Living With The Past

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.
'RECOMMENDED... Interviews with architects, construction workers, development officials, and shopkeepers illustrate how the vitality of the neighborhood is being preserved.'-Library Journal
'LIVING WITH THE PAST documents ongoing restoration efforts in [Cairo's historic district of] Darb al-Ahmar ... and does an excellent job of conveying the neighborhood's spirit and the dedication of those involved in the restoration.'-Archaeology Magazine
Citation
Main credits
Pachachi, Maysoon (Director)
Fernea, Elizabeth Warnock (Producer)
Fernea, Robert A (Narrator)
Gaballa, G. A (Interviewee)
Hampikian, Nairy (Interviewee)
Gayer-Anderson, Theo (Interviewee)
Vincent, Robert (Interviewee)
Mahmoud, Hisham (Interviewee)
Mahmoud, Ali (Interviewee)
Shehayeb, Dina (Interviewee)
Shahata, Abdul Rahim (Interviewee)
Dobrowolska, Agnieszka (Interviewee)
Zaki, Saleh (Interviewee)
El-Habashi, Alaa (Interviewee)
Mikawi, Mohamed El (Interviewee)
Ibrahim, Karim (Interviewee)
El-Rashidi, Self (Interviewee)
Fouad, Ghada (Interviewee)
Selim, Aida (Interviewee)
Hussein, Hassan (Interviewee)
Hafiz, Mohamed Abdul (Interviewee)
Badawi, Saad Mohamed (Interviewee)
Shannon, Jonathan (Composer)
Other credits
Producer, Elizabeth Fernea; director, Maysoon Pachachi; music, Jonathan Shannon; editor, Terry Twigg.
Distributor subjects
Architecture
Development
Economics
Egypt
History (World)
Middle East
Southeast Asia
Urban Studies