Category: Egypt

In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage; AFP

Photo: AFP

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”.

Source: In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage

A mummy unearthed in Egypt wrapped in ‘layers of gold’ may be the oldest ever discovered, archeologists said; Isobel van Hagen; Business Insider

Photo: Khaled Desouki

The 4,300-year-old Egyptian mummy, covered in gold leaf, and many other ancient artifacts, was discovered at the Saqqara Necropolis near Cairo.

Source: A mummy unearthed in Egypt wrapped in ‘layers of gold’ may be the oldest ever discovered, archeologists said

Egyptian Heritage Sites Aren’t Party Venues; Mona Abdou; Egyptian Streets

Photo: Al Arabiya

Neon lights bring alive the eyes of statues, and the opaque shadow of a column falls over the dancefloor. It’s a grand sight, perhaps for all the wrong reasons: drinks are half-melted at the base of a limestone ram, a bored child picks their nail into the crevices of an already worn set of hieroglyphs, and a once grand place of worship is reduced to little more than a glorified rave site.

Source: Egyptian Heritage Sites Aren’t Party Venues