Revitalizing Entertainment and Heritage Games from the Mamluk era in Egypt and Employing them in Tourism

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of tourism and hotels, Alexandria University

2 Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University

Abstract

Entertainment and heritage games are considered pivotal elements in the formation process of communities’ identity, they also have a significant impact on reinforcing the mental and physical development of the community members and enhancing their levels of creativity. In addition, they represent a method of rapprochement between community members through participation in various recreational and mental activities. On the other hand, games represent a vital element of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities. Hence, preserving and reviving entertainment and heritage games will have a tremendous effect on raising the well-being of societies and increasing productivity rates.
The Islamic era has witnessed a diversity of games and entertainment which reflect many aspects of the civilization. As this topic received insufficient attention, the study aimed to revive models of entertainment and heritage games from Mumluk era and demonstrate how they can be employed in the tourism industry. A qualitative approach was employed through six focus groups, of a purposive sample of youth, to reveal the levels of knowledge and awareness about entertainment and heritage games. Furthermore, some semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of institutions and unions working in the field of heritage games. In conclusion, the study clarified that there is a lack of awareness about entertainment and heritage games among young people. Moreover, these heritage games are not effectively promoted in tourism. Therefore, the study proposed a tourism agenda, comprising of some proposed festivals and special events associated with entertainment and heritage games in several Egyptian cities.

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