National Capacity Building on Inventorying the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Communities in Egypt are inventorying their living heritage

 

Egypt is famed for its rich civilization and long history. Egyptian identity is presented not only through archaeological sites and Ancient Egyptian civilization, but also through Egypt’s diverse living heritage. More than simply showing who they are today, this living heritage tells the story of how the Egyptians arrived at this point over the generations.To celebrate this identity and strengthen national capacities to safeguard it, UNESCO, alongside the Egyptian government and civil society, implemented the project Strengthening National Capacities for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Egypt for Sustainable Development, which ran from June 2018 to June 2021.The project focused on community-based inventorying of living heritage. This involved training workshops and a pilot community-based inventorying exercise, which took place in six different locations throughout Egypt (Cairo, Fayoum, Gharbeya, Aswan, Assuit, and Marsa Matrouh).

 

Thanks to the project, participating community practitioners and heritage bearers are now equipped to inventory their own living heritage.

 

• This pilot was Egypt’s first step to establishing a national inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) under the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with community practitioners.

 

• This publication provides recommendations on how to further enhance national capabilities for ICH safeguarding and how to advance community engagement in the inventorying processes in Egypt.