ACCESS Cairo

Cairo provided an impressive backdrop for this year's ACCESS. For many participants, it was the first time they had been to an Arab country in the Middle East. It was also the first time that LC Cairo had organized an ACCESS, and they did very well.

Of the more than one hundred participants, five came from Karlsruhe. The origin of the other guests was very diverse and ranged from Mexico to Sudan.

Our Egyptian hosts put together a great cultural and academic program.

The focus was on learning about Egypt's impressive history. Of course, this included a visit to the pyramids of Giza, which we were able to admire both from the inside and from the back of a camel. We were also shown many Islamic historical sites. We also had the opportunity to visit the city's bazaar and were able to admire the city from the roof terrace of a hotel on the Nile, as well as on a boat tour on the Nile itself.

As part of ACCESS, we also had the opportunity to listen to two lectures by professors from Cairo University on two very relevant topics for Egypt: Water management and preservation of historical buildings. It was great to learn about the challenges Egypt is facing, but also to learn about the expertise of the Faculty of Civil Engineering.

The ACCESS also included, as every year, a series of debates on the international governance of our university group, as well as several workshops on different topics relevant to the work of IACES. Finally, the new members of the General Board were elected.

All in all, it was a unique experience in the company of very friendly people from all over the world and with very tasty Egyptian food at every opportunity.