For 18 years, Maha El-Sayed watched as the dome of Shajarat al-Durr, a mausoleum erected in honour of Egypt's only female Islamic ruler, served as little more than a rubbish dump and haven for drug users outside her home in Cairo's historic al-Khalifa district.
Today, that same dome stands restored, its intricate stonework rescued from collapse, while Maha and dozens of other local women earn livelihoods preserving the very heritage they once saw as eyesores.
"We couldn't even walk past it. We kept our children away," she recalls from the textile workshop, where she now crafts bags inspired by the neighbourhood's storied past.
The Al-Khalifa district houses 138 historic monuments within Cairo's UNESCO World Heritage site, an area where al-Qata'i, Egypt's third Islamic capital, once stood.
Its importance lies in its deep religious and cultural heritage. This is where Sayyida Sakina, daughter of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, lived and where her mosque and burial place remain. The shrine of Sayyida Ruqayya, daughter of Imam Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet, stands on al-Ashraf Street.
The district contains 18 percent of Historic Cairo's registered monuments, yet despite this exceptional heritage, decades of neglect have left these architectural marvels endangered.
The dome’s transformation mirrors that of al-Khalifa itself, where a pioneering grassroots initiative is racing against time to save one of the Islamic world's most significant architectural treasures from rising groundwater that dissolves centuries-old foundations from within.
"Although the area is rich in historical buildings of exceptional value, including shrines of the Prophet's family, it has suffered neglect from both residents and authorities to the point where some monuments risk removal from the World Heritage list," Marwa Ibrahim, a restoration professor at the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, whose field studies have meticulously documented al-Khalifa's deterioration, warns.
The rising groundwater behind the area’s decades-long deterioration comes from two sources: natural rainwater that seeps into the ground, dissolving rock and corroding walls, and, more dangerously, leaks from failing sewage and water systems that produce salts which eat away at walls and foundations, the expert adds.
The birth of Mogawra
In 2012, architect May al-Ibrashy founded the Built Environment Collective-Mogawra organisation, meaning 'adjacent' in Arabic, referring to life alongside long-neglected Islamic monuments that many had come to see as burdens.
A year later, the team embarked on its first effort, recruiting community members to help clean the courtyard of an unfinished Mamluk-era mosque project.
During this time, the initiative also began restoring Bayt al-Saliba (The Saliba House), a 19th-century building, preserving its architectural identity while turning it into a gathering place for those dedicated to protecting these monuments from decay.
Athar Lina (The Monument is Ours), an initiative under Mogawra since 2016, then targeted the domes of al-Ashraf Khalil, one of the most prominent sultans of the Qalawunid dynasty and Mamluk state who conquered Acre and defeated the Crusaders in the Levant, and Fatima Khatun, the only daughter of Ottoman Empire founder Osman I.
Both 13th-century structures had been submerged in water with partial collapses. The team has also preserved the dome of Imam al-Shafi‘i in the cemetery, the burial place of one of Islam’s four founding imams and Egypt’s largest wooden dome.
"Our project now also includes monuments around the Citadel, in the Hattaba area, and around the Ahmad ibn Tulun Mosque in al-Khalifa, which is considered Cairo's oldest mosque still preserving its original form," Heba Nagm, one of the restoration project managers, says.
The team frequently encounters surprises during work, including previously restored layers that must be preserved, pieces of marble inscribed with phrases belonging to the monument's original owner, all of which are immediately handed to the Ministry of Antiquities. One significant discovery was a prayer niche (mihrab) in the Imam al-Shafi'i cemetery.
"The most important process Athar Lina undertakes is documentation, which we've lost much of during previous work," Engineer Mohamed El-Senoussi, who has spent four years restoring the domes of Safi al-Din Jawhar and Yahya al-Shabih on al-Khalifa Street, notes.
Some buildings, such as the domes he worked on, had suffered from cracks and wall deterioration due to severe drought. Others had facades consumed by salts from extreme humidity, alongside groundwater storage from rain and deteriorating sewage infrastructure that accumulated dangerously around these buildings.
"The restorer, whether engineer or technician, must read extensively about the monument they're working on. Although we work according to plans set by senior consultants, when an engineer has a passion for this difficult task and truly understands the mission at hand, everything changes," he adds.
From burden to livelihood
To combat rising groundwater, the initiative removes 500 cubic meters daily using perforated pipes that collect water beneath buildings.
This reclaimed water is repurposed for irrigation through taps installed at street entrances, on rooftops in al-Khalifa, and in the 3,000-square-metre al-Khalifa Park, built between al-Khalifa and Zeinhom streets, which operates entirely on recycled groundwater.
The project grew out of participatory research, including community needs assessments conducted through surveys and collaborative workshops.
Women in the neighbourhood, some with rooftop gardens nourished by this recycled water, have learned to grow plants and crops for daily use.
The initiative supplies seeds, while agricultural engineers oversee cultivation in streets, on rooftops, and in building entrances. Although only ten homes participate in rooftop farming due to many residents' preference for not granting workers access, these efforts have still brought greenery to entrances and streets.
Maram Adel, who supervises the restoration work, explains that working on projects in al-Khalifa Street, amid historical monuments and the daily lives of residents, requires “a different mindset,” adding that “engaging locals in heritage preservation and focusing on sustainability is a vital part of these initiatives.”
One such effort was the Heritage Work project, which empowered women to create intricate khayamiya (traditional appliqué) pieces depicting al-Khalifa Street’s monuments and everyday life. The program held around 50 training and educational workshops, drawing nearly 1,000 local participants.
"Many people don't understand the difference between monuments and heritage," al-Ibrashy explains. "They prefer building new cities over preserving legacy and heritage, thinking they're not demolishing the pyramids.”
Inside the workshop established by the initiative to empower women and youth of the al-Khalifa district, multiple crafts operate simultaneously. It is a hive of ceaseless activity where over 50 women and girls design bags inspired by al-Khalifa's stories, work on khayamiya, and kilim weaving. The woodworking workshops employ over 30 young men in wood carving, creating models, and sometimes Ramadan lanterns. Both workshops provide summer training for al-Khalifa's children and youth.
"Many people don't understand the difference between monuments and heritage," al-Ibrashy explains. "They prefer building new cities over preserving legacy and heritage, thinking they're not demolishing the pyramids.”
"We truly didn't know the importance of the buildings surrounding us from every side,” El-Sayed said. "Then, suddenly in 2014, we were surprised when the initiative asked youth to participate in cleaning the dome and removing rubbish. Restoration work began, and boys, girls, and women learned the story of Shajarat al-Durr."
Her young son now trains in the traditional craft workshops that include over 200 young men and women attached to the initiative.
Twenty-year-old Farah Adel, a second-year social work student at Helwan University, has worked in the workshop for three years after training in the initiative's summer workshops that "changed the face of al-Khalifa Street."
"I've enrolled my younger sister in the initiative's workshops,” she says. “I only wish… I hope people will continue the initiative's accomplishments in restoration and workshops. Someday I'll be able to own my own workshop," she tells The New Arab.
Hanaa Hamad is a writer from Egypt
This article is published in collaboration with Egab