Cairo governor gives one month
for a solution to be found to save the inhabited 19th-century
building
Behind a destroyed façade, in Cairo's historical Darb
El-Ahmar district, is hidden a unique architectural
masterpiece known as Beit Madkour, which has raised
controversy of late, after a decision to demolish it was
postponed last week for a month.
The property's owners insist that the building is on the
verge of collapse, and that they have successfully obtained
a permit for its removal.
If plans for demolition went ahead, the house's residents,
who have lived there for generations, would be evacuated,
and the historical building would be torn down, to meet the
same fate as several others now removed from the area.
Beit Madkour (the House of Madkour) is one of many
historical buildings -- mosques, shrines, houses and
workshops -- in Cairo's Darb El-Ahmar (the Red Road)
district, which runs from Cairo's Citadel to Bab Zuweila
(Cairo's Southern Gate), with narrow alleyways branching out
of it.
Opposite Beit Madkour to the west is the Altunbugha
Al-Maridani Mosque, while to its east are the remains of the
Ottoman-era Abdeen Gawish praying corner, currently used as
an informal settlement and overlooking the Fatma El-Nabaweya
Mosque.
Only this week, the Aytmish El-Bagassi Miosque in the same
area was inaugurated after restoration, marking one of
several conservation attempts that have been ongoing for
years in El-Darb El-Ahmar.
But El-Darb El-Ahmar has fallen victim to destruction and
random unregulated constructions, says Omniya Abdel Barr
from the Save Cairo campaign.
In fact, Beit Madkour is flanked by two new, relatively tall
buildings. One of them, explains resident Mohamed Hashem, is
built on an old shrine of Sidi Ali Abu El-Nour.
"Beit Madkour is part of the fabric of the Tabbana Street,
which has remained as it is since the mid-14th century,"
explains campaigner Abdel Barr, who fears the house will
meet the same fate as the neighboring shrine.
Although the house is believed to date back to the mid-19th
century, Abdel Barr says its location proves that its
foundation has been part of the street ever since the Mamluk
age, when Cairo's elite lived in the area.
"It may have been altered or expanded, but its foundation
was part of the street," says El-Barr.
Since historical Cairo does not lay under the jurisdiction
of one entity, despite requests from UNESCO, according to
Abdel Barr, responsibility for its protection and
maintenance is lost somewhere between the Ministry of
Antiquities, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of
Housing, the Ministry of Endowments and Cairo Governorate.
Dropped from a heritage list in 2011
The controversy surrounding the Beit Madkour started when it
was removed from a heritage list in 2011.
Although the house was -- and still is -- not registered as
a monument, until then, its presence on the list had saved
it from demolition.
But decision 960 of year 2011, issued by the prime minister
at the time, delisted the house. The details of the decision
and the reasoning behind it remain unclear, according to
Abdel Barr.
The owners of Beit Madkour argue that the building is on the
verge of collapse and has been accordingly marked as
dangerous for occupation.
But its occupants, now composed of four families and shop
owners, as well as Save Cairo, disagree.
The complete destruction of the house entrance gives a
misleading impression, leaving many visitors surprised at
the view inside. The house, which covers more than two
thousand square meters, is centred around a huge courtyard.
Although parts of this courtyard have been occupied by
unregulated constructions since the seventies, it is still
surrounded by the original house's main rooms and halls.
With high ceilings and large coloured glass windows, the
two-storey building's walls and ceilings are painted. The
second floor, which can be reached via a wooden stairway,
has a dome at its centre that was once covered with red,
green and blue glass tiles and carved iron works, according
to residents, but that have all since been looted.
"The façade was destroyed intentionally to give the
impression that the house is on the verge of collapse," says
Mohamed Hashem, one of the residents. "The house was torched
twice while we were sleeping."
New request to be listed
A request filed by Deputy Antiquities Minister Mohamed
Abdel-Aziz last week, demanding that Beit Madkour be
re-listed as an a heritage site, recognises that a major
fire ten years ago caused destruction to the second floor.
Some parts of the house have already been torn down by
district authorities, including some doors and coloured
window glass.
Electricity and water services were cut, before the
residents renegotiated the decision with district
authorities.
And sewage is clearly a problem, with water covering parts
of the courtyard entrance.
"We are not even able to properly fix the sewage problem,
given the current situation," said Ahmed, one of the
residents, who explained that they have spent years in
negotiations over the building's fate, and could still be
evacuated any day.
"We filed two lawsuits [against the owners], one by the
residents and another by the shop owners, but there hasn't
been a verdict yet, and the district is asking us for a
verdict or they would go ahead with the evacuation
decision," shop owner Mohamed Nesim tells Ahram Online.
One of the carpentry workshops for which Darb El-Ahmar is
famous, Nesim's shop is located on the outside of the
building, with its entrance in a side alleyway, while the
building's residential quarters overlook the central
courtyard.
A month to be saved
After a successful online campaign by Save Cairo, campaign
representatives finally held a meeting last week with Cairo
Governor Galal Saed, a district representative, a legal
consultant and Deputy Antiquities Minister for historical
Cairo Mohamed Abdel-Aziz.
"During the meeting, both Save Cairo and the Antiquities
Ministry questioned how the house was removed from the
heritage list by a decree from the prime minister, but no
answer was given," says Abdel Barr.
As a possible solution, Abdel-Aziz filed a request with the
Antiquities Minister to have it registered as a monument in
order to save it from destruction, after it was no longer
classified as a house of heritage value. The committee for
Islamic and Coptic monuments is to inspect the request.
Meanwhile, Save Cairo has suggested starting a fundraising
campaign to buy the house and save it from destruction.
Cairo Governor Galal Saed, who confirmed that the owners'
documents were legally sound, has given a grace period of
one month for the house to either be listed as a monument,
or purchased from its original owners.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/131069.aspx
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