Join instructor Iman Abdulfattah for a compelling talk on Cairo's UNESCO World Heritage site, Historic Cairo. Explore the city's medieval urban layout, early preservation efforts, and the challenges it faces today. Discover why Cairo remains an outstanding example of Islamic heritage and urban history. Iman also teaches Islamic Art History: A Focus on Cairo in Spring 2025 (starts Feb 21).
In 1979, UNESCO provided the following justification for including Cairo on its World Heritage List: "Cairo is graced by the greatest density of medieval monuments to be found in any Islamic city and is likewise an outstanding example of a medieval city anywhere in the world."
UNESCO was referring to the medieval core, or Historic Cairo, which was one of the first cities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to be inscribed on the list. This designation was largely due to two factors: the medieval urban layout was preserved when new neighborhoods and suburbs were developed on the outskirts during the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving the historic core largely intact; and the establishment of the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe (Comité) in 1881, which oversaw the preservation of Egypt's Islamic and Coptic monuments and helped establish the region's first antiquities museums.
Understanding the value of these early preservation efforts is crucial, as Cairo now faces unprecedented challenges that threaten its historic urban fabric.
Iman Abdulfattah
Adjunct Instructor
Iman R. Abdulfattah is a PhD Candidate in Islamic Art and Archaeology at Universität Bonn, writing her dissertation on the urban complex commissioned by the Mamluk Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun (r. 1279-1290) in Cairo between 1284 and 1285.
In addition to the material culture and built environment of medieval Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean, she has published and lectured on Norman art and architecture in Sicily; the veneration of relics in Islam; and the network of antiquarians who were active during the first half of the 20th century, looking at their contributions to building important Islamic Art collections in the Middle East, Europe, and the US.
Iman also works as an expert lecturer on cultural tours to the Middle East.
Join instructor Iman Abdulfattah for a compelling talk on Cairo's UNESCO World Heritage site, Historic Cairo. Explore the city's medieval urban layout, early preservation efforts, and the challenges it faces today. Discover why Cairo remains an outstanding example of Islamic heritage and urban history. Iman also teaches Islamic Art History: A Focus on Cairo in Spring 2025 (starts Feb 21).
In 1979, UNESCO provided the following justification for including Cairo on its World Heritage List: "Cairo is graced by the greatest density of medieval monuments to be found in any Islamic city and is likewise an outstanding example of a medieval city anywhere in the world."
UNESCO was referring to the medieval core, or Historic Cairo, which was one of the first cities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to be inscribed on the list. This designation was largely due to two factors: the medieval urban layout was preserved when new neighborhoods and suburbs were developed on the outskirts during the 19th and 20th centuries, leaving the historic core largely intact; and the establishment of the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe (Comité) in 1881, which oversaw the preservation of Egypt's Islamic and Coptic monuments and helped establish the region's first antiquities museums.
Understanding the value of these early preservation efforts is crucial, as Cairo now faces unprecedented challenges that threaten its historic urban fabric.
Iman Abdulfattah
Adjunct Instructor
Iman R. Abdulfattah is a PhD Candidate in Islamic Art and Archaeology at Universität Bonn, writing her dissertation on the urban complex commissioned by the Mamluk Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun (r. 1279-1290) in Cairo between 1284 and 1285.
In addition to the material culture and built environment of medieval Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean, she has published and lectured on Norman art and architecture in Sicily; the veneration of relics in Islam; and the network of antiquarians who were active during the first half of the 20th century, looking at their contributions to building important Islamic Art collections in the Middle East, Europe, and the US.
Iman also works as an expert lecturer on cultural tours to the Middle East.