Egypt
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah)
- Muhammad Ali's Sabil, 1820
CairObserver Sabils are a prominent, although not exclusive, feature of Ottoman urbanism. Cairo once had over three hundred Sabils and they were pivotal elements in various neighborhoods, they were places to get water a life necessity. The historic core...
- Cairo's Al-azhar Mosque
Al Ahram Weekly (Samir Sobhi) Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, whose history is sometimes overlooked by visitors, is one of Egypt's most important cultural and artistic treasures Al-Azhar is one of the most serene places to pray in, and the area...
- Still Them And Us
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah) Drawings of the Time: Impressions from Edfu Temple is an exhibition that displays colourful and engaging portraits of high priests of ancient Egyptian Temples. Gamal Nkrumah discovers they tend to be at odds with contemporary...
- Heritage Management: Islamic Cairo
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah) Ahmed Sedky, the self-effacing prince of Arab-Islamic architectural treasures talks cultural memory, traditional lifestyles in mediaeval urban settings, and the pitfalls of preservation, conservation and restoration to...
- Restoring The Heart Of Cairo
Al Ahram Weekly (Amira El-Noshokaty) You know you are in Downtown Cairo when your eyes fall upon grand boulevards and even grander buildings with late 19th century and 20th century European-style doorways and sculptures, designed in a combination of art...
Egypt
Ottoman Cairo's ghosts hold delightful secrets
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah)
Agnieszka Dobrowolska, a conservation architect, travels, often alone or in the company of her co-worker and architectural partner, her husband Jaroslaw Dobrowolski -- author of The Living Stones of Cairo -- to bring back intriguing tales of magnificent buildings that she often restores to a semblance of their original sublimity and resplendence. Together, they authored numerous works including Heliopolis: Rebirth of the City of the Sun.
The couple is off to Dongola, Sudan, later in February. Convivial and not averse to a witticism, with a light touch and a clear ear, she had spent at least 15 years in chronicling, conserving and restoring the architectural treasures of Egypt. As an architect, she never planned for a career in conservation. Ever since her Egyptian sojourn, her work and the rich architectural heritage of Egypt have moved in tandem with her life.
Moreover, she has a fine ear for conversation and a taste for the historical, and in particular constructions constituting or chronicling history.
- Muhammad Ali's Sabil, 1820
CairObserver Sabils are a prominent, although not exclusive, feature of Ottoman urbanism. Cairo once had over three hundred Sabils and they were pivotal elements in various neighborhoods, they were places to get water a life necessity. The historic core...
- Cairo's Al-azhar Mosque
Al Ahram Weekly (Samir Sobhi) Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, whose history is sometimes overlooked by visitors, is one of Egypt's most important cultural and artistic treasures Al-Azhar is one of the most serene places to pray in, and the area...
- Still Them And Us
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah) Drawings of the Time: Impressions from Edfu Temple is an exhibition that displays colourful and engaging portraits of high priests of ancient Egyptian Temples. Gamal Nkrumah discovers they tend to be at odds with contemporary...
- Heritage Management: Islamic Cairo
Al Ahram Weekly (Gamal Nkrumah) Ahmed Sedky, the self-effacing prince of Arab-Islamic architectural treasures talks cultural memory, traditional lifestyles in mediaeval urban settings, and the pitfalls of preservation, conservation and restoration to...
- Restoring The Heart Of Cairo
Al Ahram Weekly (Amira El-Noshokaty) You know you are in Downtown Cairo when your eyes fall upon grand boulevards and even grander buildings with late 19th century and 20th century European-style doorways and sculptures, designed in a combination of art...