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Egyptian historical parks, authenticity vs. change in Cairo's cultural landscapes

Heysham, NH

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Authors

NH Heysham



Abstract

As a historically intense country, Egypt's built environment has always been the focus of plentiful urban research. However, the natural component in the urban fabric of Egyptian cities has been undermined and understudied in between all the numerous ideas and data. In a historical city like Cairo, layers of history are illustrated in its parks and gardens. Left unearthed and neglected, these vital spaces are subject to negative change and decay under the pressure of land use demands, among various other challenges. Many of Cairo's parks and gardens date back to the 19th and 20th century, containing endless gestures from the cultural essence of this time era in their design. This paper discusses ten public parks and gardens in Cairo founded in the 19th and 20th centuries, and survive to our present day (whether completely or partially). Viewing the initial design and development of these parks in comparison with their current state is rather intriguing to investigate. These historical parks and gardens are worthy of identification for preservation. With resourceful and directed management, these spaces can dramatically change the view of Cairo as a suffocating dense urban tissue, to a more perforated and engaging urban experience for its community.

Citation

Heysham, N. (2016). Egyptian historical parks, authenticity vs. change in Cairo's cultural landscapes. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 225, 391-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.086

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Jul 26, 2016
Publication Date Jul 14, 2016
Deposit Date Dec 2, 2020
Publicly Available Date Dec 2, 2020
Journal Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Print ISSN 1877-0428
Publisher Elsevier
Volume 225
Pages 391-409
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.086
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.06.086
Related Public URLs https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18770428

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