Archelogy, Architecture, City. Luxor Between Past and Future

Abstract

The theoretical reflections and the projects design for the city of Luxor were the outcomes of intercultural confrontations, researches, cognitive processes, which have been promoted by an agreement between Egyptian Institutions and Politecnico di Milano. The ‘restoration of the Avenue of Sphinx’ and the principle of Luxor as an ‘open Museum’ were considered into a comprehensive strategy aimed to increase the value of greatness of ancient Thebes but also to upgrade the quality of urban settlements. This purpose was achieved through tactics able to deal with the relationships between tradition and innovation; also among archaeological estates, monuments, ordinary urban fabric, natural landscape, mobility. The System ‘Luxor Temple-Sphinx Avenue-Karnak Temple’ has become an urban structure, generative of unexplored functional, physical and visual connexions as well as new modes of organisation of city spaces in various configurations and complexes uses. The text describes the working method and the on-going attempt to bring about a system of mutual coherence both preservation-enhancement of the antiquities and morphological, functional, infrastructural project design. This synthetic vision must address, in a balanced and sustainable way, the growth of the city (preventing the urban sprawl), the tourism development and the improvement of life level of inhabitants and visitors. The project design solutions are answers to the urgent questions asked by the reality and, at the same time, by the mythical dimension of Egyptian culture and by local tradition heritage: these are depositary of principles and values to be interpreted through new contents, strategies, forms and techniques.