The Historic Hammams of Cairo Safeguarding a Vanishing Heritage

Hammams (Islamic bathhouses) were key buildings in the Islamic city. Despite their large number and importance within the urban fabric of historic Islamic cities, they have rarely attracted much attention either from the academic community or from organizations dealing with the conservation and restoration of historic buildings. Studies of these buildings are scarce and rare. The future survival of the remaining ones is a real challenge to those concerned about the preservation of historic buildings. Based on a survey of the remaining bathhouses of Cairo, carried out by the authors in June 2007 as part of a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), this paper describes the hammams of Cairo and highlights the lack of a strategy for their restoration. It focuses on the problems facing their safeguard; from selection and listing, to the lengthy process of restoration and the lack of expertise in restoration techniques. The paper finally concludes by proposing guidelines to help achieve a sustainable adaptive re-use of these buildings.