Cairo is historic (Part Two)

Writing about Cairo in the past or now has not been an easy or straightforward task. What new can be said about it that has not yet been written? It is a city that has fascinated its inhabitants, visitors, and experts over the centuries, and many volumes have been written about it. In fact, when one of us talks about Cairo, he talks about what he knows of it or about it, for each of us has a personal and different Cairo. There is not just one Cairo, but several Cairas, and each of us knows the city through the neighborhoods where he lives, works, visits, or studies. We would like this book, Cairo in its two parts, to provide an in-depth coverage of some studies of the city from diverse perspectives, written by Egyptian writers from various disciplines. However, we do not aim for the book to be a comprehensive encyclopedia, but rather contributions, some of which are unique and others innovative, that challenge assumptions about the city and some of the myths surrounding it. Of course, there are many ways to narrate the history and state of any city, and this book is a collection of articles written by some Cairo enthusiasts, scholars and writers from both the older and younger generations, including writers, historians, geographers, archaeologists, journalists, and architects. They focused on Cairo’s condition from two perspectives: the first historical, and the second representational. The first part of the book presents excerpts from the history and urban development of the city across time, followed by the second part, which offers scenes from the culture and representation of the city throughout the ages.