Through the study of urban morphology and building typologies, students were able to develop an abacus of architectural details, which they reinterpreted using contemporary design strategies. The concept of a museum dedicated to the city of Cairo - one that narrates its evolution over time - is part of a broader effort to reappropriate the identity of the place. In this framework, the Old City of Cairo is not merely a backdrop, but a source of architectural material and inspiration. The analysis of the traditional Islamic house, religious buildings, and monumental structures was enriched by literary readings, particularly the Cairo Trilogy by Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz. His work gave voice to the city's most profound and most intriguing genius loci, offering an atmospheric and humanistic counterpoint to the spatial studies.