic Cairo back then and now so we were also able to detect which parts existed back then.

Based on both, the five criteria and Napoleon’s map, we were able to assess the values of the different zones of Historic Cairo and rank them as areas with high value, lower value, etc. We submitted this to the Ministry of Antiquities to act as clear borders for what exactly falls under the area of Historic Cairo, what is the core zone and the buffer zone (which is the surrounding are that aids on protecting the core area), along with

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recommendations for the protection measures that should taken when dealing with the World Heritage property.

Along with the two reports of URHC that we prepared between 2010 and 2014, we also consulted with professionals to provide us with further studies, what we called sector studies. For example, Dina Shehayeb created a study on activity patterns in the area, living and working in Historic Cairo. Kareem Ibrahim provided studies regarding the unused assets of Historic Cairo’s Monuments. Nairey [Hambijian] provided studies about Bab El Azab, to name a few. These sector studies were in a way completing and complimenting the main report of the URHC. Of course since we started the project, the 2011 revolution has happened and chaos was all over the place. This made it super challenging to contact governmental bodies, which was necessary in order to finalize the management plan and the conservation plan. So, alternatively, we focused on the studies and then we decided that for the second phase to choose a pilot project area, which became al-Khalifa, to take survey this area, building by building and street by street.

A more detailed study allowed the construction of the conservation plan that states what should exactly be allowed or not allowed with these buildings. Since we were done with these studies, it has not yet been legalized by the governmental bodies because of the political chaos since then.

- Why is there still no final management plan, even though the URHC study was

done in 2014?

Unfortunately, I have to say that the chaos caused by the revolution has led to many violations. Anyone was able to demolish whatever they want or erect high rise building in few months and Historic Cairo was out of control. So, during this time Historic Cairo has experienced changes and irreversible ones. That lead to constant negotiations with UNESCO, until now, regarding how these problems are going to be addressed.

Lately, starting this year, there has been a huge interest by the prime minister in Historic Cairo. The good thing about this project is that it provided a detailed methodology for how to deal and make decisions with the site of Historic Cairo. It included a holistic study

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of various sectors. We made a legislation study for all the Egyptian laws that deal with historic sites and heritage.

All of this was the outcome of the project, after that the project was not under UNESCO anymore. The Ministry of Antiquities showed real appreciation for the outcome. However, there was no system to allow us to proceed with the project. I later learned that the project was assigned to the Cairo University’s antiquities sector. Dr. Ahmed Ouf, one of the sector experts was the new responsible person for that proceeding. I personally did not follow up with the the studies provided by them but I know that the ministry of antiquities was sharing their reports regularly with UNESCO. - What do you think of the current pilot projects, e.g. the project of Megawra in Al-

Khalifa and Al-Hattaba?

The works of Megawra and similar NGOs is one of the outstanding results that we have in focusing on Historic Cairo. These enterprises work with their hands on site and they try to cooperate with governmental organizations to achieve the results of the URHC. They are currently working on the management plan of al-Khalifa and have been trying for a while to rescue the case of Al-Hatabba, which as you know, is part of the buffer zone of the Citadel and the core area of Historic Cairo. So people are allowed to demolish buildings within it. Adding to that, a bigger managerial problem is that some parts of it are registered as informal settlements, meaning that the government can demolish it completely. So, Megawra has been fighting this case for a while trying to convince Cairo’s governate of the heritage values that are within al-Hattaba. They made full studies, toolkits and recommendations for this area.

The buffer zone is everything between the Nile river and the core area of the historic area. It has different regulations and its main goal is to protect the core area. As you were saying, in Egypt, there is no one final agreement on what exactly is the core area of Historic Cairo yet. Keep in mind that Historic Cairo is a gigantic site in comparison to any other world heritage site, which makes its management is already so complicated.

Interview transcript with Artist Agnes Mshshchk: Agnes is a polish artist whom have worked several times in historic Cairo by doing wall art, painting murals and, recently, developed an alternative touristic tour in the neighborhood with augmented reality pictures that mimic a treasure hunt.

