May Al-Ibrashy
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| — Wikipedian — | |
| File:Image caption=May Al-Ibrashy | |
| Name | May Al-Ibrashy |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Education and employment | |
| Occupation | Architect, participatory heritage conservation specialist and activist |
| Education | Ain Shams University, School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS |
May al-Ibrashy is an Egyptian architect, heritage conservationist and activist, and academic. Her work uniquely centres on community engagement through heritage conservation, rehabilitation, preservation, and re-signification, most of which has been realised through the Megawra - Built Environment Collective, an NGO based in the Historic Cairo neighbourhood of Al-Kahlifa that she founded in 2012.
Heritage Conservation[edit]
May al-Ibrashy's work over the last decade in participatory heritage conservation and community development has been seen "to create a real difference for the, often marginalised, communities living in Cairo’s historic centre... creating a new sense of hope and pride for the communities she works with."[1] Her efforts have been locally and internationally recognised, receiving the Prince Claus Fund Award in 2022.[2][3]
Athar Lina[edit]
Al-Ibrashy was able to launch Athar Lina (this monument is ours), a joint initiative between Megawra, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Cairo Governorate, to strengthen the relationship between people and their heritage through different activities in Historic Cairo. The project has focused on Al-Khalifa neighbourhood, which the initiative considers "a special neighbourhood because it has heritage from several historic eras... the Fatimid, the Mamluk, and the Ayyubid."[4][5]
Conservation[edit]
The initiative has succeeded in the conservation of five major buildings in Historic Cairo, since 2012.[6]
Al-Imam Al-Shafi’i Mosque (2016-2021), a 13th-century building honouring the founder of one of the four Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence: Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Idris Al Shafi’i.[7] The mausoleum is considered one of the most important Islamic monuments in Egypt, according to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, because it has an ambitious wooden dome considered the largest in Egypt. It is also one of the few remaining Ayyubid buildings and includes rare examples of Ayyubid stucco decoration and woodwork.[7]
Other notable buildings the initiative has helped restore are the domes of the Shajar al-Durr mausoleum, honouring the 13th century female ruler of Egypt, the 12th century Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya, a shrine to a female patron saint and daughter of the fourth Islamic Caliph, as well as the mausoleums of Muhammad al-Ja'fari and Sayyida ‘Atika.[8]
Local education initiatives[edit]
As part of its long-term local community-based approach to heritage management and conservation, the Athar Lina project initiated a number of heritage education workshops and summer schools for children and women in the neighbourhood of Al-Khalifa. The schools focused on teaching basic literacy and arithmetic, sometimes by integrating heritage terms and concepts, with the belief that if they understand the importance of their monuments, they are more likely to take care of them.[9]
Local community services and activism[edit]
As part of al-Ibrashy's concept of wholistic heritage management that involves the community, Athar Lina has worked on advocating for better local services in the deprived neighbourhood, as well as upgrading some itself. It has proposed a comprehensive participatory development plan for Al-Hattaba, a neglected historic working-class quarter situated in one of the corners of the Cairo citadel, and succeeded in halting its demolition.[6] Athar Lina investigated the problem of rising groundwater affecting both residential buildings and the monuments, advocating local authorities to fix the problem, leading to the Ministry of Housing commissioning a study, and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Cairo governorate are now acknowledging this as a major issue.[9]
The initiative has also helped increase public spaces in al-Khalifa, a rare occurrence in the dense neighbourhood, turning abandoned plots of land used mostly as a garbage dumps, into a gardens and small football courts.[6] Another socio-economic aspect of its work has been to bring tourism to the area through annual ‘Spend Your day at Al-Khalifa' festivals, where it helps organise historic walks as well as other activities that the local community are part of.[10]
Academia[edit]
Teaching[edit]
May al-Ibrashy gained a Bachelor's in architecture at Cairo's Ain Shams University, before going on to receive an MA in Art, Architecture, and Archaeology, and later, a PhD in Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London[11] . She is a Professor of Practice (Islamic Architecture) at SOAS, as well as an adjunct lecturer at the American University in Cairo.[11]
Selected Publications[edit]
Al-Ibrashy has published several works based on her first hand experience in heritage conservation in Historic Cairo.
