In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage

In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage

Architect and heritage management expert May Al Ibrashy launches a programme to 'foster a sense of ownership over this heritage'

Egyptian architect and heritage management expert May al-Ibrashy speaks during an interview in Cairo, on January 11, 2023. — AFP

By AFP Published: Sun 19 Feb 2023, 10:55 PM

For most of their lives, children from historic Cairo's Al Khalifa district only saw the mausoleums, mosques and madrasa schools that pepper their neighbourhood from outside heavy bronze doors.

In one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, communities were becoming increasingly separated from the centuries-old buildings they lived alongside -- prompting architect and heritage management expert May Al Ibrashy to launch a programme to "foster a sense of ownership over this heritage".

Believing a sense of belonging is integral to protecting heritage, her "participatory conservation initiative" has included bringing the young through those once-closed doors.

"The first time we opened a heritage monument to children, they were ecstatic," Ibrashy said.

"Every day they had passed in front of this historic site, but had never been allowed inside".

Egyptian architect Alaa el-Habashi, owner of the restored historical "Beit Yakan" house in the al-Darb al-Ahmar district of Cairo, speaks to visitors on December 6, 2022. — AFP

The Athar Lina initiative, whose