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May al-Ibrashy

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May al-Ibrashy
Born1970
NationalityEgyptian
OccupationArchitectural Engineer
Board member ofFounder & Chair of Megawra-Built Environment Collective

May al-Ibrashy is an Egyptian architectural engineer, the co-founder and principal of Megawra and chair of Megawra-Built environment collective (BEC).[1] Al-Ibrashy works on community engagement projects through heritage conservation, rehabilitation, preservation, and re-signification centered in Cairo's marginalized communities.[2]

Education

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Al-Ibrashy was born in Cairo in 1970. She obtained a degree in architectural engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo.[3] She continued her education to complete a master's in the history of Islamic Art, architecture, and archaeology from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) followed by a PhD in archaeology, also at SOAS.[3] Her thesis, The Southern Cemetery of Cairo from the 14th century to the present: an urban history of a living cemetery, focused on themes which have subsequently formed the basis of her career.[4]

Career

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Al-Ibrashy began her career working as an architect and a professor prior to co-founding Megawra, an Egyptian non-governmental organization architectural practice in 2011.[5] Alongside her work for Megawra, she continues to work as a lecturer in Architecture at the American University in Cairo and at Cairo University, as well as a Professor of Practice in Islamic Architecture at SOAS.[6][3] In 2012, Megawra partnered with the Built Environment Collective (BEC), an engineering and design consultancy.[5] The combined group, Megawra-BEC, works as an architectural firm and non-governmental organization with a focus on sustainable and socially-responsible heritage restoration across Cairo.[2][7] In the same year, al-Ibrashy began the Athar Lina (Heritage is Ours!) initiative, in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.[3] al-Ibrashy's fieldwork engages with the communities in the Al-Khalifa district in Sayeda Zeinab, Al Hattaba district, and Al-Imam Al-Shafii district through participatory conservation initiatives,[8] with the aim of encouraging the marginalized communities’ sense of ownership of their historic environments.[9] A specific focus of al-Ibrashy's work is with children and young people in Cairo’s economically-deprived neighborhoods,[10] and she has worked in the Northern Cemetery in Cairo.[11] Al-Ibrashy has lectured widely, both in Egypt and abroad.[12][13][14]

Publications

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Books

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  • Citizen Participation in Historic Cairo, The Ford Foundation (2020)[15]
  • Conservation and Management Plan Al-Khalifa Street Area, ISBN 978-977-90-8236-3, The Ford Foundation (2020)[16]
  • معايير التصميم في القاهرة التاريخية - Historic Cairo Intervention Toolkit, ISBN 978-977-90-8235-6[17] (2020)
  • خطة الحفاظ والإدارة - منطقة شارع الخليفة, The Ford Foundation (2020)

Papers

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  • Closing Keynote Speech-May al-Ibrashy-Heritage as a driver for development: Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo, AUC Knowledge Foundation (2020)
  • The cultural heritage of Egypt's cities (2021)
  • Heritage in the Street: Megawra | BEC’s Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo, ISSN 2206-9658, City Space Architecture[18] (2021)
  • Design with the Senses and for the Senses: An Alternative Teaching Model for Design Studio, International Journal of Architectural Research[19] (2010)
  • The history of the Southern Cemetery of Cairo from the 14th century to the present : an urban study of a living cemetery (2005)

Editorial contribution

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  • Funambulist Magazine, Cairo: Hope is the thing with feathers[1] (2020)

Awards

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  • 2022 Prince Claus Impact Award Recipient:[2]
al-Ibrashy was the recipient of the 2022 Prince Claus Fund Impact Awards,[2] along with María Medrano, Argentina; Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Cuba; Ailton Alves Lacerda Krenak, Brazil; Hassan Darsi, Morocco and Alain Gomis, Senegal.
al-Ibrashy was one of the five finalists for the 2023 ArchDaily Diversity in Architecture Award.

References

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  1. ^ a b "May al-Ibrashy". The Funambulist Magazine. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "2022 Impact Awards Announcement". Prince Claus Fund. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Rashidi, Seif El (12 October 2021). "New Podcast: Heritage is Ours with May al-Ibrashy". The Barakat Trust. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  4. ^ "The Southern Cemetery of Cairo from the 14th century to the present: an urban history of a living cemetery". WorldCat. 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b El Gibaly, Lara (March 7, 2017). "Megawra: Making sure heritage is a resource, not a burden: An architect, a historian and a storyteller walk into a shrine…". Madamasr. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  6. ^ "Dr May al-Ibrasy". SOAS University of London. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. ^ Akil, Carla (28 January 2022). "Dr May al-Ibrashy: Linking heritage to the community". Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Historian May Al-Ibrashy Wins Global Award for Heritage Conservation". SceneHome. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  9. ^ "In Old Cairo, residents reconnect with their heritage". France 24. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  10. ^ Makary, Marina (23 November 2022). "Athar Lina: Promoting cultural heritage at al-Khalifa neighbourhood". Egyptian Streets. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  11. ^ Keath, Lee (2020-08-08). "Highways over history". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. pp. E2. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  12. ^ Al-Ibrashy, May (May 2023). "Heritage as a driver for development: Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo". Research and Creativity Convention. The American University in Cairo. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Athar Lina Initiative: Heritage as a community resource". Architectural League of New York. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  14. ^ "May al-Ibrashy and the Tahayyuz Alliance". Charlotte College of Arts and Architecture. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Citizen Participation in Historic Cairo". Atharlina.com. 2020.
  16. ^ "Conservation and Management Plan Al-Khalifa Street Area". 2020.
  17. ^ "Historic Cairo Intervention Toolkit". Atharlina.com. 2020.
  18. ^ al-Ibrashy, May. “Heritage in the Street: Megawra | BEC’s Athar Lina Initiative in Historic Cairo.” The Journal of Public Space, no. Vol. 6 n. 1 (2021): 241–56. doi:10.32891/JPS.V6I1.1462.
  19. ^ al-Ibrashy, May and Tammy Gaber. “Design with the senses and for the senses: An alternative teaching model for design studio” International Journal of Architectural Research: Archnet-IJAR 4 (2010): 359-375.
  20. ^ Fakharany, Nour (9 March 2023). "Diversity in Architecture, DIVIA Award". ArchDaily. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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