101214 Conservation POLIMI

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION:

- Located in the Northeastern corner of Africa
and south-western Asia.

-It is bounded on the North by the
Mediterranean Sea, on the East by Palestine
and Israel, on the South by Sudan, and on the
West by Libya, with total land boundaries 2
665 km (Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya
1 115 km, Sudan 1 273 km).

-It has a total area of 1,001,450 km2, with land
area 995,450 km2 and water area is 6 000
km2.

RIVERS ON THE COUNTRY’S COAST:

-The Nile River is the longest river in the
world, stretching for 6 738 km.

-It flows from South to North and is formed by
three major tributaries: the White Nile, the
Blue Nile and the Atbara. The Nile splits into
two branches, the Rosetta Branch to the west
and the Damietta to the east.

- Lake Nasser is a man-made lake created by
the construction of the Aswan High Dam;
opened in 1971 and built to regulate the flow
of the Nile River, and thus benefit the region’s
inhabitants.

COASTAL CLIMATE:

- The country experiences a desert climate,
which is hot and dry most of the year,
especially in the Summer. The average
temperatures are from 20°C to 26°C. The
Egyptian summer is hot and dry in most of the
country, and humid in the delta and along the
Mediterranean coast.

- In the coastal region, average annual
temperatures range from a maximum of 37°C
to a minimum of 14°C.

- In the deserts, Wide variations of
temperature occur in the deserts, ranging
from a maximum of 46°C during daylight
hours, to a minimum of 6°C after sunset.
During the winter season desert temperatures
often drop to 0°C.

EGYPTIAN HISTORY CAN BE DEVIDED INTO 3 MAIN PARTS

ANCIENT EGYPT MEDIEVAL EGYPT MODERN EGYPT

ANCIENT EGYPT (THE PHARAOHS)

- THE FIRST EGYPTIAN IN HISTORY was King Menes (aka Narmer). Menes was the 1st
to unite the North & South parts of Egypt & He made Memphis his capital.
- THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WERE THE FIRST TO BUILD IN STONE AND TO FASHION THE
ARCH IN STONE & BRICK. They had developed a plough and a system of writing.
- They learned about astronomy in order to predict the Nile flood.
- They sculpted in stone and decorated the walls of their tombs with naturalistic murals
in vibrant colors.
- THE LEGACY OF ANCIENT EGYPT IS WRITTEN IN STONE ACROSS THE FACE OF
THE COUNTRY FROM THE PYRAMIDS TO THE ROCK TOMBS IN THE VALLEY OF
THE KINGS TO THE OLD KINGDOM TEMPLES OF LUXOR AND KARNAK TO THE
TEMPLES OF EDFU AND DENDERA AND TO THE ROMAN TEMPLE TO ISIS ON PHILAE
ISLAND.

MEDIEVAL EGYPT (THE MUSLIMS)

- The Arab conquest IN 641 by “AMR IBN AL’AAS” resulted in THE ISLAMIZATION &
ARABIZATION OF THE COUNTRY, which endure to this day.
- Beginning in the 9th Century local rulers were allowed to maintain a great deal of
control over the country's destiny. DURING THIS PERIOD CAIRO WAS ESTABLISHED AS
THE CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY & BECAME A CENTRE OF RELIGION, LEARNING, ART, &
ARCHITECTURE.
- In 1260, because of the victories of Qutuz (The ruler) against the Mongols, Islamic
civilization could continue to flourish. Qutuz's successor, Baybars the 1st, inaugurated the
reign of the Mamluks, a dynasty of slave-soldiers of Turkish and Caucasian origin that
lasted for almost three centuries.
- IN 1517 THE COUNTRY WAS ABSORBED INTO THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.
- After only a century of Ottoman rule, the Mamluk system reasserted itself, and
Ottoman governors became at times virtual prisoners in the Cairo Citadel, the ancient
seat of the country's rulers.

MODERN EGYPT (THE EGYPTIANS)

- The Modern History of Egypt is marked by EGYPTIAN ATTEMPTS TO ACHIEVE
POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE, first from the Ottoman Empire and then from the
British.
- IN 1798 A FRENCH ARMY LED BY NAPOLEON LANDED AT EGYPT. Napoleon was utterly
defeated at sea by the British navy. However the French expedition led to a renewed
interest in Ancient Egypt in Europe.
- THE BRITISH OCCUPATION IN 1882, because of their need to control the Suez Canal.
Although the country was granted nominal independence in 1922, Britain remained the
real power.
- In the First Half of the 19th Century, AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE AN EGYPTIAN EMPIRE
INAUGURATED BY MUHAMMAD ALI & aimed at extending to Syria and to remove the
country from Turkish control. Ultimately, he was unsuccessful, and true independence
from foreign powers would not be achieved until midway through the next century.
- POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE WAS FINALLY ACHIEVED between the 1952 Revolution and
the 1956 War. In 1956 Nasser, as Egyptian president, announced the nationalization of
the Suez Canal, an action that resulted in the tripartite invasion by Britain, France, and
Israel. Ultimately, however, Egypt prevailed, and the last British troops were withdrawn
from the country by the end of the year.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK (NATIONAL LEGISLATION PROTECTING EGYPT'S CULTURAL HERITAGE)

