Politics over preservation?

On 6 November, during an extraordinary session in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) approved the appointment of Egyptian Khaled El-Enany as Director-General. The first Egyptian and Arab to hold this position, he will be responsible for the protection of world heritage for a four-year term.

El-Enany had gained the support of UNESCO's Executive Board in October, receiving 55 out of 58 votes in the organisation's ballot, surpassing his Congolese rival, Edouard Firmin Matoko, before obtaining 172 out of 174 votes in the final General Assembly session.

His election drew mixed reactions. Official Egyptian circles praised his academic credentials, affirming his suitability for a position of such global stature. Local and international critics highlighted his controversial record in safeguarding Egypt's architectural and historical heritage during his tenure as Minister of Antiquities from 2016 to 2022.

Hanna Naeem served as Deputy Minister of Antiquities from 2018 to 2021 and resigned from the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Heritage House in protest against the demolition of historic Cairo neighbourhoods. He describes El-Enany's tenure as marked by "a harsh attitude toward everything archaeological and spiritually meaningful to Egyptians... the worst era for preserving Egypt's heritage and historical identity, both cultural and architectural."

From academia to politics

Born in Giza in 1971, El-Enany graduated from the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels at Helwan University, where he began teaching in 1993. He later earned a PhD in Egyptology and Heritage Preservation from Paul Valéry University in Montpellier, France, in 2001. Upon returning to Egypt, he became a professor of Egyptology at Helwan University and later served as Director of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. 

His involvement in major excavation and restoration projects provided him with extensive experience in managing complex heritage issues. In 2016, he was appointed Minister of Antiquities, and in 2019, following the merger of the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities, he assumed leadership of the combined portfolio. El-Enany oversaw the opening of major archaeological projects, such as the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation and the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor, before leaving his post in 2022.

UNESCO describes El-Enany as having "dedicated his career to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage". Yet critics in Egypt argue that political considerations have often shaped his work, and that during his tenure, heritage preservation was subject to the logic of state power rather than culture, particularly when it came to the redevelopment of historic Cairo.

Naeem told Qantara that during El-Enany's tenure, the Ministry of Antiquities lost its professional independence and became akin to an agency subordinate to the presidency. "Of course, El-Enany would not have dared to implement these decisions without instructions from a higher authority, but in the end, he remains part of the disaster because he oversaw the demolition and destruction."

Demolitions in the City of the Dead

Historic Cairo, an area inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, which El-Enany has now been appointed to oversee, was subject during his tenure to one of the largest waves of demolition in its modern history, as part of the Capital Development Plan the Egyptian government has pursued since 2020.

While El-Enany defended the project on multiple occasions, claiming it aimed to restore Cairo's historic splendor and that the state was not demolishing heritage but developing it, the images tell a different story: widespread demolitions in the City of the Dead, including tombs of prominent political and artistic figures and centuries-old historic domes that form an integral part of the city's collective memory. 

Officials argued that the demolished tombs were not legally registered as heritage sites, which archaeologists viewed as a way of sidestepping Antiquities Protection Law No. 117 of 1983, noting that many of the sites were either formally listed or had been recommended for listing by the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities Sector.

Criticism extended beyond the physical demolitions to the core philosophy of heritage management. Several archaeological landmarks were repurposed for national celebrations and popular festivals, for example, the relocation of four sphinxes from Karnak Temple and an obelisk from Al-Sharqia to Tahrir Square. Archaeologists saw these decisions as stripping the monuments of their historical and spiritual significance and as using ancient aesthetics to serve the official narrative.

A surprising nomination

Despite the controversy surrounding El-Enany's tenure as Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, after he departed from the position in 2022, the Egyptian government officially announced his nomination in April 2023 for the post of Director-General of UNESCO. The move sparked discontent within Egyptian cultural circles. 

In October 2024, many intellectuals, archaeologists, unions and associations signed a petition calling for a halt to the demolitions in historic Cairo, which continued even after El-Enany left office. They wrote: "At a time when Egypt is advancing a candidate to head the world's leading institution for culture and heritage, it must first prove to the world that it preserves its own heritage."

Nevertheless, Cairo pressed ahead with its campaign in his favour, leveraging its diplomatic weight and extensive network of connections across African and Arab countries, until El-Enany secured the position. Ibrahim Tayea, a member of the Egyptian Society for Historical Studies, noted that El-Enany faced little competition from the Congolese candidate, Edouard Matoko, whose country lacks Cairo's political influence and an international network, and highlighted the withdrawal of the prominent Mexican candidate, Gabriela Ramos, from the race.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi described El-Enany's victory as "a historic achievement that shall be added to Egypt's diplomatic and cultural record and to the achievements of the Arab and African peoples."

Before his election was officially confirmed, World Heritage Watch, based in Berlin, issued an appeal on 29 October to UNESCO member states to reconsider the appointment of the former Egyptian official, noting that he bears "a great deal of responsibility for the demolition of large parts of the historic necropolis of Cairo and the monstrous tourism development around St. Catherine's Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula."

A letter signed by more than fifty organisations and experts stated: "It is irresponsible to entrust someone with such a past with the top job at the organisation responsible for preserving world heritage."

"The world is watching"

Former Egyptian official Hanna Naeem commented: "El-Enany's appointment to that position will be neither the first nor the last paradox. There was an Egyptian professor appointed to an international post despite being responsible for the largest tree massacre in Egypt's history." He is referring to former Environment Minister Dr Yasmine Fouad, who was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and whose tenure was marked by accusations of systematic tree felling and the reduction of green spaces across the country.

Upon assuming office in mid-November, El-Enany finds himself at the helm of an institution weighed down by political and financial challenges, most notably declining trust among some countries in the organisation's neutrality and growing pressure from major powers to reshape its cultural and educational agenda to serve their geopolitical interests. In July, the United States announced its withdrawal from the organisation, claiming bias against Israel and the promotion of "divisive" issues.

El-Enany vowed in a speech following his victory to "work closely with all member states to create a shared roadmap for modernising the organisation and guiding it into the future." 

Tayea remarked: "As archaeologists, we hope he changes the policies he pursued toward Egypt's monuments and heritage sites, and that he recognises the weight and responsibility of the position he now holds—the world is watching him."

This is an edited translation of the Arabic original. Translated by Maram Taylor.