Six mosques in mediaeval Cairo have reopened their doors to worshippers after three years of restoration. Nevine El-Aref attended the official inauguration The Ministry of Culture has reopened six mosques in mediaeval Cairo, the first time that so many mosques have reopened simultaneously. The ministry handed them over to the Ministry of Awqaf (religious endowments) to be furnished with the materials needed in prayer rituals. The opening ceremony took place earlier this week, beginning in a narrow alley off Al- Khayamiya Street in the Al- Megharbelin quarter beside the Al- Mahmoudiya Mosque and a madrasa (school). After almost two years of restoration, this splendid Mameluke mosque, built by the top official Gamaluddin Mahmoud El- Kordy in 1394 AD, has returned to its original state. Its two decorated Iwans (vaulted halls); long minaret and domed mausoleum -- where Mahmoud El-Kordy is buried -- have regained their original features as recorded in historical documents. Like the five other newly-opened mosques, which date from the Mameluke and Ottoman eras -- Murad Pasha, Mohebeddin Abul- Tayeb, El-Eriyan El-Arussi, Ahmed El-Zahid and Kafur El- Zamam -- Al-Mahmoudiya was suffering from serious environmental threat and damage from air pollution, a high subsoil water level, a high level of humidity, leakage from the Al-Madiaa (a water fountain used for ritual ablution), and outdated and decayed sewerage installed 100 years ago, not to mention the more recent adverse effects of the earthquake in 1992 which increased the number of cracks in the mosque's walls. One of the most serious causes of the damage to the mosques has been carelessness by worshippers, as well as encroachment by traders over the centuries. Bazaar owners renting shops and stall spaces in the narrow street running parallel to these mosques were largely responsible for their deterioration. The six mosques were officially inaugurated by Farouk Abdel- Salaam, first undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture, who announced that the current opening came within the framework of the ambitious Historic Cairo Restoration Programme (HCRP), which was launched five years ago. HCRP plans to reopen a group of restored buildings every two months. Up to now HCRP has sponsored the rehabilitation and reopening of 25 mosques, along with other Islamic monuments, with many others still undergoing restoration. Abdel-Salaam said that under the restoration project the walls of the mosques were reinforced, missing and decayed stones replaced and masonry cleaned and desalinated. Parts of the damaged marble floor of the open courts were dismantled, restored and replaced in their original position. Missing fragments of Qur'anic texts embellishing the mosques were replaced, the authentic white and black marble floor cleaned and missing pieces replaced. Despite all the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Culture to save a part of the country's Islamic heritage, some members of parliament have criticised the ministry for delaying the reopening of restored mosques. Culture Minister Farouk Hosni replied to the criticism by saying that, as a protector of Egypt's heritage, the ministry could not change the time schedule of its restoration plan. Hosni said that restoring an Islamic monument located in a heavily populated area was not an easy task. "We are not only restoring the edifices found on top of the ground, but we go down beneath ground level to strengthen the decayed foundations to protect them from future damage," he said. This was achieved by using the "micro-pile system", the installation of sharp, pointed columns under the complexes to reinforce their foundations. During restoration, Hosni said, archaeologists and engineers from the Supreme Council of Antiquities checked the restoration in order to ensure that the constructors were carrying out the work according to the approved configurations. "This takes a long time," Hosni said, adding that in two months' time eight mosques would be reopened. In the coming fiscal year 44 Islamic monuments including mosques, sabils (water fountains), wekalat (trade houses) and residential houses are scheduled for restoration.