INSTITUTES, ASSOCIATIONS & CH ORGANISATIONS

WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE CONVENTIONS

EGYPT & THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST


INTRODUCTION (Historical Brief)

- Le service des Antiquités d’Egypte was established in 1859 belonging to the ministry of public works. Later on, it
belonged to The Ministries of: Information, National Guidance, Education.
Since 1960, it became a part of The Ministry of Culture.

-Le service des Antiquités d’Egypte was transformed in 1971 into The Egyptian Antiquities Organization EAO
(presidential decree 2828/1971) having its own president and belonging to the ministry of culture.

- The EAO was then transformed by the decree 82/1994 into The Supreme Council of Antiquities SCA belonging to
the ministry of culture and its president is the minister himself.

- In 1997, The Ministry of Environment took the responsibility of the preservation of Natural Reserves in Egypt.


ADMINISTRATION

The public law 117/1983 is the only and principal law that assigns power to the central and public offices
concerned with the different cultural Heritage categories in Egypt and which belong to the following juridical
sectors of SCA:
- Prehistoric, Ancient Egyptian and Greco- Roman Sector (all sites allover Egypt).
- Islamic and Coptic sector (all monuments and sites in Egypt).
- Museums sector (all central and local museums).
- Technical affairs (Architecture, Restoration, Engineering) sector for all Antiquities.
- Funding sector.

All listed private collections are also covered by this law and no private law exists in Egypt.

Note: The Public Law 117/1983 has been revised lately By law No.3/2010; which was released in June 2010

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Islamic & Coptic Sector control:
- The Listed mosques and churches in service and their collections.
The permanent committees of Egyptian antiquities, Islamic and Coptic antiquities as well as the board of
trustees of museums are responsible for:
- Studying the problems of antiquities, urban and habitation problems & foreign missions undergoing excavations
by applying the law 117.
They are supported by the police of antiquities and the central police authorities.
The Ministry of Environment Control:
- The Places of environmental interest.

•Inventories of antiquities in sites and museums are accomplished by two centers of Documentation, for Egyptian
antiquities and for Islamic and Coptic antiquities through the Information center of SCA and by the collaboration
with the center of Information and Decision making of the Ministries council.

•Documentation sheets are diffused and filled by local authorities together with photos and inventory exists only
on administrative and scientific level; juridical intervention takes place only in case of illegal traffic. Inventories are
now done by electronic data base systems and some data are already available (Egyptian Museum, .. etc)


FUNDS

Restoration and enhancement of Egyptian cultural Heritage is essentially funded by public funds: the fees of
entrance of archaeological sites, museums, exhibitions… etc which are spontaneously transferred to the funding
sector pool and by the agreement of the ministries of planning and finance, funds are allocated to the different
sectors.

Together with public funds, there are international donations e.g. salvage of Nubia Monuments by the UNESCO in
the sixties (26 million dollars) and Nefertari tomb by Getty (1 million dollar) foreign missions are asked by the law
117 to undergo restoration for their findings.

Fiscal facilities are now on the way and so private associations start now to contribute for the enhancement of
National Heritage,
e.g.: NEHRA (National Egyptian Heritage Revival association officially recognized and published under the code
4612/ March 2, 1999 and having funds from industrial and Business men is already involved in many coptic sites
for the celebration of he holy family trail in Egypt and their works are done by the approval and control of SCA
authorities.


SUMMARY

The Egyptian law governing archaeology and the antiquities trade, is Law no. 215 (31st October 1951) on
the Protection of Antiquities, revised by laws no. 529 of 1953, no. 24 of 1965 and no. 117 of 1983. Under this law:

Antiquities are defined as all movable and immovable objects, which are produced by the arts, sciences,
literatures, customs, religions, etc. from prehistoric times to the reign of Ismail. Also included are any movable or
immovable objects produced by foreign civilizations that were at one time related to Egypt (i.e. Greek, Ptolemaic,
Roman, Libyan, Persian, etc.) that are found within Egypt's borders. Any movable or immovable object declared to
be an antiquity.

