New Gurna

The architect Hassan Fathy designed New Gurna in 1946 to rehouse villagers living among the tombs of the west bank, and he built it in mud brick using Nubian vaulting and domes that need no timber shuttering, arranging houses around courtyards with a mosque, a market, a theatre and a school. His book about the project made it internationally famous as a model of building with local materials and local labour for people without money. The villagers themselves largely refused to move, for reasons including their livelihoods among the tombs, and much of what was built has since been demolished or replaced with concrete. The mosque, part of the market and a handful of houses survive, and there have been repeated efforts to conserve what is left.

What you actually see

• The mosque - the best surviving piece of Fathy's scheme.
• Nubian vaults and domes - brick roofing built without shuttering.
• Surviving courtyard houses - a few of the original dwellings.
• Concrete replacements - the later building that has taken most of the village.

When to go

October to April. One hour. Any time; it is an ordinary village and there are no opening hours. Mornings are best for photographing the brickwork.

Honest expectations

Most of the original village is gone and what remains is scattered among modern houses, so it takes effort to read. It is a living village, not a monument, and residents did not ask to be a sight; be discreet. There is no signage or interpretation of any kind.

Nearby

The Colossi of Memnon are a short drive; the ferry to Luxor is east.