In Cairo, a mansion where the layers of history show through

A couple has restored and reimagined a nearly decimated 15th century palace in Cairo's historic neighbourhood, al-Darb al-Ahmar, as a home and a cultural hub, revealing the complexity of the city’s past. Eleven years after the project began, the house, named Beit Yakan, opened this past June as a rare books library focusing on architecture, as well as a cultural centre that hosts workshops and courses in traditional Egyptian crafts in collaboration with local organisations including the Jameel House of Traditional Arts.