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One of the novel characteristics of public heritage policies in Egypt is the broadening of scope of protection schemes to historical objects and sites of the xixth and early xxth Centuries, widening that has been progressing over the past ten years. All the actions undertaken since aim to contribute to raising the legacy of this era to the same heritage status as mediaeval city patterns. Several decrees issued from 1993 forbid the demolition or alteration of buildings of high architectural value. They have come along with a new approach to heritage management. This is based on five main strands: awareness-building campaigns explaining the value of these historical sites and objects, warning of the dangers that threaten them and explaining the necessity of conserving them; inventory establishment and classification; communication and management of information; reuse of older buildings; rehabilitation of the community environment and the restoration of public buildings and sites. The Authors review the situation regarding these new policy strategies. The main question they attempt to answer hinges on whether the process is one of constructing a new heritage and is installing well-adapted management approaches to achieve permanent protection or, conversely, simply composed of actions of limited scope, spread out in time and space.