ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the history of conservation of cultural heritage in Egypt from the 19th century to the present. It traces the origins of heritage in its modern sense, legislative developments, management and conservation, and overlapping jurisdictions and contradictory laws. The focus of heritage management has widened from monuments to cities to urban landscapes. At the same time, power struggles between governmental actors, communities and heritage advocates have intensified. The result is a complex and unwieldy situation where the potential for heritage as a cultural asset is not fully realised and conservation and management efforts are inadequate.
