Story of Downtown

Story of Downtown

Cairo City

Cairo is a huge city of great intricacy and complexity; a dynamic and integrated world in one multicultural city, at times operating in harmony other times conflicting, interacting to create that momentum to which everyone belongs, with their backgrounds, differences, and dreams.

The urbanization of the city of Cairo is the backbone of its existence; the history of this urbanization is the history of Egypt and a map of the forces that formed it. It is a living memory of the past and a significant reference for the future.

Cairo is a historical city that accumulates such momentum and depth of history that no other city could match. There is no other city in the Islamic world that possesses the architectural wealth that exists in Cairo. In the whole world, only Rome, could compare to Cairo regarding architectural wealth in terms of number and may exceed in terms of diversity.

downtown
downtown

A dream come true

Khedive Ismail had always dreamed of a capital for Egypt comparable in its sophistication and prosperity to European capitals. He proceed to renovate his capital, represented by Islamic Cairo, and to improve its architecture and facilities. The opening of the Suez Canal and the invitation of many heads of state of the world was as a turning point in his great project. Due to the lack of time and the lack of financial capabilities, the idea of building the Ismailia neighborhood, next to Islamic Cairo, overlooking the Nile, has appeared. It would be a remarkable facade to be displayed to the prestigious visitors. Thus, Khedival Cairo has appeared, or as the public called it, “Downtown,” and the dream became a reality. Cairo, with its sophistication and the grandeur of its architecture, rivaled the European capitals and was called the Paris of the East.

The geographical scope of the downtown area

The name Downtown is given to the area of Tahrir and Talaat Harb Squares, as they are actually located in the center of Greater Cairo. The Qasr al-Nil neighborhood, or what was previously known as the Ismailia neighborhood in reference to the Khedive Ismail, extends from Qasr al-Aini Street east and west to Abu al-Fida Street in Zamalek. It includes the neighborhoods: Garden City and Zamalek Island, and the Kasr El Nil Police Station is located on Zamalek Island, and there are a number of squares that belong to the Kasr El Nil, and they are: Tahrir Square, Abdel Moneim Riad Square, Talaat Harb Square, and Al-Jazira Square.

The importance of the downtown area

Khedive Ismail moved the ruling headquarters from Mohammad Ali’s Citadel in Mokattam, which isolated him from the city with its high walls and location, to Abdin Palace in Downtown area. By transforming the Diwans into municipal departments, or as we now call (the ministries), and their subsequent transfer to the Downtown area, he significantly enhanced the Downtown district’s importance, stimulating urban development and population growth.

Downtown Story

Capitals of Egypt Throughout Time

Before Khedive Ismail’s Reign

Khedive Ismail`s Plan

Khedival Cairo

Image of Khedival Cairo

Downtown's Selected Landmarks

Abdeen Palace High Court American University Building Egyptian Museum Khedival Buildings

Architectural Map of DownTown

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Building Style

Haussmann, who was commissioned by Khedive Ismail, originally developed the general plan of Cairo, with the help of foreign architects who came to Egypt with him, the European architectural styles prevailing in that period in their countries were brought to Egypt which the young Egyptian architects were influenced by, and this led to the emergence of new styles that includes local features.
• At the beginning of the twentieth century, the term Neo appeared, added to the names of the architectural styles that were used to design the buildings of Cairo, which refers to the renewal of the old classical architectural styles, resulting in the revivalist styles, which were characterized by a modern touch commensurate with the period in which they appeared.
• Such as Neo-renaissance: which is an Italian renaissance, the movement that began in Italy in the early 15th century as a break in the continuous European gothic architecture, reverted to classical architectural forms, with gothic methods of construction. Examples of neo-renaissance architecture in Downtown date back to the 1870s lasting to the 1930s.
Neo-baroque: was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptures which display important aspects of Baroque style, but are not of the original Baroque period.
Neo-classical: Foreign architects introduced the neo-classical style in architecture in Downtown, as early as in the 1870s, through to the 1930s. If a number of neo-classical buildings in the Downtown display an Art deco influence, some have Art nouveau designs, while other innovative neo-classical architecture borrowed islamic elements.
Art Deco: Although the crowning achievements of Art deco architecture did not occur in Europe but in the United States, European Art deco is more common in Egypt. The 1900s through to the 1940s witnessed a diversity of Art deco architecture in Downtown, as architects, foreigners or Egyptians, who were trained at Paris's École des Beaux Arts used Art deco expressions in their designs.
Neo-islamic: Twentieth century Islamic architecture in Downtown was mostly prevalent in buildings of public use (an institute, a ministry, a train station, a hospital, a cinema and two seats of associations). Islamic architecture also influenced the Mediterranean architecture in Egypt.
Art nouveau: Art nouveau movement in Western art and design began during the 1880s flourishing between 1893 and 1907. The term Art nouveau comes from an art gallery in Paris, called Maison de l'art nouveau where this style first became evident. Examples of Art nouveau architecture in Downtown Cairo date back to the turn of the century and this influence was brought by European architects. This style remained rather common till the 1920s, before giving way to Art déco.
Eclectic: Eclecticism is a 19th and 20th century architectural style in which a single piece of work incorporates a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original.

