Reviews of Mohamed Elshahed’s bestselling Cairo Since 1900: An Architectural Guide (AUC Press, 2020), the first comprehensive architectural guide to the constructions that have shaped and continue to shape the Egyptian capital since the early twentieth century.
“[A] call to arms, a rallying cry to take another look at the everyday fabric of this richly layered city.”
—The Guardian, Oliver Wainwright, June 23
“Elshahed has performed a sterling service in putting together his guidebook”
Al-Ahram Weekly, David Tresilian, June 9
“[T]he book was also written as a call to arms to save an architectural heritage that is under threat”
—Pin-up Magazine, Andrew Ayers, Summer 2020
“Elshahed manages to pack in a lot of detail about how each building came to be.”
—Qantara.de, Marcia Lynx Qualey, April 13
“[E]xtraordinary and unreservedly recommended”
—Midwest Book Review, The Architecture Shelf, April 2020
“Beautifully designed, as elegant and functional as many of the buildings it documents”
—Al-Fanar Media, Ursula Lindsey, March 18
“This Egyptian researcher is documenting his country’s architectural history”
—Architectural Digest Middle East, Rima Alsammarae, February 6
“Cairo Since 1900 is not only a documentation of the city’s architectural production. . . it’s also a call to action.”
—Architectural Digest Middle East, Rima Alsammarae, January 14
“Cairo Since 1900 is the first architectural guide to Cairo’s modern architecture.”
—The Maydan, Shaimaa S. Ashour, January 13
“While the book can be read at home on a comfy couch, it is meant to be picked up and taken around the city.”
—The National, Razmig Bedirian, January 11
“Recommended Reading, 2019: Books From and About the Arab World”
—Al-Fanarmedia, Ursula Lindsey, December 13
