Al Azhar Park: Cairo’s Green Jewel

The soothing sound of rustling leaves and trickling water near Khan Khalili! A haven of peace and quiet in the heart of Islamic Cairo. The recently opened Al Azhar Park offers a spectacular vista of the city’s most important historic monuments. This green area overlooks, the Fatimid City, Sultan Hassan Mosque, the Ayyubid Citadel and the Mamluke City of the Dead.

Seif El-Rashidi, an urban planner who is working for the Aga Khan Cultural Services in Egypt and who is currently part of the Darb al Ahmar planning team, explains, “It all started in 1984 with a decision by the Aga Khan to donate a park to the citizens of Cairo following a conference, ‘The Expanding Metropolis: Coping with Cairo’s Urban Growth.’”

The Aga Khan’s ancestors, the Fatimids, founded the city which became Cairo in 1969. It is now one of the world’s largest cities with an incomparable wealth of Islamic monuments. The Aga Khan, however, recognized that his attachment to Cairo was not based purely on its history: “As one of the largest and most complex metropolises in the world, it provides dramatic insights into the full array of contemporary development problems. It also raises the question about how to creatively reconnect an age-old heritage with the opportunities and demands of rapidly changing modern life. This is something which has been very much on my mind since the creation of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture over 20 years ago. More specifically, an increase in, and improvement of, scarce green surface within the city, one of the world’s densest urban agglomeration, is an urgent priority. Often overlooked, open public spaces have a great role to play in historic cities.” Choosing an appropriate site for the park was the next step. “The Aga Khan climbed up many minarets and each time his eyes fell upon on a towering dump, al Darassa, situated on the edge of historic Cairo,” explained Rashidi.

The site was finally selected for its strategic location and because the area was in real need of an open green space. While the site was being prepared, a major discovery was made: the Ayyubid city wall of Cairo built in the reign of Salah al-Din was rediscovered. “ The fortifications were partly constructed with Pharaonic stones. Some valuable stones with hieroglyphic texts were also unearthed as well as a foundation stone bearing an inscription referring to the construction of a section of the wall. This one-meter long stone had been buried for more than 300 years, “ said Rashidi. The importance of the wall with its gates, towers, interior chambers and galleries linking the park to the adjacent Darb al Ahmar district led the Aga Khan to launch “a combined physical and social rehabilitatioDarb Al Ahmar district. It was clear that the park construction, as well as the historic wall conservation could, and should, act as stimuli for the rehabilitation of Dar al Ahmar.”

Thus a series of programs were established for the benefit of local residents of Darb al Ahmar. These include the restoration of the Umm Sultan Shaban Mosque, the Khayrbek Complex as well as the rehabilitation of the Darb Shoughlan School currently being used as a combination community and visitor’s center. A major focus has also been placed on local residents “helping communities help themselves” said Francesco Siravo, senior project officer, historic cities support program. “Such an undertaking calls for a different approach to revitalizing distressed communities. Institutions must move away from policies that ignore local needs and resources.”

The Al Azhar Park features shaded walkways, a children’s play area, a museum and a stunning hilltop restaurant and lakeside cafe. The Hilltop Restaurant, designed by Rami el-Dahan and Soheir Farid, was inspired by traditional Cairene architecture. A graceful shaded area leads to a terrace which has a magnificent panoramic view of the Citadel. The Lakeside Cafe is breathtaking. Designed by Serge Santelli, the cluster of white pavilions floating on a lake breathes new life into traditional Islamic architecture and exudes an exhilarating feeling of lightness, joy and serenity.

“It is my wish that the new Azhar Park with its central location will become a major new resource for visitors and residents of Cairo, opening up new views onto the surrounding historic monuments of a unique area of a unique city,” said the Aga Khan