Italian architect Francesco Siravo is an expert in preserving ancient and urban areas. After earning his degree from the University of Rome's "La Sapienza," he went on to Columbia University in New York and the College of Europe in Bruges to further his studies in historical conservation. Since 1991, he has been employed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture's Historic Towns Program, where he has been in charge of the design and construction of structures in a number of cities, including Cairo, Lahore, Mopti (Mali), Mostar (Bosnia), Penang (Malaysia), Samarkand, and Zanzibar. He worked with federal and international agencies, such as UNESCO, UNDP, and ICCROM, as well as World Bank-funded initiatives, before joining the Historic Cities Program. His prior roles included taking part in the creation of conservation strategies for the ancient towns of Lamu, Kenya, and Rome, as well as Lucca, Urbino, and Anagni in Italy. He has written books and articles on architectural conservation and urban planning projects, including "Zanzibar: A Plan for the Historic Stone Town" (1996) and "Planning Lamu: Conservation of an East African Seaport." He was a former adjunct professor at ICCROM, the universities of Rome and Cassino, as well as the University of Pennsylvania (1986).

• Mandhry Mosque