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- How did you start working in historic Cairo and what are your future plans?

So, I have done quite a few projects, I can share the screen with you to show you my portfolio. I was very lucky in the cooperation in my first project I did which was this map, I think in 2013. I was approached and asked if I could just help doing the stencil of the street map which was meant to give a little bit of idea for people entering the Ibn Tulun mosque on the two walls which are in front of Ibn Tulun. It was meant to give a little bit of information about the monuments: the mosques and moseluems close by, so when outsiders are visiting Ibn Tulun they can see the map and decide to go and see other monuments around too. It also give a little information about the food, shops and workshops that are happening around the area.

As I was working there, I got a chance to create a mural for a local cafe at the next street, which was more personal art work and the possibility to kind of engage and see how people respond. Its one of my favorite projects, its still there andI have renovated and updated it several times. As you see in the slide there is a newspaper article, that I didn’t know anyone wrote about it but the owner of the cafe still has it pasted on his wall even though it faded out a bit.

The third project was “Noah’s Ship” which happened in 2016 with the NGO Megawra that is working with the athar-lina initiative. As they knew I was open to creating more art work in the place. So ,they were rehabilitation, renovating this football field in a place that used to be a trash corner, as you unfortunately you find in most of historic Cairo, and part of the project was creating a mural wall. I chose to work with an image from the book of the legends collected by Gayer Anderson and he commissioned an artist from the area at the time called Abdulaziz abdu to illustrate them. I wanted something that people from the area are familiar with and they like. All those legends speak about the create time and great things that happened in the area. So for instance, one of the things that Noahs ship actually landed in the are where the mosque of Ibn Tulun is, and the offering of Abaraham had happened also in the area, so all of those great things for a place that is right now is kind of pretty random and not really that well seen is like bringing back this idea of all the greatness that happened through images that the inhabitants are familiar with. And it was really nice to see that as we were working o n the moral people stopped and were saying I know what you are doing, thats Noah’s Ship. Also, Megawra has been using those murals as coloring books for kids so it has a high recognizability in the area.

I personally always wanted to leave an artistic mark. In October, I approached Dr. May Al Ibrashy who is the director of Megawra that I wanted to create a series of augmented murals. On one hand images that blend those visuals from the Gayer Anderson book with my own drawings and pictures from the street. So that I create a bridge between the old times, the current times and by using the augmented reality technology for the future, you know. To create something that is unique, modern and 27

futuristic in this place. So having a different approach to heritage, a more playful one.

Because the whole augmented reality thing is going around and searching for the walls, it has a kind of a game or a treasure hunt aspect.

- Does your current workshop have a certain vision for the future plans in historic Caio’s art direction?

Right now through the workshop we are looking deeper into it and I am trying to work with the 3-dimensional aspect. The whole framework of the workshop is placed in alKhalifa and the workshop Is taking part within the continued initiative of the athar-Lina so it has focus on the historical area and for me its interesting to work in the context in mind because the applied concept of augmented reality nowadays is either used in gaming or in tourisms in museums or big outdoor spaces. Like, in the summer I was visiting the castle or Malbork One of the biggest medieval fortresses in Europe. As you go through it, you don’t have personal guide. Especially in times of Corona this proves an advantage, but you get an audio guide which responds to specific locations Which is basically augmented reality working with geo locations as trigger. This is also used in museums for instance or you can scan things with your phone for instance to get certain information. So for a place like al-Khalifa if you could eventually in the future use such a solution it would allow people to tour the historical monuments of the area without having to have an actual guy on the spot, and there is not always someone available.

Also, there is the renovation process of Al-Imam al-Shafie mosque and I am asked to do some augmented reality installations in the entrance area. An interesting idea from the workshop we are having now is to create visual 3d models, and in other places in the ongoing workshop for example, we were thinking to re-create pieces of monuments that are not there anymore because they have been moved to museums, for example: like the mimbar of Sayyida Ruqaia that has been moved to the Islamic museum. So that when people visit they can see an object that is there but is not anymore. So whichever artistic interaction we are doing there is some kind of connection with the past.

