The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Photograph by: Fathia Elsisi

History lies not just within the monuments that have stood the test of time, history also resides within the streets that witnessed it happen, the places that saw it getting lived out, and the echoes in the buildings hosting of those who wrote it. As such, a campaign was born with the purpose of immortalising those places, a campaign with the name 3ash Hena (literally translating to: lived here).

This campaign comes as an effort from the National Organization for Urban Harmony. The idea is simple; putting signs on historical buildings to display the artists, poets, authors, politicians, philosophers, professors, scientists, and other significant historical figures who lived in these buildings.

Dr. Abdel Rahim Rihan, General Director of Archaeological Studies, Researches, and Scientific Publications at the Ministry of Antiquities, has supported this initiative. He believes that this campaign will go a great job in documenting the history of such people, who are a crucial part of Egypt’s modern history. His support extended to advocating for more authority to be given to the National Organization for Urban Harmony.

We think this is a great idea, which can greatly improve the experience of walking down the streets of Egypt for foreigners and locals alike. Imagine walking down famous streets in Egypt and living out the history that was made in those very streets.

Engineer Mohamed Abo Seada, President of the National Organization for Urban Harmony, has announced that 100 signs have been put on different buildings as part of the Lived Here Campaign. These will receive larger publicity through an upcoming public conference to celebrate such an achievement. This campaign started in the first few months of 2017, and is set to continue to encompass more and more buildings.

The signs include the names of the historical figures who lived in the buildings concerned, the birth and death date of that person, and includes a QR Code. This will allow visitors to scan the QR Code via their smartphones in order to reveal more information regarding the historical figure and their impact on Egypt’s history through a brief biography.

Genius can sometimes lie in the simplest of ideas.