Books, or chapters[edit]
- al-Ibrashy, May (2021). "23: The cultural heritage of Egypt's cities: Burden or resource?". In Springborg, Robert; Adly, Amr; Gorman, Anthony; Moustafa, Tamir; Saad, Aisha; Sakr, Naomi; Smierciak, Sarah. Routledge Handbook on Contemporary Egypt (1st ed.). New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780429058370. Search this book on
- al-Ibrashy, May, ed. (2020). Citizen Participation in Historic Cairo (1st ed.). Cairo: Megawra | Built Environment Collective - Athar Lina Initiative. Retrieved 2024-02-13 – via Academia.edu. Search this book on
- al-Ibrashy, May (2006). "Cairo's Qarafa as Described in the Ziyara Literature". In McGregor, Richard J.A.; Sabra, Adam Abdelhamid. Le développement du soufisme en Égypte à l'époque mamelouke. Cahier des Annales islamologiques. 27. Cairo: Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale. pp. 269–297. ISBN 9782724704297. Search this book on
Articles[edit]
- al-Ibrashy, May (2021-04-30). "Heritage in the Street: Megawra | BEC's Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo". The Journal of Public Space. 6 (1): 241–256. doi:10.32891/jps.v6i1.1462. ISSN 2206-9658 – via Research Gate. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - The Funambulist Correspondents #01 Cairo: Hope Is the Thing With Feathers,The Funambulist, April 8, 2021.
- Monuments for Our Neighbourhood: How Urban Conservation Contributes to Liveable Cities, Urbanet, 2019.
- Muller, Brook; al-Ibrashy, May; Cerra, Josh; Prier, Megan (Fall 2018). "The Al-Khalifa Project: Rewatering as Heritage Conservation and Community Development". Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. 30 (1): 39–40. JSTOR 26877387.
- "Historic cemeteries component of the urban regeneration project for historic Cairo." Urban Regeneration report for Historic Cairo-UNESCO–World Heritage Centre (2013).
- (With Tammy Gaber) DESIGN WITH THE SENSES AND FOR THE SENSES: AN ALTERNATIVE TEACHING MODEL FOR DESIGN STUDIO. International Journal of Architectural Research: ArchNet-IJAR, 4(2/3) 2010, 359-375.
Other works[edit]
- al-Ibrashy, May (2021). Closing Keynote Speech-May al-Ibrashy-Heritage as a driver for development: Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo (Speech). Research and Creativity Convention. The American University in Cairo. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- The history of the Southern Cemetery of Cairo from the 14th century to the present: an urban study of a living cemetery, PhD Thesis, SOAS, 2005.
References[edit]
- ↑ "May al-Ibrashy Impact Awards recipient". Prince Claus Fund. 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Noshokaty, Amira (2022-09-06). "Egyptian architectural historian May El-Ibrashy wins Prince Claus Fund's Impact Award - Inspiring Minds - Heritage". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Hannema, Kirsten (2022-12-13). "De Egyptische architect May al-Ibrashy toont dat erfgoed om mensen draait" [Egyptian architect May al-Ibrashy shows that heritage is about people]. de Volkskrant (in Nederlands). Archived from the original on 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2024-02-13. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Makary, Marina (2022-11-23). "Athar Lina: Promoting Cultural Heritage at Al-Khalifa Neighborhood | Egyptian Streets". Egyptian Streets. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Rashidi, Seif El (2021-10-12). "New Podcast: Heritage is Ours with May al-Ibrashy". The Barakat Trust. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Noshokaty, Amira (2021-04-19). "May El-Ibrashy: We are here to exchange knowledge - Inspiring Women - Heritage". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 El-Aref, Nevine (2021-04-18). "In Photos: The dome of Al-Imam Al-Shafei Mosque inaugurated after restoration - Islamic - Antiquities". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Al-Aees, Shaimaa (2015-07-01). "Islamic monuments in Khalifa region restored through donations". Daily News Egypt. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 El Gibaly, Lara (March 7, 2017). "Megawra: Making sure heritage is a resource, not a burden". Mada Masr. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ↑ Noshokaty, Amira (20 December 2021). "Mogawra celebrates 10 years of community engagement, preservation, and restoration - Walks - Heritage". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Dr May al-Ibrashy | Staff | SOAS University of London". School of Oriental and African Studies. University of London. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
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