Evaluating flood and landslide hazards to cultural heritage sites in Historic Cairo

Abdalla M. Allam (), Mona G. Ibrahim (), Shinjiro Kanae () and Mahmoud Sharaan ()
Additional contact information
Abdalla M. Allam: Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, E-JUST
Mona G. Ibrahim: Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, E-JUST
Shinjiro Kanae: Institute of Science Tokyo
Mahmoud Sharaan: Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, E-JUST

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2025, vol. 121, issue 13, No 18, 15535 pages

Abstract: Abstract Historic Cairo is particularly considered a UNESCO World Heritage site that is very vulnerable to natural disasters, such as flooding and landslides, which would threaten its cultural heritage. Multi-risk vulnerability assessments of heritage sites were investigated using remote sensing and GIS methods. Key factors were prioritized using the Analytic Hierarchy Process, and hazard maps were generated to identify areas at risk of floods and/or landslides. The investigation revealed that 54.1% of the study area falls within very low to moderate flood hazard zones, while 12.4% is classified as very high hazard, affecting 21 heritage sites. Additionally, 16% of the study area is in high-threat zones for landslides, impacting 13 cultural sites, with none in very high-risk zones. Considering both hazards, at least 30 sites are in high-risk areas, including 9 in very high-risk zones. The results highlight the urgent need to develop and implement targeted risk mitigation strategies, particularly for sites in central and eastern Historic Cairo, where flood and landslide risks overlap. The GIS-based database and hazard maps provide valuable tools for urban planners, policymakers, and stakeholders to formulate effective protection strategies for Historic Cairo’s cultural heritage.

Keywords: Flash floods; Landslide; Natural hazards; Heritage sites; SDGs; ROC; Multi-hazard (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-025-07401-1 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:121:y:2025:i:13:d:10.1007_s11069-025-07401-1

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11069

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-025-07401-1

Access Statistics for this article

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards is currently edited by Thomas Glade, Tad S. Murty and Vladimír Schenk

More articles in Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards from Springer, International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().