Author: Shehab Tarek
Architectural revival of Egypt’s historic districts, exploring how urban heritage in Esna, Cairo, and Helwan serves as a vital anchor for community identity and sustainable economic development.
As the dust settles on the state-ordered demolition of the Nabil Darwish Museum, the artist’s daughter, Sarah, recounts a surreal tale of loss, family resilience, and the fierce battle to preserve a ceramicist’s legacy within Egypt’s changing landscape.
Monica Hanna, the founding dean of the Faculty of Cultural Heritage at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, has recently dominated Egyptian social media after suddenly becoming a trending topic. The surge of attention followed renewed circulation of her past statements, which she has described as part of a coordinated “smear campaign” orchestrated by members of the old guard within Egypt’s antiquities establishment. The attacks on Monica have not stopped, as it seems that her decision to confront rather than remain silent has provoked adherents of the Kamayta ideology, which is a loose current of Egyptian nationalism…
Recently, a memo circulated on social media indicating the start of procedures to demolish the historic Abdel Majeed Pasha Palace in Mallawi, Minya Governorate. This was based on a memo issued by Dr. Mohamed Ismail, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, on September 2. The aim was to form a committee to inspect the palace and assess its historical, scientific, or religious value. A comprehensive report would then be prepared for submission to the competent authority, and the necessary legal procedures would be completed. Formation of the committee The committee was formed by Dr. Diaa Zahran, head of…
The Mexican candidate for the position of Director-General of UNESCO, Gabriela Ramos, officially announced her withdrawal from the race in a post on LinkedIn. Observers believe that Ramos’ withdrawal was not a personal decision, but rather the result of internal complications and careful calculations surrounding the work of the troubled international organization. This makes Egyptian candidate Khaled El-Anany the frontrunner to lead the organization, backed by broad regional and international alliances, which has strengthened his position following the withdrawal of his main rival.
How can we understand urban transformations by reading old maps? This is what experts recently attempted to answer during an art exhibition organized by the American University in Cairo entitled “Sayyida Zeinab: History, Urban Development Policies, and the Future,” which will be held from August 14 to 15.
It seems that, over time, the government has succeeded in imposing the term “slums” within the historic city of Cairo. The term is not only used in press releases, but some academics have also begun to use it spontaneously in specialized seminars. During a lecture on the Sayyida Zeinab neighborhood at the American University, a number of prominent academics fell into the trap of generalizing a term that is rejected by many who are interested in the history of Cairo. This is because the historic city does not contain slums, as official accounts claim. Although the debate over the term…
For nearly a quarter of a century, the site of the Abu Mina monastery in Alexandria remained on UNESCO’s red list, its presence there well known to world heritage experts. The site has been listed as a World Heritage Site since 1979. However, despite the ministry’s failure to include other heritage sites as World Heritage Sites, it recently began taking steps to “ward off danger” from Abu Mina Monastery, starting in 2019. Last week, the Ministry of Antiquities celebrated on its official website its success in finally removing the site from UNESCO’s list of endangered heritage sites. However, as usual,…
BabMsr obtained a copy of the speeches of the three candidates for the position of Director-General of UNESCO, which will be announced in October. The Egyptian candidate, Khaled El-Anany, former Minister of Antiquities, is competing against Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, and Congolese Fermin Edouard Matoko, Assistant Director-General for Africa and External Relations at the organization . The Egyptian candidate Khaled El-Anany’s vision is “UNESCO for People,” and his program focuses on putting people at the forefront of UNESCO’s work “without discrimination or distinction.” He also seeks to combat bureaucracy within the organization and…
Egypt recently managed to remove the historic Abu Mina monastery in Alexandria from UNESCO’s list of endangered heritage sites after years of deterioration. However, international voices have been raised calling for the historic Saint Catherine monastery to be added to the list due to the recent crisis at this unique site in Sinai.