All antiquities, either known or concealed, ultimately belong to the State, and are required to be registered on an
official inventory. Modification, displacement or demolition of classified antiquities is prohibited. The State
maintains the right to expropriate any antiquity, or land containing antiquities. Discovery of antiquities should be
reported immediately to the nearest administrative official; the State may acquire any such antiquity for national
collections, and the displaying of such antiquity.


A permit is legal required for all field research, the conditions of which are set at the time of granting of the
permit. All foreign nationals are required to submit a security declaration form to the Ministry of Culture Security
Office, via the SCA.

Exportation of cultural property (including environmental and biological samples) is strictly prohibited without a
permit, which must be obtained 30 days prior to the intended date of export. Movement of antiquities within the
country must be approved 15 days prior to their transportation.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities under the auspice of the Ministry of Culture, are responsible for the
restoration and preservation of Egypt's cultural heritage.


Other laws and regulations apply to related issues of zoning of cities and townships the organization of local
governments and the creation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their roles and responsibilities:

Law 32 of 1964 on NGOs is now being updated by a new revised law. This law does not provide for any
management of sites or buildings and the realization of regular income and economic assumption of projects due
to strong restriction s and direct supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Law 43 of 1979 relates to the organization of local governments, governors, city managers, mayors, and local
councils, and sets their roles and responsibilities. Note: while this law provides regulatory and supervisory
responsibilities for the zoning and organization of townships and cities, as well as giving permits for the erection of
buildings or sites, the law does not touch on the issue of cultural heritage.


1- Institutions
- American Research Center Egypt (ARCE)
- Centre for Preservation and Conservation of Islamic Architectural Heritage (CIAH)
- Deutsche Archäologische Institut (DAI)
- Egypt Exploration Society (EES)
- Institute of Nautical Archaeology
- Institut français d’archéologie orientale du Caire (IFAO)
- International Association of Papyrologists
- Italian Cultural Institute, Dipartimento di Archeologia – Cairo
- Nederlands-Vlaams Institut in Cairo (NVIC)
- Oriental Institute / Chicago House, Luxor
- Russian Institute of Egyptology, Cairo (RIEC)
- Sudan Archaeological Research Society (SARS)


2- Associations
- Ancient Egypt Research Associates
- Ancient Egypt Studies Association
- Archaeogate
- Association Internationale pour l’Etudes du Droit de l’Egypte Ancienne (AIDEA)
- Association of Ancient Egypt Studies (MAAT)
- Berenike Foundation
- Ex Oriente Lux, Belgium branch (EOL)
- Heinrich-Barth-Institut
- Harpokrates – International Institute of Younger Egyptologists
- International Association for Coptic Studies
- International Association for Egyptologists (IAE)
- Le Centre d'Etudes Alexandrines
- Société Française d’Égyptology (SFE)
- The Amarna Research Foundation
- World Archaeological Congress
- The World Conservation Union (WCU)
- World Archaeological Congress


3- CH Organizations
- Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
- AKDN (Agha Khan Development Network)
- The Art Loss Register
- Enhancement of the organisation and Capabilities to preserve Cultural Heritage Assets of Egypt
- Egyptian Assosiation of Lovers of Antiquities
- The Illicit Antiquities Research Centre (IARC)
- International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
(ICCROM)
- International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- UNESCO Cultural Heritage Sites
- UNESCO, Cairo Office
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- USAID (Egypt)
- World Monuments Fund

WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE CONVENTIONS

SOME OF THE WCHC RELATED TO THE PROTECTION OF EGYPT’S WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE:

- The 1954 Hague UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed
Conflict.
- The 1970 Paris UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import,
Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
- The 1972 Paris UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage.
- The 1995 Rome UNIDROIT Convention on the International Return of Stolen or Illegally Exported
Cultural Objects.
- The 2001 Paris UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, Paris
2002.
- The 2001 Paris UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity
- The 2003 Paris UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
- Recommendation on International Principles Applicable to Archaeological Excavations
- Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions 2005 Paris, 20
October 2005

EGYPT & THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST

The World Heritage List was established under terms of The Convention Concerning the Protection
of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted in November 1972 at the 17th General
Conference of UNESCO

Until the year 2002 there were only 5 areas of Egypt inscribed on the World Heritage List:
- Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
(N29 51 E31 15)
- Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
(N25 42 E32 35)
- Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae
(N22 30 E31 50)
- ISLAMIC (OLD) CAIRO
(N30 6 E31 26)
- Abu Mena (Monastery near Alexandria)
(N30 51 E29 40)
These areas were inscribed on the List in 1979, however, in 2002 one more area was added to the list:
- St. Katherine's (Monastery and Area Immediately Surrounding it)
(N28 34 E34 0)

AL AZHAR PARK, THE AYYUBID WALL & AL DARB AL AHMAR
(AKTC Initiative)

WHAT IS THE AKTC?

