Life returns to the historic village of Hassan Fathy on December 23

CAIRO – 21 December 2021: Luxor Governorate is preparing to inaugurate the historic village of Engineer Hassan Fathy in Luxor's New Gourna, following the completion of the first phase of its development and restoration.

The inauguration is set to kick off on December 23.

This major event will take place in the presence of Egypt’s Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem, Luxor Governor Mostafa Elham, leaders of UNESCO, the company in charge of the development works and leaders of the Ministry of Culture and Luxor Governorate.

The mosque after renovation - press photo

The mosque after renovation - press photo

The mosque after renovation - press photo

The developments and renovations are in full swing inside the village, which received great support to raise the efficiency of the historical buildings inside it, including the village’s mosque, and its theater.

The theater after renovation - press photo

This opening comes as a new achievement for the Egyptian state to protect the country's heritage, as the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with UNESCO, completed the renovations of the first phase of the development of the historic village.

For his part, Head of the National Organization for Urban Harmony [NOUH] Mohammad Abu Saada confirmed that the first stage of the restoration process took nearly 24 months.

Saada added that [NOUH], in cooperation with Luxor Governorate, developed a vision for the development of the surrounding area to match the architectural value of the village.

Moreover, Doaa Al-Sadiq, who supervises the restoration work in the village, said that the village belongs to the world-known artist and engineer Hassan Fathy.

According to Al-Sadiq, parts of the village were recently restored, commissioned by UNESCO, which is responsible for the restoration and development of the village to preserve global history in southern Upper Egypt, at a cost of $750,000.

Al-Sadiq stated that the development process is executed by the Environmental Quality International Company for Consulting and Engineering Designs (EQI.

In addition, Al-Sadiq stated that the comprehensive development and restoration operations at the village's mosque have been completed, and work is being completed at Al-Khan and the theater of the historic village.

Al-Khan after renovation works [market] - press photo

Al-Khan after renovation works [market] - press photo

Al-Khan is the old market that was beautifully designed by the artist Hassan Fathy, and was developed and restored after being destroyed during the past years.

The vegetation and debris west of Al-Khan building were removed and their negative impact was addressed. Also, the area around the building was restored to the original level of the site to revive Al-Khan and the whole areas surrounding it.

Al-Sadiq confirmed that the project started a big dream to preserve the history of the great engineer Hassan Fathy and the basic character of the village, as the village has suffered for 70 years from many factors of deterioration. There also have been encroachments on the village and some facilities were demolished.

In this regard, Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem said that the project to revive and restore the facilities of Hassan Fathy's village in New Gourna is a new achievement for Egyptian culture during the rule of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.