The center is
a component of the Egyptian national strategy for the cultural heritage,
which includes: site preservation, site management and sustainable cultural
site development.
The Egyptian Cultural Heritage is of a worldwide interest and importance due to its continuity over a period of more than seven thousand years. It started since prehistoric times and flourished during the Pharaonic, Greco-roman, Coptic and Islamic periods. That is why it encompasses various aspects of human civilization, monitors the development of human heritage and represents a cultural heritage of national and international value. Moreover, the material culture associated with the archaeological sites in Egypt amounts to a considerable percentage of the world cultural heritage. There is an increasing need to take measures towards the documentation and preservation of this unique cultural heritage
On the other hand, Egypt possesses a wide variety of natural resources representing various habitats and a wealth of animal, bird and plant species. Some of these sites and organisms are already protected while others suffer from various dangers and threats. They all need to be accurately and purposefully documented.
In addition to the documentation of the cultural and natural heritage of the country, the Centre has set for itself the following objectives:
- The implementation of the national plan of action towards the documentation program, making use of the most up-to-date information technology in collaboration with the national and international specialized organizations.
- Increasing public awareness of the cultural and natural heritage using all available media.
- Capacity building of professionals in the fields of conservation and documentation of cultural and natural heritage
The Centre will assist the consortium in both the selection of suitable
manuscripts and the development of the system specifications. It will also
play a key role during the integration of the digital with the historical
data and the overall testing of the system (WP8).