Al-Athar Lina is a conservation initiative that aims to establish citizen participation in heritage conservation based on the understanding that a monument is a resource not a burden.

It sees the conservation decision-making process as an inclusive, participatory process between stakeholders and believes that conservation can be a vehicle for development.

The initiative is the brainchild of Egyptian architectural historian May El-Ibrashy, who was recently among the winners of the 2022 Prince Claus Impacts awards for innovation and contribution to community.

It is run by the Built Environment Collective Megawra, a joint project between an NGO and an architecture firm.

Al-Athar Lina organises a participatory design project for Monument-Street Buffer Zones (safe zones surrounding a monument to ensure its security) on the Al-Khalifa Street, which runs from Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque in the popular Sayeda Zeinab district to the Shrine of Al-Sayeda Nafisa in south Cairo.

Since 2012, Athar Lina community engagement activities have included campaigns to raise awareness among children about the significance of monuments in their neighbourhoods

The community also participates in Athar Lina School for Art and Heritage, an annual Al-Khalifa Summer Camp, heritage walks, and Al-Athar Lina Heritage Design Thinking School (ALHDTS).

For more information, visit the initiative’s website.