Journal of Architectural Conservation
Volume 14, Issue 3, November 2008
The Historic Hammams of Cairo
Safeguarding a Vanishing Heritage
Fodil Fadli and Magda Sibley
Paper Summary
Hammāms (Islamic bathhouses) were key buildings in the Islamic city. Despite their large number and importance within the urban fabric of historic Islamic cities, they have rarely attracted much attention either from the academic community or from organizations dealing with the conservation and restoration of historic buildings. Studies of these buildings are scarce and only rarely occur. Consequently, a large number of historic hammāms have disappeared and only a few have managed to survive. The future survival of the remaining ones is a real challenge to those concerned about the preservation of historic buildings.
Based on a survey of the remaining bathhouses of Cairo, carried out by the authors in June 2007 as part of a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), this paper describes the hammāms of Cairo and highlights the lack of a strategy for their restoration. It focuses on the problems facing their safeguard; from selection and listing, to the lengthy process of restoration and the lack of expertise in restoration techniques. The paper finally concludes by proposing guidelines to help achieve a sustainable adaptive re-use of these buildings.
 |
Figure 2 Entrance of Hammām al-Qirabiyā and immediate surroundings.
|
Fodil Fadli
Fodil Fadli is an architect and researcher. He has worked extensively on sustainable tourism architecture in the Mediterranean. His research interests focus on sustainable architecture, traditional and vernacular architecture and the restoration of heritage buildings. He is currently working on the Islamic hammāms of North Africa and their survival into the twenty-first century.
Magda Sibley
Magda Sibley is a senior lecturer in Architecture. Her main interests are in world heritage Islamic cities in North Africa and the Middle East. Two building types have been the focus of her research: the courtyard house and the public bath or hammām. She has been awarded various research grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK, and the EU to investigate hammāms in Mediterranean world heritage cities
More information on the Journal of Architectural Conservation.
How to subscribe.