An online petition is calling for a halt to work in the historical Al-Massalla (Obelisk) Garden intended to make way for an entertainment zone.
“We, Zamalek residents and visitors of Cairo public parks, demand a halt to the work currently being carried out by a private investment company in Al-Massalla Garden to build an entertainment area with chains of restaurants and cafés” noted the petition, signed by around 5,000 people and submitted by the Save Zamalek campaign.
With a distinctive architectural character, the Obelisk Garden, between three to four acres, opened during the era of Khedive Ismail, making it a historical heritage garden included in the register of properties under Decision 817 of 2020 by the minister of housing and urban utilities, according to Nadra Zaki, head of the board of the Zamalek Association for Development (ZAD).
The problem is the absence of social dialogue between decision-makers and Zamalek residents, Zaki said, adding that the former should communicate with civil society representing the residents, to better understand their arguments, Zaki told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Other than the historical nature of the garden, the plan to demolish part of it to build cafés would disturb the ecosystem as Zamalek is an island and a path for the migration of water birds, Dina Zulfikar, an environmental activist, said.
Zulfikar stressed that conducting a social dialogue about such projects “establishes the principle of transparency and eliminates the spreading of rumours”.
Ashraf Al-Omda, ZAD’s legal advisor, told the Weekly that since public pressure stopped Cairo Eye, the LE50 million project that included constructing a 150-metre Ferris Wheel, a two-story garage and a marina in 2021, the garden has been closed and neglected.
“However, we were surprised by the recent pouring of concrete, the removal of trees and the bulldozing of the garden. We lodged a complaint to the Qasr Al-Nil police station on 28 February, and attached pictures showing violations and the conversion of green spaces to concrete, and sent it to the authorities concerned,” Al-Omda explained.
In addition to the immediate freezing of work, signatories of the Save Zamalek petition called for the formation of a committee of heritage and environment experts to review the plan and restore the garden to what it was before its closure in 2021.
Zamalek residents, according to Al-Omda, are not against developing the garden but they are demanding an end to the violations of its heritage.
He noted that it was obvious the developer was not specialised in maintaining heritage gardens. “We want every member of the cabinet to take action according to his or her field to stop the encroachment on the heritage garden,” Al-Omda told the Weekly.
Heritage gardens must not be tampered with “as they are irreplaceable national treasures” stressed Asmaa Al-Halwagi, head of the Tree Lovers Association, demanding the inclusion of such gardens to Egypt’s tourist map.
“Citizens and decision-makers must be fully aware of the importance of the restoration of heritage gardens and historical facilities to preserve the Egyptian identity,” Al-Halwagi said.
In addition to the fact that preserving identity adds to Egypt’s soft power, restoring these historical sites would generate significant revenues to the state coffers if properly exploited, Al-Halwagi added.
According to Zaki, demolition work in the Obelisk Garden comes only four months after Egypt hosted the World Urban Forum (WUF), in November 2024. “The forum concluded its work by recommending the importance of preserving public spaces and that the residents of cities should be consulted in decisions taken by the entities managing these cities,” Zaki said.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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