For a long time I have been attached to the past – or the past is attached to me. Either way, the past of my city, the ancient Egyptian port city of Alexandria, is something I feel incredibly strongly about.

As an architect, I have been deeply impacted by the rapid loss of buildings along with their architectural and historical values. The constant fear that the essence of the city will disappear and that I will lose all traces of my own past here, as well as the pasts of others who have lived in this city over the centuries gave me the urge to start documenting what is still standing before people or time tear it down.

I drew this scene in 2015 in Alexandria’s old Turkish town during the demolition of an old building. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

In 2013 I started the Description of Alexandria project, which aims to document the architectural heritage of the city and the cultural memories linked to different buildings.

Initially, I used both field drawings and descriptive texts to produce a book and essays in periodical journals. I was trying to present an image of the present Alexandria, but came to realise I was only focusing on the remains of the city’s past without connecting it to our time. I was in danger of allowing the city’s history to be valued above its current inhabitants.

But the dramatic and rapid erasure of the rich built heritage of Alexandria has put us all in a state of negative nostalgia, forcing us to look back and dig into history in an attempt to find a better place. Thanks to constant unplanned destruction and construction the city has become invisible under layers of dust, confusion, malformation and urban chaos. As a result, Alexandria’s inhabitants are becoming unable to communicate and listen to each other, and are unable to see the city as a living organism.

That is why I am trying to study the present alongside the past to be able to provide a real and accurate description of Alexandria. Using new illustrations and essays, I am trying to capture, interpret and document richly detailed scenes of everyday life in the city, and to provide a wealth of information on the visual culture identity of Alexandria during a time of profound change and rapid transformation.

Sayed Darwish Theatre, the opera house of Alexandria (formerly the Muhammed Ali Theatre). The current building was constructed in the early 1900s. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

I am currently working on a project (that I hope will become a book) on forgotten entrances.

As the juncture between two different worlds, inside and outside, entrances are profound elements in every city. They connect or separate people and tell hitherto unrecorded stories about our lives.

I believe that it is my role as an artist and architect to tell the Alexandrians about our invisible city, to show them its hidden and neglected parts. The book will take them into an illustrated journey through the forgotten streets of the city. The drawings along with the descriptive text will tell a story of the city, not from a nostalgic perspective but rather a true story of Alexandria, the city we live today and perhaps help us to see where its future might lie.

The building housing the general consulate of France was one of the first constructions on the corniche of Alexandria, originally built in the early 1900s to house French diplomats. The new-Renaissance style of the building is influenced by pharaonic art, as evidenced by the decorated keystone and cantilever of one of the building’s inner doorways. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

I used to pass by this abandoned building every day on the way to my office. Its only living occupants were the doorman’s family and their dog. On official documents, the doorman (Bawab in Arabic) would later become the owner of the new replacement construction – it’s the way things are done here, as it prevents a legal challenge from the real owner. Every day I asked myself when it would be torn down, until it finally happened in the first half of 2019. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

The Edouard Karam villa was built in 1893. After Nasser’s nationalisation movement in 1956, it became L’Atelier d’Alexandrie: the headquarters of a group of artists and writers.

Spahi Palace was designated as one of the modern landmarks of the Alexandrian corniche. It was probably built between 1945 and 1948. The palace was designed in the distinctive Moorish revival architecture style by the Egyptian architect Ali Thabit. Recently the palace and its property land were sold to an investor, and rumour says it will soon be demolished. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

Salon Lambis used to be written on the sign outside this barber’s. It’s not there any more, as the sign has been painted over. For long time I was attracted by the very minimal but chic façade of the shop, the very rich interior and the vintage hairdressing tools inside. Finally, one day I decided to go and have a haircut so I could investigate, and ended up talking to the quiet middle-aged man working there, who seems to be the owner.

This is a car spare-parts shop in the old industrial district of Al Attarin. The name of the shop is quite strange: it reads Alzabet Al Lord in Arabic. Alzabet means “the officer” while Lord is the English aristocratic title. In addition to the font and colours we can read in small font the types of car the shop deals with. One of them is Volga, the Soviet cultural icon that started to be produced in the 1950s when the USSR was Egypt’s strongest ally.

These panels of wood and glass were the entrance of one of the oldest traditional coffee houses on the corniche, which was completely demolished this year. The Arabic writing says Maqha New Crystal – or the coffee house of new crystal. My personal experience with this place is that it was where I first met the French artist Julien Solé while he was drawing inside. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

One of the few remaining and functioning Turkish-style houses in Alexandria. One of the main features of these houses is the use of wooden beams and the little protruding rooms, which we call shakmah in Arabic.

The wrought iron ornamented work of the elevator inside Casa di riposo, the Italian retirement community in Alexandria. The construction of the house started in 1929 and it was designed by the Italian architect Ernesto Verrucci. Illustration: Mohamed Gohar/The Guardian

The current Eliahou Hannabi synagogue is of traditional Sephardic design. One of the largest synagogues in the Middle East, it is, the only functioning one in Alexandria. The synagogue is considered both historically and archaeologically important. It was built on the ruins of the old synagogue, that was built in the 14th century and destroyed by Napoleon’s army. It is believed that construction of the current building started on 1836 and continued till 1850. The synagogue has been undergoing massive restoration by the Egyptian authorities for some months.

A doorway in the Kom Al Dikka neighborhood. The famous singer and composer Al sheikh Sayed Darwish was born in this area in 1892. Darwish composed the Egyptian national anthem that was adopted in 1979.

The entrance of the building where the Greek poet Constantine P Cavafy lived for most of his life. It now hosts the Cavafy Museum.

Mohamed Gohar is an Alexandria-based architect, artist and independent researcher. In 2013 he founded Description of Alexandria, a documentation, wide scale survey and library project for preserving the architecture and culture of the city, which involves engaging the public and capturing the narratives associated with built heritage. More of his work can be found on his website or facebook

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