2025 - Tombstones of Islamic Cairo: Documentation, Conservation and Interpretation, Ahmed Alshoky

The historic cemeteries of Cairo face unprecedented threats due to urban expansion, lack of awareness, and deliberate destruction. Since 2023 a collaborative project by a number of Cairo’s leading academic institutions has been underway to document, conserve, and interpret the tombstones. Funding from The Barakat Trust contributes to the continuation of this significant, and ambitious project.

Amongst its aims are the completion of conservation and documentation of all tombstones from the Museum of Islamic Art, the development of a storage database, the expansion of the project to Cairo’s southern cemeteries, the publication of an interactive map that will publish data on the tombstones according to their location, publications, and the provision of training for inspectors at the Ministry of Antiquities and Egyptian university students.

Ahmed Alshoky is leading this project. He is Professor of Islamic Archaeology and Vice Dean for Post Graduate Studies and Research Affairs at Ain Shams University, Cairo.

Photo credit: Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images

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