ABSTRACT
Architects dealing with homes in Old Cairo face a critical dilemma about how to approach this context and such unique fabric. Of course, architecting homes in Old Cairo, a prominent world heritage site, would require a careful balance between both propositions, being imaginative without losing the connection with the past. Architects, in Martin Heidegger's view, were principally concerned with mathematical space, while the act of building was similarly of little interest. However, from the opposite point of view, however, the harah can be understood as a product of architectural decision-making, a social phenomenon built out of physical forms. Architects tend to see their role as being to devise innovative forms, and they often play down the importance of context and its everyday power. Successful architecture, accordingly, requires that the practitioner understand the nature of the environment and give proper consideration to the everyday lives and social norms of potential occupants.
