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Architects find in doors of Old Cairo buildings historic value

The doors of buildings attest to the hidden beauty of Cairo throughout the ages, and the extent of human interest in architecture in Egypt.
A man walks past a Star of David decorating the door of a home in the Jewish quarter of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on June 25, 2015. An Egyptian soap opera titled "The Jewish Quarter" aiming to dispel prejudice towards the country's long-vilified and nearly extinct Jewish community is being aired during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI        (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

CAIRO — Just as they form an inseparable part of the building's facade, ancient doors also reflect the social and economic life of those who lived in those buildings. The distinctive decorations of those doors, in terms of architecture, shapes or engraved writings, represent the culture of the era in which the door was designed and the building was constructed.

The architect behind the “Doors of Cairo” project, Sarah Ayman, told Al-Monitor, “During my studies at the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University, I would go on tours in Cairo to check out the various architectural styles. But when I visited the Religious Complex in the Old Cairo neighborhood in southern Cairo, I wanted everyone to wander the streets of Islamic Cairo, Khedivial Cairo and other neighborhoods of Cairo to see their beauty and splendor. I started taking photos of doors of buildings there to document the different architectural styles in Cairo."

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