My relationship with the city centre of Cairo began before my birth in 1950. It was at the Café Bauer, 6 Fouad 1st Street that my parents met one another, at the Diana Cinema on Al-Alfi Bey Street that they exchanged their first kiss, and in the Vart Studio on Emad al-Din Street that they sat for their wedding photograph. I first saw the light of day in my grandmother’s house in Abdin, a few steps from the royal palace, built in 1865.With these words Galila El Kadi presents this book whose scientific approach is enriched by her memories that cross also views concerning the central space of Cairo.Central it is on many grounds: centre of the capital of a country which comprises a quarter of all Arabs, centre of one of the ten largest metropolises on the planet, the beating heart of the Arab world. The question of Egypt’s centrality is dealt with right away so as to reposition the weight of its metropolis at the level of its influence in the world and among Arab countries. Its relative eclipse is reflected on its modern business centre established in 1798, at present seriously degraded. Such decadence, attributed by the author to the nomadism of command activities and affluent classes, is pertinently analyzed in the light of multiple factors, both external and internal, of a political, economic, cultural and social nature. The changing configuration of the centre with the emergence of new planned or spontaneous centralities is illustrated by informative maps. They synthesize the complexity of residential and functional mobilities in different time frames and their resulting spatial recompositions.The analysis at the scale of the district, of the square, of the street, reproduces the evolving urban morphology, the diversity of the architectural heritage and rekindles the memory of places that have now disappeared. The abundant collection of ancient photos and recent prints helps complete the perception of urban transformations and allows the author to cast a glance, both nostalgic and aesthetic, on the remaining heritage.Combining the exceptional centrality of the site with the historic depth of contemporary times, this work offers a global approach to Cairo centre, one that links the urban form to the society which produced, occupied and transformed it. Finally, this work ponders the future of the centre in the light of different regeneration strategies in place since 15 years as well as its new role as space for the protest movement after the 25 January 2011 Revolution.