CAIRO, 30 November 2004 — When it comes to dust and din, perhaps no city on the planet can match Cairo, a desert-bound megalopolis clinging to the Nile whose 17 million people get by with only a few square feet of green space each.
For years, residents wanting fresh air or rambles away from their stifling apartments have had little alternative except to go to the crowded zoo, the traffic-packed bridges over the Nile or even the grassy medians on the road to the airport.
But now, in an unusual initiative combining horticulture, community development and archeology, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has created a 74-acre park atop a 500-year-old garbage dump. The rare green space offers Cairenes what they have been missing: An oasis to call their own.
Dubbed Cairo’s “Central Park,’’ the new Al-Azhar Park has been an instant hit.
The park is lined with palms and ornamented by fountains, ponds, a stream and waterfall and hundreds of thousands of new trees and plants. And it’s close to some of the Egyptian capital’s most historic sites: Saladin’s Citadel, the Khan El-Khalili bazaar, the City of the Dead cemetery and the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar University.
From the patio terraces of its Hilltop Restaurant, diners can look down the spine of the park to the magnificent citadel and the stately Alabaster Mosque built by Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali, or turn slightly and look past the roofs of the Darb El-Ahmar slum at the medieval minarets of Islamic Cairo and downtown toward the towers of the five-star hotels bestriding the river.
For a city famous for its chaotic, honking traffic and the omnipresent crush of its humanity, the serenity and green of the park seems somehow un-Egyptian. The landscaping, the al fresco dining venues and the winding promenades smack of something from the high-priced resort hotels along Egypt’s Red Sea Coast — just without the lobby, the porters and the guest rooms.
On a recent evening during the waning days of Ramadan, young couples, business executives and three-generational families hungrily flocked to “iftar’’ feasts held in the restaurant and the park’s lakeside cafe to break the day’s fast. Sated, they perambulated in the gathering dusk.
“It’s lovely — one of the nicest things to happen to Cairo over the last 50 years,’’ said Max Rodenbeck, a longtime resident and author of “Cairo: The City Victorious.’’
Some residents have been a little skeptical that the park will maintain its pristine state for more than a short time, accustomed as they are to the fact that most public amenities in the city are inevitably worn down and gritted by the climate, overuse and rather relaxed standards of maintenance.
Cameron Rashti, the overall project director for the Aga Khan, says that will not happen.
The park is being well maintained now with oversight from the trust, and will continue under its control for three years. After that, the city has the right to assume full control, but the indication at the moment is that it will continue the arrangement.
Like many other public spaces in Cairo, the park charges an admission fee, but the rate varies depending on the day of the week and the time of the day, intended to make it affordable for anyone who wants to visit. Concessions are offered to large families, students and the elderly. For most, admission costs about 60 cents.