Cairo is one of the few medieval cities in the world that remains relatively intact. LIVING WITH THE PAST is a filmic portrait of Darb al-Ahmar, a neighborhood in the heart of the old city now facing a process of radical change.

Produced by Elizabeth Fernea (producer of the Women in the Middle East Series) this film documents a unique approach to historic preservation, one that combines social and economic development with monument restoration.

LIVING WITH THE PAST follows several restoration projects in progress in Darb al-Ahmar, including: the Great Gate of Bab Zuwayla (1092 A.D.), the Mosque of Emir Qijmas al-Ishaqi (1481 A.D.), the Church of the Virgin (600 A.D.), the Walls of Saladin (11th and 12th centuries A.D.). These projects have been incorporated into a mammoth social, cultural and economic neighborhood improvement scheme.

Across the globe monument preservation often means that people are displaced, and surrounding neighborhoods are demolished. Not so in Cairo, where efforts are underway to not only rescue endangered monuments but to improve the standard of living of the affected communities, in this case the people of Darb al-Ahmar.