Born in Egypt, Abdelhalim built the Children’s Cultural Park in Cairo, in which he mixes traditional elements with contemporary design, in 1995. This project is near the Ibn Tulun Mosque in old Cairo, in a once deteriorating part of the city. It includes libraries, art studios, rooms with computer and video games, playgrounds, fountains, and an open space for outdoor festivities and performing arts. The project earned Abdelhalim the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

In 1998 he renovated and expanded the Qasr al-Funoun (Palace of Fine Arts) arts center in Cairo.

In 1988 he built the Imam Mohamed Ibn Saud Mosque and Square Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The mosque can accommodate 2200 worshippers and has a large open space for public functions and festivals.

Abdelhalim teaches at Cairo University.


Photos: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/childpark.htm

References: http://archnet.org/library. Udo Kultermann; Contemporary Architecture in the Arab States. McGraw-Hill, 1999.