- Do you have any contact with the different stakeholders in Historic Cairo?

For me, I am very luck in terms that all of this part is taken over by Megawra. So they are very helpful in terms that I cooperate with them. As I said, for the Noahs ship mural painting the permission for creating the wall was already there, because then the application was organized to create the football field the mural was already specified and agreed upon to be part of the project. The same thing was for the augmented reality murals. I came up with this idea and Megawra have mediated between me and the owners of the houses. I created the preview image to be shown with the residents and Megawra are ones who mediated with them to agree. So my interaction is very minimal and is only interacting with the people as I work on site. So all the official interactions have been take from my hand.

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- So, how do the inhabitants receive your art in their neighbourhood?

I think the inhabitants for instance, knew the original drawings of the Gayer Anderson and for instance, Megawra has an outreach program for the kids from the area and have been using this images in the coloring books and stuff which plays an area in the familiarity of that art. In general. People aknow about all kind of Afarit (ghosts), like this guy says for instance you cant remove this stone from there because under it there are ghosts, everybody knows this. In general, the response is also really good. As we are working we find a lot of people coming to us and ask us to pave their houses. So we actually get more commissions, if I may say. In my case, a lot of negative feedback is the colors, people were not so happy about the black and white and I was often asked by the people “can we have more colors” so that is something I will definitely keep in mind for the future.

The project I am now thinking about are more virtual nature, I am thinking about working on 3d structures and are not physically places or anchored in anyway just more playing with shapes and patterns then augmenting them in the context of the place.

- What implications did Covid have on your work in Historic Cairo?

It is also because it is quite soon, the 3d project also allows me to work remotely due to the corona circumstances and I am still learning and waiting for the responses of the last augmented reality project and current workshop. A lot of people were reluctant.

So, it hasn’t affected this project specifically. I don’t really interact with people and the painting happens outdoors. Also, in historic Cairo, you see some people going around with masks, but there was a time when the governments response was not very strict, after summer 2020 and people had the idea that corona is over. So there were no really policies to enforce the wearing of the masks anywhere. Only in the last months again the situation got out of hand and people started to wear masks again. The workshop we are having now are only 10 people to work with few people, outdoors and respect the corona measures.

One of the points of having the workshop was to try it out and see what is possible and explore new ideas. Now, I already implemented the augmented reality project, its already there. If you want to integrate tourism, you need industry solutions, lets say.

Work on the basis of a company developing specific solutions, so if you want at the end to have a tour developed at the end or a more costume tailored solutions this needs to happen through a company. This project is more meant to explore and encourage people to think about the heritage and digital media. Definitely, the idea behind was to develop some kind of solutions. So once this becomes more serious thing it needs more corporate approach. Most of these companies now in Egypt are developing in the gaming section.

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- How do you see Historic Cairo as a foreigner and what was your first impression as a “tourist”?

Historical Cairo has so much to offer. its a little bit odd that unlike Europe, these historical centers, and the charm of the little alleys and so on is not seen as a potential here. And when this happen, you see places like El-Moez street which is okay nice and picturesque but it also failed in terms that its very disconnected. So if you go in the very next street, you end up in a gutter, so to say. Its very one directional in terms of services, so you can go and buy souvenirs or have coffee, but for instance like having little boutique hotels or such or to make the are little more livable and interesting is not there. Also, hanother problem is that hc is very huge like if you want to walk from Tulun to Al-azhar mosque its not a 2 minutes walk, so its a huge undertaking. So for me, I like to see what is happening in khalifa because its happening in different levels. For example, the house we are having the workshop there Al-Saliba, is a historixal house which is renovated and I think they have an AIRBNB room in there. Its like what you would find in Europe. I would love to stay in a place like that, with the actual feel of the area. Also the cafes and shops and everything that created the urban fabric of the place and they try to upgrade it and make it interesting for tourism without kind of sterilizing it. Because at the end of the day also alkhalifa is not such a long walk from downtown cairo. And if all this idea would be less seen as the wild strange place and more as an accessible tourism place, I would love that.