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC ) was established in Geneva in 1988 as a private Charitable Foundation, in
order to integrate & coordinate the different initiatives of – His Highness – The Aga Khan regarding the
improvement of the built environment in societies where Muslims have a significant presence.

It contains 3 Programs:
1- The HCSP (Historic Cities Support Program)
2- The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (Established in 1977 as the world’s largest prize for Architecture)
3- The Education & Culture Program

The AKTC is part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)

After a Conference in 11 November 1984 entitled “The Expanding Metropolis: Coping with the Urban Growth of
Cairo” which was organized by The Aga Khan Award for Architecture; The Aga Khan Decided to donate a park to
the citizens of Cairo. Soon after, a 30 hectare site was selected to be the “Breathing Lung” in the center of Islamic
Cairo .

WHAT IS THE AKTC? (AGA KHAN TRUST FOR CULTURE)
ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGRAM

ISLAMIC CAIRO

STUDY AREA

ISLAMIC CAIRO


AL AZHAR PARK

It is a large tract that had for centuries been an area for refuse. Today it is the Al-Azhar Park, a 30 hectares of
newly landscaped public park, providing for the first time a large area of green space.
The extensively landscaped park is augmented with:
- A Community Center
- Two Children's Playgrounds
- Youth Sports Center
- Restaurant, Café
- Viewing Platforms
- Formal Gardens.

This introduction of open landscape and places for social gathering has been recognized internationally as a
significant contribution to the quality of life for the citizens of Cairo.


Site Description

Al Azhar Park - Before


Site Description

Al Azhar Park - Nowadays


THE AYYUBID WALL

The Ayyubid Wall stands under restoration today.
The wall acts as boundary for the Darb al-Ahmar district to the west and the newly opened (2005) Al-Azhar Park
on the eastern side.
It runs for 1.5 km at a slight arc from south to north on the eastern side of Cairo. It is part of the urban
fortifications built by Salah al-Din in 1176.
The Southern Edge of the wall is anchored by two important nearby monuments restored by the AKTC, The
Khayrbek Mosque and the Aq Sunqur (Blue) Mosque.
The North Part of the restored wall is attached to the Archeological Triangle Park which contains ruins and artifacts
from the Fatimid era in its sunken site.

The restored wall itself contains fourteen towers and two gates, the Bab al-Mahruq and the Bab al-Barqiyya, the
latter being the subject of this project and of particular interest due to its innovative design of interlocking volumes
that provided optimum security in its day.


THE AYYUBID WALL

Points to be discussed:
1- Brief History
2- Current Situation
3- Philosophy of Conservation (Preservation within its own context)
4- Guidelines for Intervention
5- Future Prospects & Required Actions


Site Description

The Ayyubid Wall – Conserving Al Ayyubid Wall


AL DARB AL AHMAR

Al Darb al-Ahmar district was an area that had suffered serious decline over many years.
It is of great historic importance as the spine of Fatimid Cairo with many bazaars, historic neighborhoods, and
monuments such as the Aslam Mosque and the al-Azhar Mosque.
The area had experienced neglect and deterioration.
The AKTC Historic Cities Support Program designed a comprehensive rehabilitation program that focused not only
on the physical wall, but also the adjacent neighborhoods and people that comprised their community. This
comprehensive program of revitalization was comprised of not only historic preservation and restoration, but also
education, health care, housing, and other social services for the communities.

Rehabilitation of al Darb Al Ahmar include:
1- Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings (Umm Al Sultan Sha’ban Mosque & Madrasa, Khayrbek Complex, & Darb
Shoughlan School)
2- Rehabilitation of Public Open Spaces (Commercial Streetscapes, Imp Public Squares & Concourse areas, and
Small Neighborhood squares)
3- Housing Improvements


AL DARB AL AHMAR

Points to be discussed:
1- Current Situation
2- Issues & Opportunities
3- Strategic Actions & Pilot Interventions
4- Rehabilitation in Al Darb Al Ahmar
5- Institutional Tools & Local Inscntives
6- The Community Development Corporate Incentive
7- Future Prospects


Site Description

Al Darb Al Ahmar – Restoration of Residential Units & Community Development


Site Description

Al Darb Al Ahmar – Umm Al Sultan Sha’ban Mosque & Madrasa


Site Description

Al Darb Al Ahmar – Al Amir Khayrbek Complex

101214 Conservation POLIMI

More Related Content

What's hot (19)

Viewers also liked (15)

Similar to 101214 Conservation POLIMI (20)

More from Amr Alaaeldin Elesawy (9)

Recently uploaded (20)

101214 Conservation POLIMI