Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, held a meeting with Dr. Assem El Gazzar, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Eng. Khaled Seddik, Executive Director of the Informal Settlements Development Fund, Dr. Mohamed El-Khatib, Development Consultant, representatives of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority, and a number of concerned bodies and stakeholders to follow up the executive situation of the development projects of Historic Cairo.
During the meeting, the proposed vision for the development projects of Historic Cairo was reviewed. It was pointed out that “Historic Cairo” has an area of about 32 km2, and it has been declared on the World Heritage List by UNESCO since 1979, as it represents an exceptional historical value, both at its traditional architectural heritage level, and the handicrafts it still produces.
Dr. Mohamed El Khatib, a development consultant, explained that the historic Cairo development plan aims to enhance and strengthen the connection between historical areas, through various environmentally friendly public transport systems, and paths that support pedestrian and bicycle traffic, thus reducing the need for the use of private cars, as well as dealing with the broader historical framework of Historic Cairo. It reconnects the different successive eras of Cairo in time and space, and links the historical, cultural and natural features that the city witnessed and lived in the past and at present, through an architectural and urban pattern that connects them and constitutes an attractive cultural heritage destination.
El Khatib pointed out that the development aims to exploit the relative advantage of Historic Cairo as a world heritage site, to revive and restore Cairo's role as a living city of heritage, culture and recreation, through creating an exceptional historical tourist destination, reconnecting the stages of growth in Historic Cairo, and creating activities related to history, art, culture, crafts and commercial growth, tourism and leisure.
He stressed that the preservation of the archaeological and valuable buildings will be through appropriate employment and reuse. The restoration aims to preserve the historical urban fabric of the area and its comprehensive urban development, including upgrading the infrastructure, while developing the facades within Historic Cairo in a manner that suits its exceptional historical character, and encouraging the use of historic area streets as walking paths and providing parking areas.
