Development of a Cultural Center at Historic Cairo

 
             
Location : Cairo, Egypt   Year : 1998   Owner : Ministry of Culture
   Work-scope : Preliminary Design
 
The city of Cairo already draws strongly on its existing cultural hubs for tourism and leisure, with the strong central zone that includes Down Town’s Egyptian Museum and the many art galleries, Zamalek’s Cairo Opera House, Mokhtar Museum and Museum of Ceramics, and Roda’s Nilometer. To the west on the desert’s edge is the site of the new Egyptian Museum and the Memphite Necropolis including the pyramid fields of Giza, Abusir, Sakkara and Dahshur.

By tapping into the latent energy of Historic Cairo, we introduce a third cultural zone that would hold its own in the east. This would be the home of appropriate cultural events such as music, theatre and crafts, injecting life into the restored monuments and bringing much needed public interest.

The project starts by restoring the original urban fabric of Historic Cairo, where the north-south flowing Muezz Street, which was literally the ‘spine’ of the historic city, was broken by the east-west flowing Azhar Street .

Al Azhar Mosque and the nearby Ghouri complex comprised the action zone along with the houses of Khatoun, Harrawi and Sitt Wasila to the immediate south and the Muez Street all the way down to the Fakahani mosque and Bab Zuweila to the south.

Great importance is given to the residential heart, as community development projects there would catalyse the development of the area at large.

The project comprises four main areas of action and two dynamic axes;

Axis A, culture and heritage: Mohamed Abdo St. and the houses of Khatoun and Ghouri

Axis B, social and residential: Dardeery St. and the houses of Gamal AlDin Al Zahaby and Zeinab Khatoun

Urban complex A: Public Spaces of Al Azhar Mosque and its surroundings

Urban complex B: Gamal Al Din Al Zahaby Arabic Music Center

Urban complex C: Zeinab Khatoun, Al Harrawi and Sitt Wasila Creative Arts Center

Urban complex D: Al Ghouri Complex Cultural Center
     
1. Public Spaces of Al Azhar Mosque and its surroundings
    
 
The general status of Al Azhar area
   The master-plan of the rehabilitation of Al Azhar area
     
Perspective of Al Azhar piazza towards Al Hussein
   Perspective of Al Azhar piazza towards Abu Al Dahab
   Perspective of Al Hussein piazza from the southern entrance
   Perspective of Al Hussein piazza form the eastern entrance
             
2. Gamal Al Din Al Zahaby Arabic Music Center        
 
Perspective of Gamal Al Din Al Zahaby area after rehabilitation
   The geometric order of the House Gamal Al Din Al Zahaby
             
3. Zeinab Khatoun, Al Harrawi and Sitt Wasila Creative Arts Center        
 
Zeinab Khatoun, Sitt Wasila & Harrawy area before rehabilitation    Master-plan of the area after rehabilitation 
     
        Perspectives of the area after rehabilitation
4. Al Ghouri Complex Cultural Center        
 
Al Ghoury area before rehabilitation
   Master-plan of Al Ghoury area after rehabilitation
 
        Perspectives of the area after rehabilitation