The culture of a capital flows from its architecture, which must be preserved, writes Sami Serageldin* In an intimate gathering made possible by the British Council, on 23 May 2007 urban landscaping experts, academic and practising architects, intellectuals, and architectural students discussed the future of the Cairo's beautiful downtown district -- what is known also as Khedivian Cairo -- established, planned and developed in the era of Muhammad Ali . (Egypt celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of his reign two years ago). It was noted in this gathering that throughout the 19th and early 20th century politicians and the Egyptian intellectual class had in common a futuristic vision for the creation of a new Egypt with a capital city comparable to the greatest European cities of that time. Khedive Ismail wanted to make Cairo the Paris of the region. This motivated him to enlist the greatest European architectural and artistic expertise in developing Egypt's ancient capital city. "If Paris was the capital of enlightenment in the West, the Cairo that we are dreaming of today has been the capital of enlightenment in the East: So what next for Cairo?" This was the question posed to attendees in the recent May meeting. The answer: We all want Cairo to be a centre that radiates culture; to become a major financial capital for the surrounding region; to enjoy broad and clean streets with areas for pedestrians only, and with wide-open plazas and squares that can become venues for cultural discussions, where we can listen to poets, discover artistic talents and hold open exhibitions and international festivals throughout the year. We want to make Cairo a great open-air museum for tourists to experience the greatness of new Egypt. While the discussion was enriched with varying opinions and viewpoints on how to achieve this, everyone agreed that they wanted to bring back Cairo's glory and to overcome the prevalent culture that is distorting this once great city. National institutions, including the Egyptian parliament, honourable businessmen, charities and the inhabitants of the capital's downtown district were also called upon to help save the Cairo's magnificent buildings and its downtown architectural glory from further decay. In the good old days In the late 19th and early 20th century, Cairo was a beacon of knowledge and enlightenment in the East. Highly educated people and great intellectual thinkers such as Jamalluddin Al-Afghan and his followers, Sheikh Muhammad Abdo, Rashid Rida, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Kawakbi and others, used to meet freely to discuss the issues of their time. Animated open discussions where pillars of the Egyptian national movement, such as Mustafa Kamel Pasha, Mohammed Farid and Saad Zaghloul Pasha, attended were regular occurrences. Cultural meetings were held at the Palace of Princess Nazly Fadel that included Egypt's great thinkers and leaders of the enlightenment movement such as Lotfi Al-Sayed and many others. Mai Zeyada's salon grouped modernisers and leaders of the cultural enlightenment of that time. It was a beautiful time when cultural nourishment could be found in the music kiosks in Al-Azbakeya Garden, and when the Yusuf Bey Wahbi, El-Raihani, and Ali El-Kasar theatres in Imad Eddin Street competed for people's enjoyment. The charming nights of Cairo entertained Arab audiences throughout the region with the concerts of the legendary "Star of the East" Umm Kulthoum, along with Mohammad Abdul Wahab and Farid Al-Atrash. This Cairo with its clean streets and beautiful buildings designed by the greatest European architects was ranked in the 1940s and early 1950s amongst the most beautiful capitals of the world. Man and place There is a great bond between the inherited culture and our current situation. Who of us does not miss the beautiful Cairo -- the Khedivian Cairo? The name reminds us of the age of glory whose features we seem to be forgetting today. Downtown buildings are deteriorating, left un-maintained or replaced by ugly buildings unrelated to our culture or identity. Age-old shops, banks, cafes, cinemas and theatres are quickly disappearing. Gone are the Cairo department stores that were proud of displaying new fashions, even before Paris. Disappearing are the cafes where Naguib Mahfouz, our Nobel Prize-winning author, sat. Egypt's modern revival started from the downtown streets whose names have been changed. It blossomed around the landmarks and historical buildings being purchased by wealthy buyers eager to demolish or to modify them according to whim. The architectural forms that we are trying to document are vanishing before our eyes. We are loosing our identity and history. Leaving Cairo in this current situation is no less tragic than the theft of Iraqi heritage during the American attack in 2003. Both represent deliberate action aimed at effacing Arab history. Cairo for all Following in the footsteps of the successful national project of continuing education, "Reading for all", it is time to raise the banner of "Cairo for all". We want to revive Egypt, the capital of enlightenment and culture; Egypt of the poems of Ahmed Shawqy; Egypt that contains the different international building styles that are a joy for all people around the world. We must assert our right to preserve our identity and to protect the culture that resulted from the greatest positive and peaceful interaction between Egypt and the West. Khedivian Cairo is an open international museum that contains the most beautiful output of the great artists and architects of Europe and the input of the Mohammed Ali Pasha family across 200 years. This great heritage is the patrimony of all Egyptians. We must join forces to preserve it. * The writer is Head of the Architectural Department at Al-Shorouk Academy and Project Executive of a one-year EU-sponsored effort to document and preserve downtown Cairo.
