Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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5 Egyptian Architects That Have Left Their Footprint

From iconic mosques and European train stations to your favourite clubs and university campuses, here are five of the most impactful Egyptian architects, past and present.

Staff Writer

Art comes in different forms, and architecture is one of the most impactful of the disciplines. Often forgotten about by many as art, architecture actually takes not only a lot of studying and hard work, but also a great deal of talent to make a masterpiece out of a building. We gathered a short list of the top Egyptian architects, past and present, who have left their footprint in Egypt and beyond.

Hassan Fathy: 

 

Named "Egypt's best-known architect since Imhotep," the multi-award receiving Egyptian mainly focused on climatic conditions, public health considerations, and ancient craft skills that all affected his design decisions. The late architect developed the needed technology for construction in Egypt and played a great part in re-establishing the use of mud brick.

 

One of his most remarkable works is the Dar Al-Islam village in the USA.

Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil:

 

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Designing over 15 mosques in Saudi Arabia, El-Wakil is considered by many as "the foremost contemporary authority in Islamic architecture." The great Arab figure is regarded as the representative of New Classical Architecture. 

Some of his famous works include Masjid-Al-Quba in Saudi Arabia and Kerk Street Mosque in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hani Azer: 

A maker of masterpieces, Azer headed the building of the tunnel beneath Berlin's Tiergarten in 1994 and became the Chief Engineer of Germany's fourth largest train station in Berlin.

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The Berlin Hauptbahnhof project cost about $700 million and Azer has received numerous awards for his magnificent work.

Dr. Magda Mostafa:

The AUC professor and special needs design consultant for government and private sector creates projects in Egypt, the Gulf and Europe and is an associate at the Cairo-based architectural firm Progressive Architects. One of her most influential works Advance School for Developing Skills of Special Needs Children in Qattameya, Cairo. 

Her design is the first building worldwide to be constructed using the Sensory Design Theory and its consequent Autism ASPECTS Design Index.

Shahira Fahmy: 

 

The Aga Khan Award For Architecture Award project-reviewer has built the famous designed the original incarnation of Tamarai, the very detailed Block 36 and the outstanding Malak Gabr Theatre at AUC. With projects abroad, including state-of-the-art designs in the UK and Switzerland, Fahmy is among the most celebrated architects in the world right now.

The hard-working architect also dabbles in interior and product design.