Decades

Ismail began implementing his plans to re-planning Cairo in 1869, and issued an order on May 6, 1869 to the Public Works Authority to prepare the necessary measurements for opening some streets, lighting them, and extending the surrounding areas.
Ismail planned Cairo a new modern capital of Egypt. He planned four different districts on the European style. He also established the Qasr al-Nil Bridge and the Blind Sea Bridge to connect the eastern and western mainland of Cairo. He promoted development of the downtown area by giving land free, but he issued certain budget for establishing the buildings on buyers to make sure to have harmony of building construction characteristics.
After the bankruptcy of Khedive Ismail, the sale of his property, and the commencement of the British occupation, European funds, especially the British, flocked to Egypt, and foreign investments began to increase, and thus the population increased, and the need for real estate companies appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century. The urban sprawl began.
The Cultural and Natural Heritage Documentation Center has started a project to document the heritage buildings in the Downtown region since 2000, which resulted in the documentation of a group of distinguished buildings that were divided into time periods according to the date of their construction:
Before 1880
From 1880 to 1889
From 1890 to 1899
From 1900 to 1909
From 1910 to 1919
From 1920 to 1929
From 1930 to 1939
After 1939

Architects of Zamalek

Haussmann, who was commissioned by Khedive Ismail, originally developed the general plan of Cairo. Hussmann came to Egypt with a wide group of foreign architects, who assisted him achieving his plans of developing Cairo. Those architects chose the architectural styles used back in their hometowns. As a result, the city of Cairo was with European style with local influences.
The works conducted during Cairo development, attracted the foreign money from Europe and that was an attraction of foreigners to come to Egypt. The increasing of foreign population lead to boosting the development and a group of foreign architects were among this population.
The two groups of foreign architects that came to Egypt contained a wide variety of nationalities. such as Italians. Antonio Lasciac who was born in Gorizia, Slovenia in 1856, and died in Egypt in 1946. He worked as Chief architect of the khedivial palaces. He was Member of the Comité de conservation des monuments et de l'art arabe.
Mario Rossi was one of those Italian architects. He was graduated from L'Accademia di Belli Arti, Rome, Italy in 1917. He worked as a Chief architect at the Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf. Another Italian architect was Ernesto Verucci who was born in force, Italy on March 14th, 1874. He was graduated from L'Accademia di Belli Arti di Modena in Italy. He worked as Chief architect of the royal palaces in Egypt. He died in Force, Italy in 1947.
Among those Italian there was Cesare Bazzani(1873- 1939), Giuseppe Garozzo, Giuseppe Mazza, and Paolo Caccia Dominioni, Florestano de Fausto, Giuseppe Tavarelli and Nello Sinigallia whose work is evident in Downtown.
Also, The group contained French architects like Georges Parcq, Alexandre Marcel, Jacques Hardy who graduated from L'Ecole des beaux-arts, France, Max Edrei who graduated from L'Ecole des beaux-arts, France and Vector Erlanger.
Moreover, some architects were from Austria like the architect Eduard Matasek who was born in Vienna, Austria on March18th, 1867 and died in Alexandria, Egypt on October 31st, 1912, and Max Herz who was orn in Otlaka, Rumania on May 19th, 1856 and died in Zurich, Switzerland on May 5th, 1919. He worked as Chief architect at Khedive Tewfiq's court. He was Deputy head of the Comité de conservation des monuments et de l'art arabe.
Some were from England like Ariston St. John D and Robert Williams.
This group included many much other architects like Aristide Leonori, Gaston Rossi, Gustave Brocher, Henry Gorra, Leo Nafilyan, Gustave Brocher, and Domenico Limongelli.
The European architectural styles prevailing in that period in Europe brought to Egypt by foreign architects and young Egyptian and Arab architects influenced by. This emerged the term Neo. The term that was added to the names of architectural styles to refer to the renewal of the old classical architectural styles. Resulting the appearance of the revivalist styles, which were characterized by a modern touch commensurate with the period in which they appeared.
We cannot help but mention the Egyptian and Arab architects of the early twentieth century who were pioneers in the field of architecture. Their work is evident in Cairo districts showing the harmony of using the European styles modified with Islamic and local architectural elements. They design remarkable buildings that together formed the soul of Downtown.
The names are many but we can mention some, Moustafa Fahmy who was born 1886, graduated from L'ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux Arts and worked as Chief Architect of Ministry of Public Works, Ahmed Charmy and Mahmud Fahmy who was born in 1856 and worked as Chief architect at the Ministry of Public Works and Awqafs. He was a Member of the Comité de conservation des monuments et de l'art arabe.

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