Architectural Heritage and Social Interaction of Rashid, Egypt

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Architectural Heritage and Social Interaction of Rosetta, Egypt Lecture by: Ahmed al-Rhodesly


Preface

Heritage city’s identity is tangibly defined by its urban planning, architectural and artistic styles. Additionally, social and cultural attitude towards the city has a great impact on its antiquities and heritage buildings. Rosetta city is considered as the second largest complex for Islamic antiquities in Egypt. Hence, complementing the initiatives that seek to put the open Islamic museum of Rosetta on the global tourism map; this lecture tries to highlight the architectural heritage and the social interaction in the historic quarter of Rosetta. This could be accomplished by reviewing some attempts to enhance the social and cultural interactions between the local community and heritage buildings; then, proposing some innovative solutions that might add a contemporary spirit to the space without prejudice to its authentic characteristics.


Introduction

Urban planning of Rashid’s historic quarter, with its valuable architectural heritage, affects indirectly the social interaction in the quarter including customs, inhabits and commercial activities.

Mahmoud Nagy

Mahmoud Nagy

Mahmoud Nagy


Introduction

Similarly, social and cultural attitude of the local community has effectively a great impact on the heritage constructions overall.


Introduction

This interrelationship between heritage and community forms the motivation to revisit the cultural heritage of Rashid’s historic quarter.


Cultural Heritage is a term expressing the inherited ways of living that transmit from generation to generation. This term is included either the tangible or intangible cultural heritage.

Tangible Heritage

Intangible Heritage

• Monuments • Groups of Buildings • Sites

• Oral traditions and expressions • Preforming arts • Social practices, rituals, festive events • Traditional craftsmanship


1. Architectural Style of Rashid’s Historical City

Mahmoud Nagy

Mangor Bricks

Wood

Facades

Doors

Stairs


Mangor Bricks


Wood


Wood


Facades Mahmoud Nagy


Facades


Doors


Doors


Stairs


2. Social Interaction is that between the heritage and the local community in which it exists.

The positive interaction between heritage and its surrounding is one main factor that contributes in the existence of heritage through time.


2. Social Interaction is that between the heritage and the local community in which it exists.

Social interaction can exist in many forms, not only the built environments, for example it can be writings on walls (quotes, Qur’an verses‌etc.), door types, food, crafts, festivals and many others.


Insert or Drag and Drop Image Here

Mr. Mohamed Badry

Workshop Coordinator, Project Director, & Instructor Founder of “HeritageForAll” Initiative


2. Social Interaction

The participants walked in Rashid’s historical city and engaged with the local community. They estimated how this community feels towards the surrounding cultural heritage; the market; and the street vendors. Moreover, the participants observed how all these components interact together in the daily routine.


2.1. Street Inhabitants

Most of the inhabitants didn’t pay much attention to the historical buildings lying in their streets, almost none related to the heritage, they found it merely as empty closed buildings, even though they passed by them every day. Some elders might know a building or two and their stories, but the majority couldn’t care less.


2.1. Street Inhabitants

Other inhabitants responded that most of the historical buildings are either closed or under conservation and that guards are not welcoming.


2.1. Street Inhabitants

At the coffee shops along the street, elders were welcoming and willing to participate in a talk. They tended to give all sort of stories and myths about the place. These stories show how much Rashid’s people have of local resistance and loyalty; and how these stories have formed a part of this city’s heritage and cultural identity overtime.


2.1. Street Inhabitants

Kids at Rashid were very welcoming and enthusiastic, asking questions and raising conversations with people.


2.1. Street Inhabitants

When children were interviewed, one of the children drew a fishing boat, surprisingly he knew all the components and functions of the elements needed for the boat to be manufactured.


2.2. Shop Owners

Few shop owners cared and thought that all the vendors in the street were blocking the way for tourists and visitors to come and enjoy the street’s historical buildings.


2.3. Street Vendors

All what street vendors worried about was being evicted for the sake of the historical buildings. They articulated that the government had created a market for them but was very far from the inhabited neighborhoods, so neither the vendors nor the buyers are benefited from this movement.


3. Workshop’s Suggested Solutions


Redesigning the facades of new buildings to match the cities’ cultural theme and style


The street needs many landscape elements to make it public friendly


Various systems must be installed and created to handle the streets infrastructure


Rearranging the street market based on different types of sold goods


Investing the city’s traditional crafts and products as a tool for sustainable heritage tourism


Prepare and present the business development plans for all markets and crafts to the local community


Prepare and present the business development plans for all markets and crafts to the local community


Prepare and present the business development plans for all markets and crafts to the local community


Applications can be created to make it easier for outsiders to room around the city


Short Documentary Mahmoud Nagy B.Sc. in Architecture Faculty of Engineering, Munifia University

Fayrouz Farrag B.Sc. in Architecture Faculty of Engineering, Munifia University


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i80RhmFbhBA


Reference

HeritageForAll. (2017). Workshop “Urban Architectural Heritage and Social Interaction”, Rashid-Open Air Museums (Workshop Results). Rashid: HeritageForAll. https://issuu.com/heritageforall/docs/workshop_uahsi_publication


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