I was drawn to Islamic architecture because it's alive, and as an architect I enjoy working on historic monuments that are in a living urban context where people live and make use of them. Conservation of monuments that have a relation with the street is a much bigger challenge, and I like that challenge," says Nairy Hampikian, with passion. Sitting behind a crowded desk in her office Hampikian-Al-Ebrashy Architectural and Heritage Management, at the foot of Salaheddin Citadel in Cairo, Al-Bash Mohandessa as all those who work with her call her, is surrounded by posters, paintings and photographs of the historic buildings she values so much. A towering figure among her peers, not just because of her stature but especially because of her expertise, professionalism and dedication, Hampikian was propelled into the very competitive and demanding field of monument conservation when in 1998 she was selected to supervise the multinational team working on the Bab Zuweila conservation project. Constructed in 1092 as a military building, by Badreddin Al-Jamali Al-Armani for the defence of Cairo, in order to sustain an imminent attack by the Seljuk armies, Al-Jamali's Bab Zuweila was to replace the mud brick gate originally built almost 50 years earlier when Cairo was founded (969). The unique architectural composition of Bab Zuweila, "a monumental sculpture", says Hampikian, and the urban context where it stands are two things dear to her heart, which enticed the young architectural conservationist to accept the challenge. For the entire team the task was Herculean. Having discovered what she calls "the pains" of the monument, the team set out to find remedies for cleaning and conserving the limestone façades of the gate. So in a way almost 1,000 years after an Armenian had built Bab Zuweila, another Armenian restored it. The gate oversaw the start of the Mahmal procession to Mecca and public executions, and it continues to stand magnificently at the southern end of Al-Muizz Street, a striking reminder of the old city's glorious past. Passionate about the architectural monuments of historic Cairo, Hampikian launched herself into new conservation projects. Guided by her principle of combining conservation of a monument and its function within an urban context, she undertook the conservation project of the Imam El-Shafei Mosque. Funded by the Barakat Trust (London) the project was to carry out work on the dome of the mosque. However, for both Hampikian and her colleague and associate May El-Ebrashy, the court-yard and the entrance to the mosque were also in dire need of restoration and conservation. "Part of a monument is the way to it" she says, adding that before working on the dome it was crucial to work on the urban context -- the entrance to the mosque. The Trust was convinced and the project was finally completed last month. At the beginning of the project, Sheikh Hatem Abul-Naga, the imam of the mosque, "was reluctant to see us, two women, coming and going, giving instructions to the stone-masons, rolling up our sleeves to work with them. Isn't this true?" she asks laughing, looking straight into the eyes of Sheikh Hatem. "This is true," admits a confused Sheikh Hatem, "but having witnessed the professionalism and the dedication of these two ladies, especially that of Al-Bash Mohandessa, I wish they come back soon and work on the dome and on the interior of the mosque." If 10 centuries separate Al-Jamali from Hampikian, a builder and a conservationist, many other Armenian Egyptian architects contributed in making Cairo the most beautiful capital city in the region. It is worth mentioning here the "extraordinary career of an extraordinary architect" says Hampikian talking about the Garo Balian (1878-1960). The offspring of a renowned family of architects from Istanbul, Balian left an undeniable mark on the built heritage of Cairo. Combining neo-Islamic style and neo-baroque style to Khedival style, Balian's marvellous creations can still be seen around Cairo in Zamalek's Amr Ibrahim Villa (1922), the Museum of Ceramics, and the Union Building (1925) on Gabalaya Street. In downtown Cairo, the Matossian Building (1928) overlooks Talaat Harb Square, near the Yacoubian Building (1934), made famous by Alaa Al-Aswani's novel of the same name, the Armenian Catholic Church (1925) on Sabri Abu Alam Street. There is the Armenian Orthodox Church in Zagazig (1928) as well. But as well as the buildings he designed, Balian published Arab Architecture, the History of Islamic Architecture in Egypt in 1935. Following in the footsteps of the architect she admires most, Hampikian is working on a publication depicting the different aspects of the involvement of Egyptian Armenians in the architectural heritage of Egypt.
