Tangible versus intangible heritage: A case study of the Cairo jewelry cluster

This chapter focuses on the intersection between urban patrimonialization, cluster dynamics and tourism development, highlighting the ambiguities that such processes entail when they come together into a narrow, congested, highly problematic urban space such as the Khan-al-Khalili area in the historic centre of Cairo. After providing a background on the theories of patrimonialization and development, on the one hand, and the conceptualization of local economic development in Egypt, on the other, the authors introduce some general issues related to jewelry production in Egypt and, in particular, in Cairo. This is followed by an analysis of the patrimonialization of Islamic Cairo, highlighting how local communities have often been depicted as obstacles rather than beneficiaries or potential resources in these processes and the strategies followed. The discourse then focuses on the specific institutions - both economic and social - that hold the key to the configuration of the jewellery cluster in the Khan-al-Khalili area. Finally, policy issues are addressed, stressing the ambiguity of the patrimonialization and cluster policies being adopted, for these, rather than recognizing the importance of territorialized practices, are jeopardizing and have the potential to destroy the urban milieu that has traditionally characterized Khan al Khalili.