Dr. Mervat created a cultural village and development project, New Hermopolis, in order to provide a new model of development utilizing the region’s heritage towards its own economic and cultural revival. It describes itself as a cultural village with a mission to help and develop the local community. The village is built on a privately owned desert less than 3 kilometers from Ancient Hermopolis at Tuna El Gebel, Mallawi, El Minia, and is built in the middle of newly planted olive groves and vineyard.
Open annually from October to May, New Hermopolis is a visitor’s retreat that also provides a cultural space for people and organizations to hold artistic, academic, and training activities. The goal of the project is to capitalize on the ancient city’s heritage in order to revive a neglected part of Egypt.
The project has provided the local population with an ongoing source of pride and employment. New Hermepolis is certainly a model that can be replicated in similar areas of the country which are rich in heritage but poor in both economic and cultural resources.