久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
World
Home / World / Africa

Downtown Cairo battles to keep its cosmopolitan heritage alive

China Daily | Updated: 2019-04-03 09:18
Share
Share - WeChat
A historic building near the central Talaat Harb Square in the Egyptian capital's downtown district. KHALED DESOUKI/AFP

CAIRO - Downtown Cairo, with its old European-designed buildings, is wrestling to preserve its cultural heritage as Egypt readies a new capital in the desert.

A stroll through the district takes pedestrians past buildings that meld Islamic and European motifs, neoclassical columns and ornate decorations.

But its elegance and prestige are fading, as the one-way streets and former palaces fall into ruin and shops selling cheap clothes and odds and ends have moved in.

"Some buildings are in a seriously dilapidated state," said Ahmed El Bindari, an architectural historian and volunteer tour guide, in the middle of a group of tourists.

He enthusiastically recounts the history of the old buildings, some housing government ministries, and little passageways but also complains of a lack of heritage preservation.

In the heart of Cairo and bordering Tahrir Square, the district is commonly known as Khedivial Cairo after Khedive Ismail Pasha, an Ottoman ruler who governed Egypt in the mid-19th century.

He is credited with transforming Cairo into a modern metropolis with European influences after being inspired on a trip to Paris.

Khedive Ismail ordered the building of the first opera house in the Middle East in 1869 to celebrate the inauguration of the strategic Suez Canal.

He also commissioned French architects to design geometric, tree-lined streets and downtown became the cultural hub of the city, flourishing with cafes, cinemas and shops.

With its big avenues, facades and bronze statues recalling the French or Italian capitals, the district has also long hosted a lively literary cafe scene, as well as government ministry buildings.

Authorities have traditionally been careful to ensure the buildings retain their style, and many in the city of around 20 million residents are fond of the area.

'Regeneration banner'

Since the 1950s, however, middle-class residents have progressively moved out of the area in favor of quieter, smarter and more modern suburbs.

The ministries and public authorities still there are due to move too, once the new administrative capital being built in the desert some 45 kilometers from the city center is ready.

"What will become of the many ministries such as agriculture, education and health housed in historic palaces and buildings?" Bindari asked.

He points to the gentrification of the so-called Maspero Triangle area hugging the banks of the River Nile. The government is redeveloping it into a financial center, with luxurious shopping malls and hotels.

It has led to thousands of residents in informal housing being relocated to alternative accommodation. "I'm afraid that under the banner of regeneration, entire urban areas ... will be razed to the ground," Bindari said.

But Riham Aram, director of the Historic Cairo Restoration Project, is more upbeat.

Since 2014, nearly 350 buildings have already been restored under an initiative for Khedivial Cairo, she said.

"We've repainted entire buildings and restored decorations using similar material to what was originally used during construction," she said.

"We must maintain this historic district, so it doesn't turn into slums in the future," she warned.

Agence France-Presse

Most Viewed in 24 Hours
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 国产一区二区高清在线 | 亚洲天堂在线观看视频 | 日本免费小视频 | 午夜国产精品久久久久 | 日韩国产成人资源精品视频 | 欧美真人视频一级毛片 | 亚洲天堂影院在线观看 | 国产视频手机在线 | 亚洲欧美日韩综合一区久久 | 毛片在线视频在线播放 | 欧美大片一区二区三区 | 亚洲国产三级 | 精品午夜国产在线观看不卡 | 国产猛烈无遮掩视频免费网站男女 | 亚洲国产精品久久久久久网站 | 农村寡妇野外情一级毛片 | 欧美一级专区免费大片野外交 | 一级做α爱过程免费视频 | 嫩模大尺度人体福利视频 | 成人亚洲网 | 黄网站www| 一级毛片免费观看不卡的 | 久久久久亚洲国产 | 成人a视频| 欧美成人三级大全 | 女人一级特纯黄大片色 | 粉嫩高中生的第一次在线观看 | 久草网视频在线观看 | 日本xxxxx黄区免费看动漫 | 99视频免费观看 | 在线久草 | 久 在线播放| 这里只有久久精品视频 | 亚洲男人精品 | 国产亚洲精品国产 | 久久院线 | 天天干夜夜怕 | 国产成人无精品久久久 | 高清一级片| 五月色婷婷综合开心网亚 | 国产手机精品一区二区 |