Cairo the photographic memory

Modern and contemporary Cairo represents a source of inspiration for writers and poets, and its importance increased after the First and Second World Wars, as European cities were destroyed during both wars, while Cairo flourished, retaining an architectural heritage that is a mixture of European character and modern Islamic style. The photographic image recorded the development of its squares, gardens, streets, and neighborhoods, becoming a mirror of the city's development and urbanization. This book contains images from King Farouk's albums, which were preserved in his private library, in addition to other images from private collections. In it, we see Cairo through a royal eye, visiting the neighborhoods of Zamalek, Shubra, Heliopolis, Faggala, and Ismailia (downtown). The text merges with the images in a story told with the pen and seen with the eye, in successive pictures that tell the story of modernity and its struggle with heritage. We see how modernity benefited from heritage in Heliopolis, and how architects presented unique models that made Cairo an open museum highlighting the development of architecture across different eras, even in how space is utilized and facades are designed to make the eye never tire of looking at them. Author: Dr. Khaled Azb Publishing House