Interview transcript with prof. Daniel Pini: Professor Daniele Pini is one of the guest professors whom have taught us in the first semester on the course “Conservation of Urban Sites and Landscapes: History, Theory and Practice”. He was also the UNESCO consultant and scientific co-ordinator of the Urban Regeneration plan of Historic Cairo between 2010 to 2014.

- Dear prof. Pini, thank you so much for your time and for agreeing to talk with me. I remember from last semester that you have worked as a consultant in Historic Cairo and I would like to know about your overall experience there? I have talked with arch. Ingy and she already told me a lot of details on the project and more about the current situation too.

The URHC I worked on 7 years ago has never been approved, nothing has been done after that. So as far as I know a real management plan does not exist so far. For the simple reason that all the involved stakeholders did not find any agreement. We did several studies to prepare for a management plan but it has not been done so far. I left Cairo in 2014 and I don’t know what happened after. At the time, tourism was not in

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the core of the management plan as we did not think its a main issue. Other projects were proposed by a French organization, or something, I do not remember.

- Why was tourism not a main issue on the plan?

I think historic Cairo was not prepared at the moment for tourism development for socio-economic and environmental reasons. The environment is very sensitive You have to take into consideration that it is very densely populated. The population is very rooted, I remember that 70% of inhabitants of historic Cairo were born there and were working there too.

So any. Intervention has to be carefully considered. you can’t build a five stars hotels with 100 rooms and so on, as it is not adapted to this kind of establishments, it would totally be destructive. S you cant disrupt the urban fabric by a gigantic tourism project, for example.

There were some projects proposed by SCA at the time, mainly the reconstruction of some caravans that was very much disputable for many reasons. There was also the other project in Darb el-Labana which as far as I know did not have any chance to be implemented. The accessibility is difficult as well as the environmental conditions that makes it very difficult to have tourists in the area. Of course there can be independent tourists walking around and visiting some monuments this is clearly possible and has to be promoted in a way. That’s why at the time it was difficult to think of historic Cairo as a tourism place but it is definitely possible to find it as a tourism attraction but of course many preparations and itineraries need to be planned.

- It seems that you have had an unpleasant experience, is that true?

Yes, my experience was very frustrating . Specially because of the attitude and position of SCA which only look at the monument, does not look at the people or anything else and unfortantely it was the only official manager of the world heritage property of historic Cairo which was huge constraint for our study. I mean, we worked very well with the Cairo governate, the ministry of culture and the ministry of Awqaf and ministry of planning which was directed by Madbouly who as far as I know is the prime minister now. He was a very reasonable person, but SCA did not want to have any other stakeholder on board, they didnt beleive there was a need for a management plan, they just wanted to restore the monuments and thats it. At the time it was really impossible to discuss with them.

Currently SCA does not exist anymore (supreme council of antiquities) now the ministry of culture and the ministry of tourism have been merged together into one (MCA).

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!

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PORTFOLIO Art work in Historic Cairo by Agnes Mshshchk!

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List of Key Stakeholders whom are active actors in the management of Historic Cairo (source: Al-Khalifa Management and conservation plan)

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Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA): A key actor of the whole area of al-Khalifa is located within the boundaries of Historic Cairo’s WH Property Within the ministry, there are some key sub-divisions or management bodies that should be mentioned: Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA): Runs the general secretariat sector of MoTA. The sector is the administrative arm of the council.

Permanent Committee of Egyptian Antiquities: Brings together key persons within the ministry, as well as professional and academic experts. The head of the committee is the General Secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Historic Cairo Directorate: Part of the minister’s office and is responsible for the coordination of all activities within the limits of Historic Cairo’s WH Property. The directorate is normally supported by the technical assistants of the minister’s office.

