In pics: Paris at heart of Cairo’s Downtown

CAIRO – 2 May 2018: On stepping out from one of the buildings in the newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district, one finds themselves before a nineteenth-century-style street, together with an array of talented artists with their sketches, inspired by the quality of creation and the enthusiasm of a Parisian artistic scene.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-Cairo Memory's official Facebook Page
Speaking to Egypt Today, Omar Mostafa, the engineer in charge of the renovation, said that the renovation of Shereifen Street is part of the major Khedive Cairo Development project, which started in 2012 to revitalize Khedival Cairo, extending through Downtown from Qasr Al-Nil Street to Attaba.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-Cairo Memory's official Facebook Page
The project aims to preserve Downtown’s historic character, restore its ornamental facades, and rescue the area from degeneration after it had been neglected and damaged due to climate factors. The revitalization has been undertaken under the auspices of Cairo governorate and the National Organization for Urban Harmony.

Influenced by French architecture, Downtown Cairo was first built by Khedive Ismail in 1863, who was determined to turn Cairo, a largely medieval city, into the “Paris of the East”.

Mostafa said that Khedival Cairo consists of 500 real estates, of which about 300 have been renovated until now.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-FILE
The first stage was started by renovating the buildings in Al-Alfi Street and Talaat Harb Square. Mostafa mentioned that the project is now in its fourth stage, which includes all the streets in the Borsa district, including Shereifen Street. Shereifen Street has very important buildings, including the Egyptian Stock Exchange Museum, the Suez Canal Bank and Cosmopolitan Hotel.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-Cairo Memory's official Facebook Page

Cairo Governor Atef Abdel Hamid and Mohammed Abu Saada, head of the National Organization for Urban Harmony, inaugurated the street on Wednesday, which marked World Heritage Day, with the participation of members of the National Committee for the Protection and Renovation of Cairo's Heritage and representatives from banks and companies funding the project, along with UNESCO’s Cairo office.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-Cairo Memory's official Facebook Page
“We are currently completing the rest of the buildings in the Borsa district. To protect the renovated buildings, we met with Cairo governorate on April 23 to impose a punishment on any person who would damage the buildings, and to fix sanitary systems of the buildings to avoid water leaks so as not to affect the foundations,” Mostafa concluded.

The newly-renovated Shereifein Street situated in Al Borsa district-Cairo Memory's official Facebook Page