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Programmes in Egypt began with the creation of 30-hectare (74-acre) Al-Azhar park on the site of what had been a rubble dump for 500 years. Today, the project has evolved well beyond the Park to include the restoration of 1.5 kilometres of the 12th century Ayyubid wall and several landmark buildings, as well as socio-economic initiatives in the neighbouring Darb al-Ahmar district. These include housing rehabilitation, microfinance, apprenticeships and healthcare. Nurse’s training and early childhood education programmes are also underway in Aswan.

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SPOTLIGHT ON Environment

A "Green Lung" for Cairo

In 1984, His Highness the Aga Khan announced his decision to finance the creation of a park for the citizens of the Egyptian capital. The only central location that was of suitable scale was the derelict Darassa site, a 30-hectare (74-acre) mound of rubble that had been a debris dump for 500 years. Al-Azhar Park, undertaken by the AKTC, has since proven to be both a popular open space for the people of Cairo and a powerful catalyst for urban renewal in the neighbouring district of Darb al-Ahmar. More


 

News Archives

Continuing Education Centre Opens in Aswan
10 June 2010 - The Continuing Education Center (CEC), an initiative of Om Habibeh Foundation (an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network), was opened to provide new graduates with the skills necessary to be employed in the labour market and offer practical employment-related training to the youth of Aswan and Upper Egypt. The ultimate goal is to foster economic development.

A "Green Lung" for Cairo
30 September 2009 - In 1984, His Highness the Aga Khan announced his decision to finance the creation of a park for the citizens of the Egyptian capital. The only central location that was of suitable scale was the derelict Darassa site, a 30-hectare (74-acre) mound of rubble that had been a debris dump for 500 years. Al-Azhar Park, undertaken by the AKTC, has since proven to be both a popular open space for the people of Cairo and a powerful catalyst for urban renewal in the neighbouring district of Darb al-Ahmar.

Al-Azhar Park: A Garden in Cairo
23 April 2009 - In 1984, His Highness the Aga Khan announced his decision to finance the creation of a park for the citizens of the Egyptian capital. The only central location that was of suitable scale was the derelict Darassa site, a 30-hectare (74-acre) mound of rubble that had been a debris dump for 500 years. Al-Azhar Park, undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, has since proven to be both a popular open space for the people of Cairo and a powerful catalyst for urban renewal in the neighbouring district of Darb al-Ahmar -- once one of the poorest districts in Cairo. This video, narrated by Brad Pitt, is a shorter version of a film that appeared on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in the United States in 2008. For more information, please see PBS.org or "Season Three" of the e2 series (http://www.e2-series.com/).

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