Workshop: Cities on the Edge: Documenting, Preserving, and Teaching Endangered Urban Heritage in Egypt, Sudan and Palestine
October 31 – November 1, 2025 (AUC Tahrir Square and Online)
Program and registration link: Cities on the Edge
<https://everydayorientalism.
Over the course of 2 days, Cities on the Edge will gather an international group of scholars working on a variety of aspects pertaining to the urban heritage of Egypt, Sudan and Palestine. This transnational focus of Egypt and its neighbors serves to acknowledge the
deep historical entanglements of these regions from as far back as the neolithic period, as well as the related crises they face through serious threats to—and destruction of—their heritage.
Cities on the Edge is co-organised by Noha Abou-Khatwa (AUC), Georgia M. Andreou (Southampton U), Katherine Blouin (U of Toronto), and Christine Johnston (Western
Washington U).
Program:
DAY 1 – October 31, 2025
8:30–9:00 Welcome
9:00–10:30 ROUNDTABLE 1: Urban Heritage and Violence.
Discussant: Pascale Ghazaleh (AUC).
Panelists: Sufyan Deis, Tomomi Fushiya, Izzeddin Hawamda,
Aliaa Nassar, Ahmed Zaazaa
10:30–11:00 Coffee Break
11:00–12:30 Roundtable 2: Urban Heritage, Climate, and
Conservation.
Discussant: Yasmine El Shazli (ARCE).
Panelists: Georgia M. Andreou, Lucy Blue, Yasmine Hafez,
Mohamed Kenawi, Séverine Marchi, Ziad Morsi
12:30–2:00 Lunch
2:00–3:30 Roundtable 3: Urban Heritage, Museums,
and Archives.
Discussant: Sameh Abu-Sulieman (National Museum of
Australia).
Panelists: Heba Abd El Gawad, Mohamed Abdelsalam,
Intisar Soghayroun, Béatrice Blandin, Jawdat Elkhoudary,
Marc-André Haldimann
3:30–4:00 Coffee Break
4:00–5:30 Roundtable 4: Heritage in Crisis: Urbicide
in Gaza.
Discussant: Georgia M. Andreou (U. of Southampton).
Panelists: Yasmeen Elkhoudary, Jehad Abu Hassan,
Fadel al Utol, René Elter, Jean-Baptiste Humbert
DAY 2 – November 1, 2025
8:30–12:00 PRACTICUM FIELD TRIP: Islamic Cairo. Tour
by May Al-Ibrashy and the Megawra team (focus on
conservation training, climate impact mitigation, and
community-based heritage management)
12:00–2:00 Lunch
2:00–3:30 ROUNDTABLE 5: Heritage in Crisis: Conserving
Cairo’s Urban Heritage.
Discussant: Amina Elbendary (AUC).
Panelists: May Al-Ibrashy, Alaa al-Habashi, Dina Bakhoum,
Nairy Hampikian, Ahmed Mansour, Nader Ali
3:30–4:00 Coffee Break
4:00–5:00 FINAL DISCUSSION: Professional Knowledge
Exchange (brainstorming session on current and future
needs for heritage professionals)
7:00-9:00 THE APOLLO OF GAZA (2018, Nicolas Wadimoff dir.):
Screening and Q&A with several of the people featured
in the documentary. Chair: Girish Daswani (UofT)
