Egypt Wikimedians User Group/Projects/Islamic Cairo Documentation Project

Egypt Wikimedians User Group/Projects/Islamic Cairo Documentation Project

The Islamic Cairo Documentation Project is a sustainable project of the Egypt Wikimedians User Group that began in February 2026. The project aims to document landmarks in Islamic Cairo.

Overview

Many Islamic monuments in Cairo remain insufficiently documented, while some are little known or have disappeared altogether. This project aims to document Islamic heritage sites in Islamic Cairo both visually and textually (through writing, editing, and improvement) across Wikimedia projects.

Objectives

The project seeks to document and cover historical structures, including:

Palaces and houses
Citadels, fortresses, towers, gates, and walls
Mosques and congregational mosques
Madrasas, khanqahs, tekkes, and zawiyas
Wikalas and Khans
Domes and mausoleums
Sabils and Hammams
Bridges, roads, and streets

The documentation spans from the Islamic conquest of Egypt to the Alawiyya dynasty, and includes:

Existing monuments
Ruined or lost structures
Registered and unregistered heritage sites

This will be achieved through:

Creating and improving Wikipedia articles.
Photographing sites and uploading media to Wikimedia Commons.
Adding and creating maps.
Creating and enhancing Wikidata items.

Plan

The project is divided into multiple phases, each covering a specific area according to a timeline.
Participants conduct field visits to photograph and visually document the area.
Media is uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
An edit-a-thon follows to complete written documentation.

Timeline

Each phase: 2 months (1 month fieldwork + 1 month edit-a-thon)

Partnerships

Collaboration may take place in one or more phases with other groups or entities.

Work Phases

Phase	Area	Date	Outputs	Notes
Phase 1	Cairo Citadel	14 February 2026	Editing the Citadel article in the Arabic Wikipedia to get the featured article status Dozens of photographs captured and uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.	A second visit may be planned after the restoration and reopening of the Jawhara Palace.
Phase 2	Al-Saliba Street, Al-Suyufiyya, and Ibn Tulun	7 April 2026	Uploading nearly 2,000 images to Wikimedia Commons, including images of two museums. (1), (2), (3). Visiting two museums during the tour as part of GLAM's activities: the Mostafa Kamel Museum and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. Launching an edit-athon in May to document the street's landmarks, which resulted in creating 13 articles and editing 7 more.	A second visit may be planned to cover the landmarks of side streets.
Phase 3	Salah al-Din Square	22 June 2026	Uploading 341 images to Wikimedia Commons. Launching an edit-athon in June to document the place's landmarks, which resulted in editing 12 articles.

Expected Impact

Improving the coverage of Islamic heritage in Cairo on Wikimedia platforms.
Increasing the number of high-quality images on Wikimedia Commons.
Supporting researchers, students, and the general public.
Preserving cultural heritage digitally.

Contributors

Open to Wikimedians, photographers, researchers, and volunteers interested in cultural heritage documentation.