Egyptian Intangible Heritage between Preservation Management and Sustainable Development Pattern: Analysis of the Popular Craft of Manufacturing Mats

Cultural heritage can be used as a term to express the inherited lifeways and objects that have been transmitted from generation to generation. This term covers both intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Intangible heritage includes a group of activities that have been developed by local or indigenous communities, such as folk traditions, clothing, dance, music, proverbs, crafts, and practices. Despite the cooperative efforts that have been undertaken either by individuals or NGOs, Egyptian intangible cultural heritage (EG ICH) is still not well-managed but also, not well preserved. There are also numerous forms of EG ICH that have no legislation of other forms of control protecting them. Some of these aspects of EG ICH, such as the popular crafts and craftsmanship, face serious threats, over the coming decade, such as the threat of vanishing. As a result of this threat, this paper takes a wide theoretical stance about the perspectives of preservation and management of intangible heritage and presents some recommendations within the framework of sustainable development. The objective of this is to indicate the significant role of intangible heritage in the process of sustainable development. Finally, this paper views a managerial and economic analysis estimating the current situation of the popular crafts of manufacturing mats.