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when budgeting are set for it, should take into consideration not only safeguarding the physical appearance
of this legacy but more the intangible values transmitted through it to the general public which will definitely
enhance its effectiveness and resilience.
Understanding that the partnership with the generic public enhances and speeds up the managing opera-
tions at any certain heritage site, because after all its ownership goes back to the local hosting community.
Speaking about the initiatives taking place to rehabilitate and valorize Al Sakakini’s palace, some conscious
individuals living in Al Daher district has formed a forum called “ I am from Al Daher” and adopted the cause
of rehabilitating Al Sakakini’s palace to be adaptively used as a culture center and they called it “ Al Sakakini’s
Wheel” simulating the well-known Al Sawi Wheel cultural center, and their initiative has indeed succeeded in
drawing the attention of the Minister of Antiquities, and he promised he will start allocate a budgeting for a
conservation project taking into consideration their proposal, furthermore they have gathered money to do-
nate for cleaning the area surrounding the palace’s entrance and remove the garbage that were accumulated
for ages.
The recognition of Al Sakakini’s palace will not only preserve it, but also will shade the light on the history of
Al-Daher neighborhood where there are many sites with heritage significance are located, e.g. Al Zaher Bay-
bars Mamluk Mosque the second largest mosque in Egypt, and many other premises that has tradition cha–
racter and evidenced a critical era of the Egyptian history and the urban fabric of this neighborhood.
Suggestions for managing and conserving the palace can be concluded in the following points:
• Feasible studies and plans concerning management and documentation should take into consideration
the social good and benefits that will help the local communities who are living in the area.
• Determining a suitable function for the palace will help in revitalizing it, and will also be a resource that
provides the funds needed for the conservation and preservation projects.
• Transferring the palace partially into a museum as an educative tool regarding medicine would be influ-
ential if constructing an external clinic that will serve the local communities and develop their relationship
with that heritage building, after all the palace is too big in size for being only a museum for medical instru-
ments.
• Adaptive reuse of this palace as a cultural center, as requested from the residents living in the district,
should be taken as a priority in any rehabilitation projects.
Conclusion
Managing sites with heritage significance implies considerations of many factors, such as; documenting, pro-
viding regular maintenance, measuring the budgeting allocated, as well as determining the interested groups,
i.e. scholars, members of the general public..etc., whom we are managing this site to sufficient their ambition
and their needs. Heritage is more of a “forum” that gathers the past experiences with the present ones aim-
ing at being transmitted to the future generations. Thus, the preservation of any Heritage site requires a full
responsibility of understanding that the core of Heritage lies beyond its material substance as it exceeds it to
the intangible values embodied in its vitality and can be transferred
through generations.
NohaQotb
Social Market Researcher June, 2015 up
to date Genesis Middle East, Riyadh, KSA
Main responsibilities: I handle marketing
research and analysis studies, and digital
marketing planning.