Cairo (AFP)

In the heart of the "City of the Dead", glassblowers get busy in front of their brick ovens by more than 50 degrees, in a district of Cairo with a cultural and artisanal heritage in full revival.

A carpentry and a leather and jewelery workshop have also joined the small community of traditional crafts, recently refocused around the mosque of the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay.

This 15th-century architectural gem, which is featured on Egyptian one pound notes, is surrounded by monumental tombs, dusty alleys and informal settlements.

The immense inhabited necropolis, which stretches over six kilometers, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since 2014, a series of projects funded by the European Union (EU) have changed the face of this neighborhood.

"Before the projects, there was garbage everywhere in the streets. Now, a truck collects it every day," said Issem Abou Rami, 57, owner of a small restaurant opposite the mosque.

In this poor district of Cairo, local produce is now sold in elegant stalls, under restored stone vaults, but also online.

- Social development -

It all started six years ago with the renovation of a "Hawd" or watering hole for animals, then that of the "Maqad" or reception hall of the Sultan's residence.

The latest project started by the EU in 2018, for which it has contributed nearly one million euros, is called "Heritage for the living in the City of the Dead" and focuses on social development.

The mainstay of this metamorphosis, the architect Agnieszka Dobrowolska, director of the project, supervised the restoration of monuments, the renovation of workshops, their signage, and even the design of jewelry and leather objects inspired by Mamluk motifs.

"Our main goal was the conservation of monuments," she told AFP.

But "we quickly realized that we could not conserve the monuments without taking into account the people who live in the area," adds Ms Dobrowolska, director of the consulting firm Archinos.

Today, after a few weeks of interruption linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, the leather and jewelry workshop has resumed work with around forty women for leather and a dozen others for jewelry, all stamped with the local brand Mishka.

Aida Hassan, 45, is delighted to earn "1,500 pounds (80 euros) per month and sometimes more", thanks to her craft activity.

"This project has helped improve my income," she says, adding that she herself has trained other women in leatherwork.

At the same time, hundreds of women and children in the neighborhood have benefited from courses and workshops on subjects as diverse as science, technology, English and sport.

- "Durability" -

The EU, the main donor of the current project which is due to end in 2021, insists on the social aspect of the program.

"Our intention is to support this type of projects which immediately benefit vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Projects which have a broad socio-economic impact, (...) which guarantee a path towards sustainability," Christian explained to AFP. Berger, the head of the EU delegation in Egypt.

Concerts are organized, from jazz to folk through to traditional Egyptian music.

And visual artists, Western or Egyptian, come to exhibit their works.

It is about "reinforcing the diversity of cultural and artistic expression, to build bridges between East and West", explains Ms. Dobrowolska.

Another purpose of the transformation of the place: the reception of tourists.

The "City of the Dead", sometimes surrounded by superstitions because of its status as a necropolis, can frighten taxi drivers who refuse to enter it.

Moreover, it is not on the program of the most popular tourist circuits.

"We are trying to attract (more) tourists who are outside (...) mass tourism", adds Ms. Dobrowolska who wants individual visitors and small groups interested in "the uniqueness of this necropolis".

Not far from the Qaitbay mosque, the authorities started work in July to build a road.

Demolitions and evictions of inhabitants of the City of the Dead have drawn strong criticism on social networks.

© 2020 AFP