Two more Egypt sites officially endangered by WHF
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This week the World Heritage Fund (WHF) added two Egyptian sites to its watch list of endangered places: New Gourna Village in Luxor and the Old Mosque of Shali Fortress in Siwa, bringing the total number of sites in Egypt to 14.
The Gourna Village
The Gourna Village is one of the youngest sites recognized by the WHF, but its historical significance has not been lost. Conceived by architect Hassan Fathy through a commission by the Department of Antiquities in 1945, the village blends traditional knowledge and resources with a consideration for the local population, precepts often employed in what is today known now as eco-tourism.The site was built as a new home for local residents who had been looting Pharaonic sites in Old Gourna village. It has become a continuing symbol of the struggle between the government to take over land through eminent domain and a local population’s desire to keep their homes.
Today the site is falling to pieces, mostly due to mismanagement, according the WHF. The WHF estimates that about 40 per cent of the village has been destroyed including a demolished boys’ school, while several other structures including homes, a theater and the Khan are near collapse.
Antiquities authorities are hoping the plans to restore the village in Gourna will preserve the area for the world to see. The Luxor antiquities authority will receive a grant from the SCA and the Egyptian government, but the amount has not been decided yet. The grant will preserve the house of the mayor at the time, the house of the architect Fathy, the khan, or marketplace, as well as support the foundations of the houses and domes of the village.
Old Mosque of Shali Fortress
Unlike the 20th century village, the Old Mosque of Shali Fortress was built more than 800 years ago. The mosque has gradually deteriorated due to a combination of natural and man-made factors over the past century. Floods, World War II bombings and modern tourism development have all contributed to the mosque’s disintegration.It is the oldest mosque in the world built of calcified soil, an ancient technique of naturally hardening earth with salt. The Shali mosque literally bears the handprints of its early 13th century creators.
Excerpted from an article by Andrew Bossone for Almasry Alyoum
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