Customer Reviews

The Monuments Of Historic Cairo: A Map and Descriptive Catalogue (American Research Center in Egypt's Conservation) (American Research Center in Egypt Conservation)

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Anyone seriously interested in the monuments of Islamic Cairo requires an accurate and detailed map of that area. I have about 6 such maps produced by different publishers including the AUC. None of them is complete and some are simply inaccurate. For example, there is no way to identify Haret El Yahud and the surrounding synagogues on any of these maps (probably for political reasons).

This book, by contrast, contains very accurate, very detailed maps of the entire neighbourhood. Even the boundaries of the various properties are clearly defined (the author must have used topographical maps available only to municipality officials).

It's a work of art, very finely produced, and incredibly detailed. All historical monuments are there, in accurate architectural outlines, and listed elsewhere in various ways (by name, by identification number, by date of origin, etc, etc). Each monument has a short but accurate description.

This a very valuable book, a work of great scholarship. I am stunned and humbled by the amount of effort that was put into it and the fact that it is all the work of one man. I hope to write a more detailed review later.