Hassan Fathy
Hassan Fathy is an Egyptian architect who pioneered the appropriate technology for building in Egypt and is Egypt's best known architect since Imhotep. His speciality was to re-establish the use of mud brick instead of the traditional as opposed to western building designs and lay-outs.
Fathy was born in Alexandria in 1900. It was in 1926 that Fathy graduated from Cairo University (known then as University of King Fuad I) and trained as an architect in Egypt, he designed his first mud brick buildings in the late 1930’s, which was the start to a long and successful career.
After that he held several government positions and was even appointed head of the Architectural Section of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo, in 1954. Then in 1980, Fathy was recognized with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture Chairman's Award. Having designed nearly 160 separate projects, from modest country retreats to fully planned communities with police, fire, and medical services, with markets, schools and theatres, with places for worship and others for recreation, including many, like laundry facilities, ovens, and wells.
In 1957, he moved to Athens having become extremely frustrated with bureaucracy here and was convinced that buildings would speak louder than words. However, In 1963, he returned back to Cairo and moved to Darb al-Labbana, near the Citadel, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.
Throughout his life he only married once and even that was only for a brief period, and he never had children. Then in 1989, Fathy died in Cairo but his art will remain forever for all to enjoy...
Good Reads
World Cup Sum Up
By the time this issue is out the great Mondial will be over, and if there is one thing that we can take away from the games played so far, it’s that Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s vehement resistance to the use of technology has become untenable.
Museums You've Probably Never Been To
By Lena Alsayegh
We all know that Egypt has a wealth of historical sites and a rich overlap of cultures spanning thousands of years. However, only a fraction of us have actually ever seen the Pyramids or been to Luxor, let alone the Egyptian Museum. So, we’ve decided to spotlight a few places to whet your cultural appetite if you should ever find yourself with nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon.
The Dreams Will Only Die With Me
A dream starts with one clear thought.
(E. MOON)
Do you ever feel your head won’t be quiet? Are a million thoughts racing through your brain telling you, ‘gotta do this, gotta do that, gotta do, gotta do!’ Do you feel your mind is racing, does there seems to be no end to the physical and emotional tasks you are setting yourself? Everything becomes confused; you don’t know where to start to eliminate all the rubbish going around in your head.
Headlines
Homeopathy In Sharm
When you visit the doctor, he will ask you what is wrong. "My foot hurts," you might say, and the doctor will lift the foot and look at it from all angles.
He has seen this before. Within 15 minutes, he will learn all of the details he needs to make a diagnosis. He will write on a pad, hand you a slip of paper, and you will hobble out the door. This is how medicine is done, right?
Why is it then, that for the same complaint, a homeopath will require that you sit in her office for at least an hour? Why will she ask you about your childhood, your dreams, your preferences for food, and so on?
What are these tiny white pills she has recommended you, and why do they have a name that sounds so strange?
Real Estate In Sharm
Over the past few years the resorts surrounding the Red Sea have witnessed a property boom which parallels those of Spain and Dubai in recent times. At the forefront of this increase in demand is the resort of Sharm El Sheikh, ideally situated on the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Buoyed by a rapidly expanding tourist industry, Sharm El Sheikh is today one of the most popular destinations for people looking to purchase a property in Egypt.
Latest Reviews
Do You Believe In The Evil Eye?
Hello Muriel, Do you believe in the evil eye? Thanks, Mona
Dear Mona,
I don’t think it is about belief; it is more about respect and acceptance for other people’s beliefs. It is not about my opinion either as opinions become diluted with age.
The ‘Evil Eye’ is believed by many cultures to be able to cause bad luck or injury on the person to whom it is directed.
The concept and significance of it varies widely between cultures, but for me the psychodynamics are of ‘envy.’
It has been mentioned several times in the Bible and is also mentioned in the Koran.
Breakdance In Sharm
Flash Forward Entertainment is an all new performance group currently sweeping across Sharm El Sheikh with their new infectious show in hotels and clubs and various other stages and spaces.
Sharm Schooling
Hello Muriel, I am new In Sharm and I feel lost because I don't know which school to put my child in? Do you have any advice on what I should look for in a good school? Thanks, Amanda
