Old Cairo Area Project Groundwater Lowering to Reclaim Ancient Monument

New life for the ancient monuments. Old Cairo, Egypt, is among the oldest urban areas in the world, and is home to ancient monuments that are of enormous significance to three of the world's major religions and Egyptian heritage. These monuments include the first mosque built in Africa, the Amr Ebn EI Aas Mosque, as well as the Abu Serga Church, Hanging Church, Roman Fortress, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. For about twenty-five years, rising groundwater levels had flooded the lower floors of these ancient structures up to two meters deep and caused significant damage to the structural elements. Groundwater at Amr Ebn EI Aas Mosque had risen close to the main floor.

With these monuments at risk, groundwater levels had to be lowered to make restoration possible. CCJM was selected to design a safe system and manage implementation.

CCJM developed an innovative "gravity-driven" groundwater-lowering system. Groundwater beneath monuments is collected by perforated pipes wrapped in gravel filters, and drained into the con veyance system shafts. Groundwater outside the monuments is collected into sand and gravel filter walls installed by drilling 45-foot deep intersecting holes, then filling them with sand and gravel. Filtered water flows into the filter-wrapped perforated shafts of the groundwater conveyance system. CCJM used Trenchless Micro-tunneling to install the conveyance pipes, minimizing ground-level disturbance around the monuments. In addition, old sewers and house connections were replaced in the area west of Amr Mosque to improve basic needs of the residents and minimize sewage leaks into the groundwater. This successful project has been on the "must visit" list of local and international dignitaries from USAID and CWO.

Ancient monuments are saved by an efficient groundwater lowering system and the neighborhood was environmentally improved, all without disruption to city life and tourism.