Fayoum University’s heritage and civilisation centre is embarking on a project for documenting the intangible cultural heritage in Fayoum. The two-year project is financed by the Scientific Research Academy, and sponsored by Khaled Hamza, President of Fayoum University.
The project will document the social traditions and customs in Fayoum; the dialects; folk and religious celebrations; folk dances and songs; and the traditional crafts. It aims at making use of intangible cultural heritage to boost untraditional types of tourism.
Among its objectives, the project will design state-of-the-art website in the English language, and will produce a documentary on Fayoum’s intangible heritage heritage. It will also offer activities, training courses, workshops, and discussions that aim at engaging all the sectors concerned with heritage in Fayoum.
Fayoum is an oasis that lies 100km south west Cairo. It has a history that goes back to ancient Egypt when its capital city was called Shedet. It was the most significant centre of the cult of Sobek, the crocodile-god. Today it is a thriving region famous for its agricultural products and poultry, also for its scenic beauty and natural parks.
Watani International
22 February 2017