Cultural Heritage Conservation through Language – Graduation Project for Al-Alsun Department

6 Aug 2020

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre “Heritage is what we have received from our ancestors. Our duty is to preserve it for transmission to future generations”. Heritage represents an integral component of our culture and identity. To this end, the graduation project for Al-Alsun Department senior students intended to shed light on the Islamic monuments, from the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, that do not receive much attention in 5 areas round Cairo: Darb el Labana, Souq el Selah, Saliba Street, Bab Al-Wazir, and Muhammad Ali Street.

The Cultural Heritage Conservation through Language project aimed to utilize skills and knowledge students gained along the past years to create content that can help in culture and heritage preservation. As the Graduation Project marks the final milestone in their undergraduate academic journey, it also aimed to make to strengthen the students’ 21^st Century Life Skills (already practiced with various intensity in previous courses) to equip them to face the challenges of the job market.  These skills mainly focus on the 4 Cs: Critical thinking, Collaboration, Communication and Creativity.

Students employed their writing and translation skills to provide valuable and interesting information on Islamic antiquities in the designated areas in both Arabic and English, raise awareness of their historical background and significance, and encourage underprivileged kids to realize the cultural value of their surrounding environment and take action to preserve it.

Each group of students prepared infographics, a brochure, and a website to promote for their chosen area.

The Department of Al-Alsun course instructors, Assoc. Prof. Sama Dawood and Ass. Prof.  Hanan Sharaf, conducted the Cultural Heritage Conservation through Language project in collaboration with Professor Heba Safi, Professor of Architecture at MIU and Director of the House of Egyptian Architecture, Professor Sabry el Adl, Professor of History at MIU, and Ms. Heba Khattab, graphic designer, form the Department of Mass Communication.

Projects will be donated to the House of Egyptian Architecture as part of MIU community service.