Heliopolis: Rebirth of the City of the SunWhen in the early years of the twentieth century the Belgian businessman Edouard Empain began to turn his dream of building an entirely new satellite city in the desert outside Cairo into a reality, he followed the then novel urban-planning concept of the 'garden city'. But in naming his creation, he turned back to one of the most ancient sites in Egypt, the solar temple of Heliopolis, the biblical On, and in its architecture he sought inspiration in the heritage of Cairo's Islamic tradition. When the city, known as 'New Egypt' in Arabic, was completed, a half-hour tram ride through the desert was needed to reach it. Today, Heliopolis has been enveloped within the huge and ever-growing metropolis of Cairo. However, despite rapid development, overpopulation, and increasing traffic, Heliopolis has retained much of its original character and charm, and the captivating atmosphere of Egypt's Belle Epoque is still tangible. Its houses, mosques, and churches, designed to imitate various styles of the past, have become historic buildings in their own right. This fully illustrated book introduces the reader to the history and development of Heliopolis through its architecture and its inhabitants past and present. Color and archival black-and-white photographs throughout are supplemented by line drawings by architect Jaroslaw Dobrowolski, author of The Living Stones of Cairo (AUC Press, 2001). |
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al-Laqqani Street formerly Alexandre Marcel apartment buildings Arab arcades architect Armenian Art Nouveau AUC Press Avenue Baghdad Street Baron Empain Basilica Belgian Belgian king Belle Époque Boghos Boghos Nubar Boulevard Isma'il Brussels building on Ibrahim built Cairo Electric Railways church city's Cleopatra's Needles construction costume courtyard decorative desert district early Echelle Edouard Empain Egypt Eixample Ernest Jaspar European formerly Boulevard Abbas Gamal Abd al-Nasser garden city grand Greek greenery Groppi Hagg Abbas Harun al-Rashid Heliopolis Company's Heliopolis Oases Company Heliopolis Palace Hotel Heliopolis's Heliopolitan Heliopolitan buildings historic houses huge Ibrahim al-Laqqani Street Islamic architecture kilometers located Mamluk Matariya meters minarets modern monumental mosque neo-baroque Nile oasis obelisk Opposite original Heliopolis Palais Paris planning Pyramids Railways and Heliopolis religious residential building Roxy Square Saqqara shops Société Anonyme spacious square kilometers Strabo Street formerly Boulevard style tower tradition tramway urban villas