The Project

Luxor is home to more than 8000 archaeological and heritage sites, some having been listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites and internationally renowned. The numerous monuments on the West bank of the Nile river memorialise death, remembering the glory of Pharaohs; these include the infamous Valley of the Kings, the Deir el-Bahari, and the Medinet Habu. However, Luxor is not important simply due to its magnificent built heritage, but is also a hub of intangible heritage and culture. The Luxor population practices important Egyptian traditions which strengthen their national identity and sense of community, such as Tahteeb dancing/martial arts, Madih singing to praise Prophet Mohammad, and a three day festival to celebrate a 13th century Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Abu el Haggag. The Luxor population values their built heritage based on the intangible memories they prescribe to the sites; this intangible nature must be protected to maintain community and meaning for these histories.

Intangible heritage ensures worldwide diversity through the practice of local traditions, rituals, festivities, practice, and knowledge (UNESCO, 2022). Traditionally, protection of culture has focused on material heritage; however, without local understandings of the community uses of the monument (the intangible element), this material heritage loses importance and meaning. Without protection and maintenance, intangible heritage risks extinction at the hands of globalisation. Protection of local intangible heritage must be headed by local people to ensure authenticity and contextualisation of the practices to maintain meaning and global diversity.