Over the past decades, the notion of cultural heritage has been extended to incorporate the non-tangible forms that manifest the living entity of heritage at its both types natural and cultural. Egypt is rich with unique repositories of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) that reflect our diversity and cultural identities such as traditions, lifestyles, social practices, and oral heritage. Nevertheless, most of the national efforts tended to focus only on the promotion and preservation of the tangible heritage. This places the fate of the Egyptian intangible heritage at risk, as there are certain elements of the intangible assets that have disappeared. We need to adopt a set of management and legal measures for identifying, preserving and nurturing the ICH of Egypt with emphasis on integrating the community in the safeguarding process. Hence, the aim of this paper is to examine the recognition and potentials of the Egyptian ICH as a contributor for sustainable development. The paper reviews the existing efforts and legislative provisions of the protection of the ICH within the heritage discourse of Egypt in an attempt to explore to what extent the legal system support a future for the ICH of Egypt.

Each person in Egypt, including the 15 million with disabilities and more than 3.5 million who are 65 and older, – have the right to access museums without barriers. Egyption law, requires accommodations for each disabled person so they have equal opportunity to participate in the cultural life of the community. Unfortunately, Egypt's museums have not prioritized accessibility, despite the legislation that establishes these rights of access. This forum identifies the source of the problem as a problem of public discourse and political will rather than the legal principles that have laid the foundations for universal design in western cultures. The author proposes a new strategic vision for Egypt's museums to work within their enabling legislation to interpret state policy in ways that can accelerate inclusive practices. This strategy acknowledges that the Egyptian context where accommodation has focused on a medical model, and acknowledges that the cultural challenges with implementation of a social model requires a shift in thinking that is already been achieved in other nations. Moreover, by working within their governing systems, the author suggests that the museum can lead a shift in public discourse toward removing environmental barriers in ways that benefit all people in Egypt rather than the medical model that promotes prejudice and victimhood of those who require accommodation.

Following the implementation of 2018’s laws on the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Egypt, students with disabilities (SWDs) have both legal and moral rights to meaningful learning opportunities and inclusive education. Despite that, SWDs still have very limited education resources which limit their career aspirations and quality of life. In this respect, education whether as part of formal education or lifelong learning is central to the museum’s mission. Museums, as part of non-formal education, are being acknowledged for their educative powers and investments in the development of quality formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences. Further, phrases such as “inclusivity,” “accessibility,” and “diversity” were notably included in the newly approved museum definition by ICOM (2022) emphasizing museums’ obligations to embrace societal issues and shape a cultural attitude concerning disability rights, diversity, and equality together with overcoming exclusionary educational practices. The study seeks to investigate the existing resources and inclusive practices in Egyptian museums to achieve non-formal education for SWDs. Qualitative research approaches have been employed to answer a specific question: How can Egyptian museums work within their governing systems to support the learning of SWDs beyond their formal education system? The study aims to assess the potential of Egyptian museums in facilitating learning for SWDs. Further, it examines the capability of Egyptian museums in contributing to informal and non-formal learning for SWDs and striving for inclusive education inspired by the social model of disability that fosters inclusive educational programs and adopts a human rights-based approach. The results revealed that Egyptian museums contributed to the learning of SWDs, yet small-scale programs and individual efforts, but they are already engaged in active inclusive practices that address the learning of SWDs. The study suggests that they need to be acknowledged and supported by the government as state instruments and direct actors in advancing inclusive education and implementing appropriate pedagogies in favor of SWDs.

In recent decades, the remarkable cultural heritage of Egypt has been threatened by loss or damage due to many conflict situations. These have led to looting, smuggling, vandalism, encroachment, illegal activities, and many more threats which put the fate of Egypt’s heritage in jeopardy of disappearance and demolition. The loss of Egyptian heritage is not only a loss of history, but of cultural identity, memory and existence. These types of threats are by no means a recent phenomenon, but have been going on for centuries. This paper presents a research into the history of Egyptian heritage in times of conflict especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Furthermore, it also examines the severe crisis that endangered Egyptian heritage in the 21st century, notably the aftermath of the 2011 Revolution and the subsequent, widespread pillaging of archeological sites and museums. These recent conflicts highlighted concerns about the future of Egyptian antiquities and their protection, and raised serious concerns about how to protect Egyptian patrimony and preserve the collective cultural memory of Egypt. A comprehensive, comparative analysis of Egyptian and international legislation pertraining to cultural heritage protection has been conducted in order to examine its efficiency in protecting Egypt’s cultural heritage.