Spend the Day in Khalifa 7

For the seventh year in a row, Athar Lina Initiative is celebrating the heritage of al-Khalifa neighborhood through the tourism promotion event “Spend your Day in Khalifa” which begins on the 6^th of February and extends over two weekends until the 15^th of February, 2020. The event is organized under the umbrella of Athar Lina Heritage Design Thinking School, funded by Drosos Foundation. The school builds on the experience of the Built Environment Collective (BEC) in working with the heritage of al-Khalifa since 2012 through Athar Lina initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and Cairo Governorate.

The highlights of the event include the launch of “Athar Lina Line”, which is considered one of the most important outputs of Athar Lina Heritage Design Thinking School, as well as the launch of al-Khalifa’s new website.

This year’s main events are as follows;

1. Workshop

The pearl inlay workshop by a craftsperson from al-Hattaba. This an interactive workshop where participants will work with a local crafts-person to design and implement their own inlay product at al-Shurafa mausoleum.

2. Tours

The event will witness two tours in al-Hattaba and al-Imam al-Shafi’i. The first aims to present the area and history of al-Hattaba by conducting an interactive guided tour on foot in the streets and alleys of the area, while the latter is designed to present the heritage sites within al-Qarafa around al-Imam al-Shafi’i Mausoleum.

There will also be two more tours in al-Hattaba and al-Khalifa, designed and guided by participants of Athar Lina Heritage Design Thinking School. The tour that will take place in al-Hattaba will focus on the cinematic representation of the area and how it relates to the neighborhood, while the one in al-Khalifa, which is designed by a 14-year-old student from the area, will explore the fascinating stories of the mosques of al-Saliba street.

3. Interactive activities

These will include the closing session of the urban design workshop for youth. In addition, a screening of films about Athar Lina initiative and its projects, screening of films about al-Hattaba, and showcasing the product of the Women Quilt for al-Hattaba, a khiyamiyya quilt which is proposed to be hung in al-Shurafa’ center currently under restoration. And finally, a public talk on the participatory practices in contemporary heritage collecting, organized by Imagine IC, as a part of the Megawra’s Khalifa Heritage Exchange Program.

For more information about the event, click here.