Heritage in real life: between appreciation and contempt: why are modern Egyptians continuously losing their heritage?
Abstract
Since UNESCO adopted the task of preserving the world's tangible and intangible heritage, the term "cultural heritage" has become known worldwide. However, there seems to be a gap between cultural heritage as a construct made by academic scholars and adopted by UNESCO on one side, and the popular perception of heritage and its significance in daily life on the other side.
This phenomenon could not be seen clearer than in the case of Egypt: for while the UNESCO initiative is achieving positive results in Europe and the developed world, and while more heritage assets are being added to the world heritage list every year, Egypt is facing a continuous decline in its tangible cultural heritage (Hanna, 2013), as "less appreciated" or "undesired" historical sites are continually being demolished by the government or private owners to make way for other functions (Middle East Eye, 2023) & (Zakaria, 2019), and other heritage sites are looted in search of treasures to be sold on the black market (Hanna, 2013).
On the official level, the Egyptian authorities express their keen interest in the preservation of “monuments and antiquities”, and many projects are being implemented by the government in that direction (Ikram, 2010). Yet many heritage assets are being disregarded and lost, sometimes because of negligence, and sometimes because of intended destruction. This research is trying to investigate this case of double standards in dealing with heritage, assuming that it is caused by problems and misconceptions in the collective mindset of Egyptian society, specifically in the aspects of perception and understanding of the value and use of heritage and of history in general.
To achieve that goal, I have been researching literary and academic resources in the fields of Heritage studies and national identity for the roots of these misconceptions, and trying to connect them with the everyday life of society. Being a part of the community myself and through direct contact with the people, I detected and extracted aspects of the Egyptian mindset on the grassroots level that played a significant role in the problem of heritage.
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Article Details
Accepted 2025-07-28
Published 2025-07-31