Al-Azhar Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Azhar Park is a major park in Cairo's Darb al-Ahmar neighborhood in Egypt. It was inaugurated in May 2005.
Among several honors, this park is listed as one of the world's sixty great public spaces by Project for Public Spaces (PPS).[1] The Park was created by the Historic Cities Support Programme (HCSP) of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), an entity of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The park, developed at a cost in excess of USD $30 million, was a gift to Cairo from His Highness the Aga Khan. It is interesting to note that the city of Cairo was founded in the year 969 by the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs who were ancestors of the Aga Khan.
The park project was not only the development of the park, but also included aspects of archeology (12th century Ayyubid wall), historic building rehabilitation (14th Century Umm Sultan Shaban Mosque, the 13th century Khayrbek complex, and the Darb Shoughlan School) and several quality of life improvement initiatives. Those initiatives included skills training, area rehabilitation, microfinance, and support in the areas of health and education among others.
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[edit] Urban Plaza and Museum of Historic Cairo
At the Northern end of the park, an "Urban Plaza" project is under development which will house the Museum of Historic Cairo. The Urban Plaza will be a mixed-use centre with underground car parking, shops and cultural facilities. It is being built by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt.[2]
The Museum will describe the evolution of Egypt's capital city Cairo[3], and house some of the great wealth of art and artefacts of the city's Islamic heritage that are not currently on display. With 4,000 square metres of exhibition space spread over two floors, the museum is expected to have 1,000 pieces on display from different historical periods. It will provide visitors insight into the urban, cultural and architectural history of the heart of Cairo.[2]
To conserve and restore all the artefacts and artworks which will be shown in the museum, the Trust has set up a major conservation laboratory, which is training young technicians in this field. It is also being used to restore important art and architectural elements for the Cairo Museum of Islamic Art.[2]
[edit] Awards and recognition
- Al-Azhar Park is listed among the 60 of the World's Great Places by Project for Public Spaces[1]
- 2005 Travel +Leisure magazine Global Vision Innovation Award[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b 60 of the Wolrld's Great Places - Project for Public Spaces. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
- ^ a b c Aga Khan Development Network (2007-10-26). "Two Major Landmarks Restored in Historic Cairo". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ Museum to tell the history of Cairo - Brazil Arab News Agency, November 15, 2006.
- ^ Innovation - T+L 2005 Global Vision Awards. Retrieved on 2006-12-11.
[edit] Sources
- Article: Rescuing Cairo's Lost Heritage - Islamica Magazine, Issue 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
- Aga Khan and Madame Mubarak Inaugurate Cairo's Al-Azhar Park - AKDN, March 25, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
