22 - 28 February 2001
Issue No.522
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 22 - 28 February 2001 Issue No.522 |
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Terminal shopping
When advertisements appeared last week in Al-Wafd and Al-Akhbar newspapers inviting tenders for the conversion of Cairo's main terminus into a shopping mall, few seem to have paid them much attention. But when Al-Ahram Weekly brought the proposed transformation to the attention of architects and experts in the restoration and preservation of monuments no one -- least of all the Railway Authority -- appears to have anticipated the fuss that would break out.
POETRY IN LOCOMOTION: The Cairo train station in the 1920s. Almost a century later, plans for its rejuvenation -- or transformation -- are afoot
"A historical catastrophe," thundered historian Yunan Labib Rizk. "A national disgrace," chorused writer and conservation campaigner Ni'maat Ahmed Fouad and architect Mona Zakaria.
According to the advertisements, the railway authorities are poised to accept bids to "convert the historical building of the Cairo railway station into an international trade mall serving a million passengers who flock daily to the station." To tempt potential bidders further, the state-owned Egypt Railway Authority is also offering a 25,000 square metre plot adjacent to the building for development.
Architects and historians were quick to express their dismay. "Even if we put aside the station's distinctive architectural style, there are still the historical aspects of the building," says Rizk.
"We are not against upgrading the railway system and introducing new facilities, but this project is not about that. It is about wiping out our memories. They keep converting one historic place after another. In 10 years' time it is unlikely that we will be able to recognise a great many of today's landmarks," a disgruntled Zakaria, who recently supervised the upgrading of the Aswan railway station, told Al Ahram Weekly.
Rizk also fears that memories will be eradicated in the drive to develop -- among them Saad Zaghlul's triumphant return from exile, and the attempt to assassinate the nationalist hero at the station in August 1924.
But the real value of the place, according to Fouad, is its adoption of Andalusian architectural motifs. The station represents the culmination of attempts by 19th-century Egyptian architects to combine classic and Islamic building styles, in response to Khedive Ismail's plans for a "European Cairo."
Nor are the disparaging comments of historians and architects the only thing those responsible for Egypt's century-old railway system have to worry about. Recently facing heavy criticism for incompetent management, Prime Minister Atef Ebeid appeared to be putting on the pressure last week when he was quoted as saying that President Hosni Mubarak himself is "concerned with the file of the railway system."
By offering its real estate assets to investors under BOT arrangements, the Railway Authority clearly hopes to maximise its revenue-generating potential. Unfortunately, it failed to take into account the fondness in which many hold the Moorish-style main terminus.
Responding to criticisms levelled at the project, railway officials insisted it is only a part of their overall plan to modernise the Railway Authority. A senior official pointed out that the project, which will transform the first and second floors of the station into shops and commercial outlets, has been in the offing for quite some time.
"This is the best way to increase the revenue of the station and thus allow us to upgrade the whole system," Agib Quzman, head of the construction department at the Authority and supervisor of the project, told the Weekly. He flatly denied that the architectural style of the station will be tampered with in any of the project's stages. Another railway official, Rashid Nagi, emphasised that "potential bidders and investors will be required to retain the historical building," adding that "the restoration and safety of the building will be a priority in any upgrading plans."
Railway officials, however, contradicted one another on whether the station will remain in operation during the upgrading scheme. While Nagi denies that trains will cease to operate to and from the station, Quzman does not rule out the possibility of halting all movement to relieve pressure and traffic congestion in the city centre.
The railway authorities, Quzman reveals, have already received approaches from one investor, affiliated with the National Bank of Egypt, whose bid is being discussed.
The nature of the commercial activities to take place inside the station is likely to be high on the agenda of those discussions. According to Quzman, some activities will not be allowed. "We cannot, for example, allow a MacDonalds' outlet inside," he said.
Such restrictions, though, are unlikely to mollify the scheme's opponents. The mere existence of a shopping centre in the area, argues Zakaria, will increase, not decrease, traffic. Nor, she adds, is the scheme as viable as the authorities are making out. Commercial outlets are likely to have a difficult time turning a profit, she points out, given the low incomes of the majority of the station's users.
"The whole scheme seems futile and meaningless," agrees Fouad.
It is, says Rizk, nothing short of "doing away with history in return for a few bucks."
And just in case their message is not getting across, Zakaria has called upon architects and historians to organise a sit-in at the station.
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