The alternative-housing project is also earthquake-resistant, given it lies 11 meters above the surface of the rest of the area. Chairman of the Civil Development Fund Khaled Sediq told Al Watan newspaper in April that five areas are being renovated within the first phase of the Historic Cairo rehabilitation plan. Sediq noted that Historic Cairo, also known as Islamic Cairo and Medieval Cairo, was designated a World Heritage Site in 1979 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The five areas are the surroundings of Al Hakem Bi Amr Allah Mosque, Bab Zoweila, Darb Al Labana, Haret Al Rom, and Hussein Mosque. The other slums that were removed from Old Cairo, and whose residents were also granted fully-furnished flats are Ezbet Abou Qarn, Batn Al Baqara, and Tal Al Aqareb.
