Documenting the unique approach of preserving old Cairo

A portrait of restoration in Old Cairo: Egyptian architecture and urban discourse blog Cairobserver pointed us to a 2001 documentary by Elizabeth Fernea called Living with the Past. It’s a filmic portrait of the Darb El Ahmar district of Cairo that is “in the heart of the old city” and “now facing a process of radical change.” Living with the Past “documents a unique approach to historic preservation, one that combines social and economic development with monument restoration,” Cairobserver says, where restoration does not involve displacing people or demolishing neighbourhoods. Fernea follows several restoration projects that were in progress at the time, including Bab Zuwayla and the Church of the Virgin (runtime 52:56).