Ancient aqueduct to be restored

Yomna Kamel Middle East Times staff


CAIRO'S MEDIEVAL WATERWORKS ARE SET FOR FACELIFT

After being neglected and deteriorating for over a century, Cairo's ancient aqueduct will be restored and its waterwheels will operate again within two years.

Funded by the Ministry of Culture, the project for restoring the aqueduct comprises of restoring the wall for three kilometers from Foum Al Khalig to Salah Salem road in three phases.

"Putting the waterwheels back to work and restoring their building will be the first phase. The second and the third phases will include the actual restoration work to the aqueduct's wall from Foum Al Khalig to the old Al Gayara railway and from there to Salah Salem road," said Abdallah Al Attar, head of Islamic Cairo's monuments at the Higher Council for Antiquities.

For a thousand years, the aqueduct had been an important project for Egypt's rulers. It was originally built in 1193 by Salah Al Din Al Ayoubi, who ruled Egypt from 1169 to 1193. Al Ayoubi ordered the construction of the aqueduct to carry water from the Nile up to his citadel, which was the seat of his power.

The aqueduct was extended in 1318 by Al Nasser Qalawoun who constructed waterwheels at the end of the wall in the Foum Al Khalig area. It was then repeatedly restored by Egyptian rulers until Sultan Qunsua Al Ghouri's era who ordered the construction of another extension and six waterwheels in 1506. Remains of this can still be seen today.

"All Egyptian rulers since Ayoubi's time used the aqueduct to carry Nile water to the citadel where they had their offices. The importance of the aqueduct started to fade only when Khedive Ismail, who ruled Egypt in the 19th century, moved his offices to Abdeen Palace," Attar said.

Neglected over the past 100 years by Egypt's rulers, the aqueduct was exposed to natural deterioration and human encroachments.

"People seized parts of the aqueduct's wall, building houses and workshops with it. Some of the activities, like the tanneries [located in the area] produced chemicals that ate away at the aqueduct's stone," Attar said.

The Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Cairo governorate, managed to clear the area for 15 meters around the aqueduct before initiating the project. According to Attar, 68 families living close to the wall were moved from the area and were relocated in housing provided by governorate authorities.

The ministry has allocated E£38 million for the project, 1.2 million of which has gone to compensating the families which have been relocated.

The project not only comprises restoration work on the aqueduct's facade, but entire sections that are up to 20 meters tall have to be totally rebuilt, having been torn down to make way for more modern projects.

"A part of the aqueduct wall was destroyed by the government in the 1950s to construct Salah Salem road and another part was destroyed to make a path for the metro system which connected Old Cairo's neighborhoods to the rest of the city," Attar said.

The Ministry of Culture has contracted the Wadi Al Nil company to carry out the project. According to Muhammad Abdel Qader, head of the company, the ancient wall needs special treatment in places to avoid its collapse in other parts. For this purpose the company will use some of the expertise and equipment it recently used during the restoration of the Amr Ibn Al Aas Mosque.

Along with restoration and re-construction work, the area around the structure will be surrounded by parks and the old waterwheels in Foum Al Khalig will be put back in service. The water will be taken from the Nile and recycled through the aqueduct in an effort that aims to educate visitors about ancient water management techniques.

This idea will help boost tourism into the area.

"The project of restoring Cairo's Aqueduct aims at turning the area into a tourist attraction and is part of the ministry's plan to make Old Cairo an open air museum for Islamic and Coptic monuments," said Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni after signing the project's contract.

35 Islamic monuments are currently being restored by the Ministry. Al Ghouri Mosque, Al Khikha Mosque in Opera Square and Wekalet Bazaraa in Gamaliya are among the projects that have recently been finished.