ICOMOS NL Lezingenavond - Ancient Egypt, Current Challenge
The topic of this evening is the heritage of Ancient Egypt in a current society. Kareem Ibrahim (practicing architect in Egypt) and René Boer (critic, curator and organizer) will share their experiences and views on the topic.
Ancient Egypt, Current Challenge
Egypt is famous for its ancient history and its overwhelming antiquities. The country has become a major tourist destination in modern times, attracting some 19 million visitors on a yearly base. All are eager to catch a glimpse of the massive pyramids or a view on a mysterious Sphinx. World Heritage properties like Thebes, Memphis and Old Cairo are overrun by heritage lovers like us. But what about the people living around these places? How do they relate to this heritage? Living in the Instagram-able city quarters of Cairo, amidst the romantic patina and dust without the modern conveniences is different from visiting it. This ICOMOS-evening the Egyptian based architect Kareem Ibrahim and the Dutch based curator and critic René Boer will share their experiences -each from his own perspective- on how and to what extend Egypt’s historical features are able to accommodate current societal needs.
This lecture evening will be conducted in English
Programme
18h30 Meal
19h30 Introduction by Jean-Paul Corten
19h35 Revitalization of Historic Esna by Kareem Ibrahim and Q&A
20h15 Pause
20h30 Grounding urban practices: Cairo 2011-2026 by René Boer and Q&A
21h15 End
The lectures
Revitalization of Historic Esna - Kareem Ibrahim
This lecture examines the Revitalization of Historic Esna Project (2016–ongoing), the recipient of the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Located 60 km south of Luxor, Esna exemplifies the dual challenge facing many African historic cities: a tourism model fixated on monumental antiquities — in this case, the Ptolemaic Temple of Khnum — while the surrounding multi-layered urban fabric is neglected, and its residents are excluded from economic benefits.
Implemented by Takween Integrated Community Development with public partners and international donors, the project deployed an "urban acupuncture" strategy: targeted interventions at high-impact sites — Wakalat al-Geddawi, the Qisariyya Market, Bazaar Street, significant buildings — coupled with socioeconomic instruments including an Incentive Programme for MSMEs, and women-led ventures such as Okra Kitchen and the Ka-Root Workshop.
The lecture distills transferable lessons for African urban heritage practice: shifting from frozen-museum to living-city models, integrating physical and social interventions, empowering women, and embedding participatory governance within formal planning frameworks.
Grounding urban practices: Cairo 2011-2026 - René Boer
In the past fifteen years René Boer developed an independent practice focusing on among others spatial justice and urban pasts and futures. While most of his work is situated in Amsterdam, a significant part was developed in the Egyptian capital Cairo. In this lecture, he will share how he built a wide range of collaborations in different parts of Cairo, from new educational initiatives in the city’s oldest quarters to attempts to translate heritage models from Amsterdam to the city’s inhabited cemeteries. He will reflect on his position as an outsider and the need to always ‘ground’ urban practices in neighborhoods, communities or movements. The lecture will highlight the potential of building a practice bridging two completely different capital cities.
About the speakers
Kareem Ibrahim
Kareem Ibrahim is an Egyptian architect and urban development expert with 31 years of experience in heritage conservation, inclusive urban revitalization, and urban policy reform. A Cairo University graduate (1995), he began his career with UNDP's Historic Cairo Rehabilitation Project, then served as Senior Project Manager for the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (1997–2010), where he worked on the renowned Darb al-Ahmar Revitalization Project. He later directed large-scale mixed-use developments at Al-Futtaim Group Real Estate (2010–2017) and has collaborated with UNESCO, UN-Habitat, USAID, GIZ, the World Bank, and the British Museum.
In 2009, he co-founded Takween Integrated Community Development, which became USAID's first Egyptian Prime Partner in cultural heritage. In 2025, he received the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture for Takween's Revitalization of Historic Esna Project (2024). Earlier honors include the UN-Habitat International Best Practice Award (2008) and the Egyptian State Award for Architecture (2018).
René Boer
René Boer (1986) works as a critic, curator and organizer in and beyond the fields of architecture, design, heritage and the arts. In his practice he articulates new perspectives on spatial conditions and facilitates fertile ground for imagining and materialising alternatives. He is a founding partner of Loom — practice for cultural transformation, part of the transnational platform Failed Architecture and affiliated with various urban social movements as well as art, architecture and design schools in Amsterdam and beyond. In recent years, he developed a wide range of research projects, public programmes, exhibitions, educational experiments and political positions, often in close collaboration with a network of likeminded institutions, movements, practitioners and friends. These include Contemporary Conflict with Framer Framed (Amsterdam), Architecture of Appropriation with Het Nieuwe Instituut (Rotterdam), Grounded Urban Practices with CLUSTER (Cairo), Contemporary Commoning with the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (Amsterdam) and Terraforming Indonesia/Lahan Becek with ruangrupa/gudskul (Jakarta). In 2023, he published 'Smooth City' with Valiz Publishers.
Practical information
Costs
Cost for ICOMOS members: lectures are free; meal €15.
Cost for non-ICOMOS members: lectures €5; lectures + meal €20.
Meal
Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. Unless otherwise communicated, this will be an Indonesian rice table.
The cost is €15 per person. Coffee, tea, and water are included; other drinks are available for purchase.
Please note: registrations or cancellations for the meal must be made no later than 48 hours in advance.
Location
Amstelkerk (Amstelveld 10, Amsterdam)
Registration
Registration takes place via the website. Click here.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, 13 may at the Amstelkerk in Amsterdam. See you then!