Megawra’s research arm tends to focus on urban and heritage outreach projects and interventions in the city of Cairo.

Our main initiative, Athar Lina, started in 2012 as a participatory research project exploring the relationship between the monument and the surrounding neighbourhood of al-Khalifa. Since then, the initiative has grown, aiming to establish modalities of citizen participation in heritage sites based on an understanding of the monument as a resource not a burden, with conservation as a vehicle for development. Throughout the past ten years, our research has branched out into conservation techniques and methodologies, heritage management, groundwater solutions and climate change impact on heritage. 

Research is an integral part of our practical work. While much of our practical work is informed by research, our practice is a form of applied research in its own right as we test, pilot, and develop techniques, methodologies and modes of practice. The multi-phased Athar Lina Groundwater Research Project is an example of this, where solutions were developed, piloted, and scaled up in various interventions. The processes and results of this applied research practice are published in the four-volume Athar Lina Toolkit for Groundwater Solutions in Historic Settings.

The outcomes of our research is shared through our Megawra Papers series in the form of bilingual open-access toolkits, guides, and publications.

We occasionally receive commissions to execute research projects. One example is a UNESCO-commissioned study on heritage and climate change. 

We welcome new research partnerships related to the aforementioned topics. 

Get in touch through info@megawra.com