Directorate of Organizations and International Relations: Part of the minister’s office that is responsible for international relations and funds’ negotiations.

Projects Sector: Responsible for implementing and supervising projects by the Ministry of Antiquities.

Islamic and Coptic Monuments Sector: Responsible for all Islamic and Coptic monuments through the Inspection Directorate (although all monuments in al-Khalifa are Islamic). It is responsible for the daily inspection and monitoring of monuments.

With regards to the tourism side of the ministry, the following administrative bodies are involved in heritage management. In general, the tourism arm helps in promoting tourism in the country, and is responsible for monitoring and evaluating tourism performance.

Sector of Touristic Buildings and Hotels: Regulates issuing licenses and monitors quality.

Sector of Touristic Companies and Guides: Responsible for issuing licenses for tour guides and companies providing services to tourists, and for regulating touristic transportation.

General Authority of Tourism Promotion: Responsible for touristic promotion activities, producing and disseminating touristic information and organizing touristic promotion events.

General Authority of Tourism Development: Primarily works in specific sectors outside of Cairo but also has a role in the development of some parts of Historic Cairo through financial and technical support.

Cairo Governorate (CG): The governorate of Cairo has full authority on the district level to manage the daily activities within the neighbourhood other than the activities carried out by MoTA. For example, it is responsible for restoration and demolition permissions and for all buildings except heritage buildings listed by NOUH and monuments listed by SCA. The following are its key sub-divisions/management bodies: Al-Khalifa District and al-Sayyida Zaynab District: The majority of the neighbourhood is under the authority of al-Khalifa district and part of it belongs to al-Sayyida Zaynab District Authority. The district administration issues demolition decrees and building permits. They also 35

monitor the economic activities and manage and maintain open spaces. The district is also responsible for monitoring waste collection activities.

Heritage Conservation General Directorate: Responsible for facilitating governorate work in relation to monuments, and coordinates this with MoTA. Housing Directorate: Responsible for the projects and constructions by the governorate.

Responsible also for the supervision of the implementation of al-Khalifa Environmental Heritage Park.

Cleaning and Beatification Authority Housing Directorate: The responsible body for cleaning open spaces and streets and managing and maintaining open green spaces.

Ministry of Culture (MoC): Responsible for cultural events within the country through various sub-divisions.

National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH): A key actor within Historic Cairo as it is responsible for identifying buildings of peculiar value and issuing and monitoring building regulations for buildings, open spaces and streets within listed areas of significant value such as Historic Cairo.

Cultural Development Fund: Funds cultural events supporting intangible heritage and initiatives supporting adaptive reuse of monuments into creativity centres. 17 monuments have been rehabilitated already.

Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Unit: Preparing national studies and work on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and coordinating with UNESCO in light of the 2003 convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Supreme Council of Culture: Assists with strategic planning for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through its committee of folkloric arts and intangible cultural heritage.

Ministry of Endowments: The ministry is directly responsible for managing and maintaining all mosques in Egypt and managing endowment assets through the Authority of Endowments.

The properties inventory of the authority is complex, and there is normally an issue of dispute between the ministry and citizens or other governmental bodies.

Authority of Endowments: Responsible for managing endowment assets. A lot of buildings and plots within Historic Cairo are endowments. The authority collects rent from people living in buildings that are on endowment lands.

Ministry of Housing and New Communities (MoH): The ministry is responsible for providing housing and related utilities and services. In Historic Cairo, the ministry is responsible for the development of some development projects of Historic Cairo Development. Moreover, MoH is responsible for the redevelopment of the listed unsafe informal areas, in partnership with Informal Settlements Development Fund (ISDF).

Utilities such as telephones, natural gas, water and electricity are provided by public companies but managed and coordinated with the Ministry of Housing.

General Organization of Physical Planning Authority (GOPP): This is often a partner in Historic Cairo Development projects. It normally plays a role during the planning and preparation of projects or acts as a technical reference.

