ANY building has its own particular architecture and decorative style, an expression of the economic, cultural and social conditions prevailing at the time of its construction.
Buildings are therefore, in that sense, historical documents, living testimony to an entire era.
In Fatimid and Ottoman Cairo one can find a wealth of exceptionally unique local architecture in a style that developed over the centuries. Most of these establishments have not been classified according to their architectural style by the Supreme Council for Antiquities or any other organisation. Some have never even been listed as monuments, while others, though registered by the SCA at one time, have since been eliminated from the registers. The elimination of such buildings from the registers has led to the loss of important historical and architectural documents. It also implies the destruction of Cairo's specific architectural identity.