Egyptian Reef (part 3 - Imagination): ideas of potential places

Sixth of October city, Giza

Would make an ideal location. 45m to 1hr away from DT Cairo, 1hr from Fayoum and 2hr from Alexandria. There are 6 private university in the area and a branch of Cairo university. It has a population ranging between some 185,000 in the city to an estimated 500,000 inhabitants in the wider area. The population density is law relative to other cities like Alexandria, which make it livable. I do not have a specific space in mind, expect for Oasis http://www.oasis-farouk.com/community_club.html

The Oasis, living like cenobites. :slight_smile:

Baris Oasis, Wadi El Guedid

Hassan Fathy’s village in Baris Oasis

El Agouz village, Bahareya Oasis Giza :slight_smile:

@nadia @monarezk @matrikation

Sunnah’s space in El Agouz might be still available.

Siwa Oasis, and the mysteries of the western desert

An ecolodge in Siwa owned by my friend. It preserve to old techniques of construction with Karshif (mud, salt and palm trees trunk). It has underground water from two sources, several stand alone bungalows, a small kitchen, etc no electricity no potable water. Heaven on earth. The owner my accept that we install solar panels to produce electricity. Now, there is mobile coverage in the area. The neighboring houses have electricity light and water.

Finally, in Minia, Upper Egypt and the New Hermopolis

Site: http://www.newhermopolis.org/

As there is no tourism, the space is available.

6 Likes

@amiridina wow this adds up nicely to @m_tantawy and @Heba’s posts about potential spaces in Egypt!

Are you personally involved with any of them or would be willing to invest some time building connections and exploring? One thing about the space is that it’s not “chosen” but it’s dependent on what people around the space are doing and their own interest in setting something like this up.

I have a blared information that the Nile University has a space for entrepreneurs that some companies who worked at the Greek Campus moved to after the fluctuation of the Egyptian pound. There are many universities and business schools, the government is advertising now for fund for entrepreneurs. It is believed that a lot is coming for that purpose. I do not know a specific space though. It is a large new city with some uninhabited apt. and villa anyway.
I have a direct contact with the Owner of Oasis.

Bahareya
The owner of the house proposed to Hany to take, restore and use it. I believe there is a need for something there. There are many challenges to be addressed in the Oasis itself. It would be a nice hub for social entrepreneurs focusing on clean energy, waste management, job creation, maybe ecoarchitecture and agriculture. An input from @matrikation will be valuable here.

The space in Siwa in one of the villages a little bit far from the center. Siwi are shy but curious people. The culture will make only male benefit for that space. In the are there a couple of luxurious lodges and private villa’s. There is water in Siwa and several agriculture projects. The community will welcome which ever project that will bring to the Oasis money (mainly) and job opportunities.

We can get in touch with Dr. Mervat Nasser, the founder of New Hermopolis to know whether the community she is serving will benefit from such hub in the area or not.

I have no information regarding Hassan Fathy’s village in Baris. Whether they will allow us to occupy it or not… I have never been to Baris. Generally and surprisingly, the people of El Wadi El Guedid gavernorate are very well educated. There is agriculture there and the government was selling lands for good prices there on the condition that it’s be used in agriculture or industrial project.

Maybe we can conduct community needs assessments in the selected areas and they will definitively be different from a place to another. Now, I remember a friend who wanted to do something in his village in Aswan and he happens to be an architect. Now, he lives and works in Cairo.