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Holding Company of Water and Sanitation: In addition to its normal role, a special role it has is participating in projects related to the groundwater affecting all of Historic Cairo.

New Urban Communities Authority: It is normally not a partner on projects implemented within existing cities or urban areas, but since the modification of its Law in 2017 it is now responsible for the redevelopment of areas listed as ‘redevelopment’ areas, meaning all areas within Historic Cairo that are listed as informal areas.

Executive Council of Fatimid and Islamic Cairo Renewal: This is part of the Central Agency for Reconstruction. The council is responsible for the supervision of project implementation commissioned by MoH and participates in restoration projects with MoTA. Local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): In al-Khalifa district, according to the website of the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), there are 96 NGOs in total, and around 14 are located within al-Khalifa Street Area. The main activity of 82% of the NGOs involves social assistance as well as cultural, educational and religious services. The ratio drops to 71% in al-Khalifa Street Area. Regarding the nature of the NGOs located in al-Khalifa Street Area, five are of religious oriented activities, three serve special communities from specific rural cities or work in specific sectors, one is politically oriented, another one serves women and four serve the general public. From the experience of Athar Lina Initiative, the actual presence of NGOs, or their willingness to cooperate in development activities, varies. Some NGOs are very present with strong connections to the community, while others exist without any real significant present in the neighbourhood Athar Lina Initiative: operates within the framework of a partnership between a number of governmental and non-governmental entities – principal partners being The Built Environment Collective and Megawra in collaboration with Cairo Governorate and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The initiative is well imbedded within the neighbourhood through its running programs. Its strongest connection occurred by establishing al-Khalifa Community Centre and running its activities. Since the Initiative’s headquarter is also based in the neighbourhood, the initiative has not only become an actor within the neighbourhood (via its projects and activities that have a direct impact on the neighbourhood), but has itself become simultaneously affected by this interaction with the community. The activities of the initiative are driven by the local community’s needs and are developed through time in order to be sensitive to the local context. The initiative is also seen by the community as a local actor that can lobby within governmental networks.

Community Based Organizations (CBOs): There are some CBOs that do not have a legal entity registered at the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS). These groups are mostly service groups belonging to the mosques and shrines of the neighbourhood. They work throughout the year to serve the followers of religious figures buried within the area, and their services revolve around the mawlids, which are the yearly celebrations of certain religious figures. During these celebrations, they serve food and accommodation and organize chanting (zikr) groups for the followers and attendees of the mawlid.

Local Community:

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Although the boundaries of al-Khalifa Street Area are not the same administrative divisions set by the government, the defined boundaries by the CPHC Project houses an estimation of around 20,000 people. Normally, residents of these types of neighbourhoods are extended families who have been living in the neighbourhood for three or four generations. A considerable part of the current generation tends to leave the neighbourhood and live somewhere else, either to be closer to their work places or to seek a better quality of life. This is due to a lack of development and maintenance of buildings and infrastructure in Historic Cairo.

Territoriality within the neighbourhood follows a complex layer that defines it. Questions such as “where are you are originally from? how long have you or your family been living in the neighbourhood? which street or part of the area do you live in? which other families do you have connections to? which business do you own, or who do you work with,” along with many other questions can define your social network and hence your social status. The social network is very important in such an urban setting as it is the safe network during harsh circumstances. Inhabitants within the neighbourhood with a well functioning business usually have more power within the neighbourhood. They usually help people facing social or financial challenges through various way. They might offer a person a job, a loan or grant based on that person’s connection to them. Such powerful figures are considered community leaders even if they do not publicly claim it themselves.

Visual information about Historic Cairo on Youtube: A short video by the UNESCO on Historic Cairo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E8TyAfe9ok A documentary about living with the past in Historic Cairo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8pJ3eKcKbk&t=200s A documentary about exploring Historic Cairo by a tourist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH0q0y3GK9Y

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Trip Advisor Reviews of Historic Cairo!

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