Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

2007, July 17: Cairo's Governor, H.E. Dr. Abdel Azim Wazir, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture's General Manager, Mr. Luis Monreal, today signed an historic Public-Private Partnership (PPP) linking Al-Azhar Park, a future 'Urban Plaza' project at the northern end of the Park, and ongoing work by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Darb al-Ahmar. [AKDN]

2007, October 25:Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Prince Karim Aga Khan, the current Shi'a Imam, will inaugurate two Islamic complex of Khayer Bek and Um El-Soltan Shaban at Al-Darbul Ahmar area in Historic Cairo. The two have been restored in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The Minister and his guests will embark on a tour to inspect the restoration work. [Inauguration]

2007, October 26:In a ceremony here today, His Highness the Aga Khan, His Excellency Farouk Hosni, Egypt's Minister of Culture, Dr. Abdel Azim Wazir, the Governor of Cairo, inaugurated the restoration and revitalisation of two historic complexes in the city's Darb al-Ahmar district. [Press Release] [Speech]

Your Excellency the First Deputy Prime Minister, Your Excellency the Governor of Cairo, Distinguished guests

Madame Mubarak, Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Guests

Mawlana Hazar Imam on Monday 10th December, 1990 signed a Protocol of Agreement on behalf of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture with the Governor of Cairo H.E. Mahmoud Sherif for the creation of a public park in one of historic Cairo's last remaining open spaces.

Most urban areas have one - an area that is a sort of no-man's land where no-one lives and which becomes ever more rundown.In Cairo this was the case of the land adjoining the Darb al-Ahmar district. For almost a millennium assorted dust, debris and rubbish was piled up along the eastern rim of Cairo's medieval city walls.
Even though it lies close to the popular sites of medieval Cairo, the area was off the tourist track, blighted by prowling drug dealers and stranded between the Salah Salim highway and the City of the Dead.

On summer nights in downtown Cairo, the streets seethe with people in such numbers that the cars, for once, have to stop for them.Cairenes aren't out shopping, since most are broke. They're out breathing (or trying to) amid earsplitting, noxious traffic. The Nile bridges are favorite promenades, the river ensuring cooler air; some families even picnic there, their backs to the stream of cars.

Your Excellency the Governor
Ladies and Gentlemen

I am very, very happy to be here this morning to be able to express to you my warm and deep gratitude for everything that you all have done to make this Park become a reality.

The existence of the Park is proof of brotherhood, proof of aspiration towards moving towards a common goal which is to create in Cairo a place which is beautiful where all generations could find happiness and peace, where all people from different economic levels could feel comfortable as they perambulate throughout this space.

Until recently, the only vantage point from which to view Cairo's historic skyline of minarets and domes up close was the Citadel. Thanks to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Cairo now boasts a 30-hectare park uniquely situated among some of the city's most historically significant Islamic monuments that provides breathtaking panoramic views of the Islamic skyline. What many visitors to Al-Azhar Park don't realize, however, is that the park was constructed on top of mounds of debris that date back to Fatimid Cairo.

In the desert, an oasis is akin to paradise and in the sands of Egypt, many of history's greatest gardens flowered on the banks of the Nile.But in Cairo, a city of 16 million people that has ballooned on the ruins of many Islamic dynasties from the 8th century Abbasid Caliphs to 19th century Ottomans, there has been, for several generations, barely a footprint of unbuilt open space for each of the city's inhabitants.

The Al-Azhar Park is important for tourists to Egypt because this hilly site is surrounded by the most significant historic districts of Islamic Cairo. This is one of the primary destinations for many visitors to the city, and this new park located in its heart provides many advantages, including a wonderful view of the surrounding area.

In old Cairo, I am winding my way through a labyrinth of narrow streets. All is a confusion of human and vehicular traffic, the buzz of conversation and the din of animal noises -- goats and chickens are common here, as many of their owners have left villages to seek urban fortunes.

With about 30 square centimetres of green space per resident, Egypt's capital, Cairo is one of the densest cities on the planet. The modern city centre has all the bustle of a capital city, with rich and poor vying for space.

Neglected Old Cairo has a more traditional pace. But the people who live among its crumbling buildings have yet to enjoy the benefits of modernization. They are poor and overcrowded.

A new park is opening here. Built by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, it is the largest project in its Historic Cities Programme.

On Friday March 25, Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a private agency which seeks to revitalize Muslim communities, will inaugurate the largest public park built in Cairo in over a century. The Aga Khan, who heads the trust, is the the leader of 15 million Ismailis, a Muslim sect. He built the 70-hectare Al Azhar park on an ancient garbage dump in the heart of Islamic Cairo.Cairo's 16 million inhabitants live in a city with very few green spaces. Urban expansion has led to the disappearance of many of the city's public parks.

One of world's wealthiest men, leader of Ismaili Muslims focuses on local projects to enhance sustainable developmt.
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, has been called one of the world's wealthiest men and is a seasoned philanthropist, but he is doing more than giving his millions away in developing countries. The spiritual leader of 15 million Shiite Ismaili Muslims spread over 25 nations, the Aga Khan is changing the face of global philanthropy by establishing innovative ventures and providing microfinance for small-scale enterprises through economic development institutions.

When the official inauguration of Cairo's Al-Azhar Park unfolds this weekend, it will do so in two stages. The first is a private, invitation-only affair on March 25, replete with ceremonial plaque dedications, rousing speeches, musical performances (by Yo-Yo Ma's acclaimed Silk Road Ensemble, among others), and a guest list padded with visiting dignitaries and their security details.
The second is a more populist, people-power affair on March 26, featuring nothing fancy save an opening day for the masses.

Blocks from the sprawling, majestic Mohamed Ali's Citadel at the heart of Cairo lies one yet-unknown tourist complex sprawling at record pace in the midst of an impoverished town - you would have not known it had ever existed unless you stumble upon it on an unintended detour from the Citadel. Either that or you have serious interest in the Aga Khan.
Amidst the decrepit villages of the Egyptian capital unfamiliar to visitors, one extremely ambitious project has recently been undertaken with the creation of a vast, green open space in a once run-down area of Cairo.

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/754/fe1.htm Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 18754 - 10 August 2005
Issue No. 754

Crafting the past

A vocational training programme will revive and preserve mediaeval handicrafts in Islamic Cairo. Nevine El-Aref reports on the first phase of the project

The creation of the 30-hectare (74-acre) Al-Azhar park, undertaken in the historic district of Cairo by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, is proving to be a catalyst for urban renewal in one of the most congested cities in the world.
Egypt's capital, with a population of 17 million, has one of the lowest ratios of green space to urban population in the world - an area the size of a footprint per inhabitant, according to one estimate. Al-Azhar Park therefore provides much-needed leisure and recreational space while functioning as a 'green lung' in the heart of the city.