By Nevine El-Aref Following a brief meeting with ministers involved in the project, President Mubarak this week issued a new set of directives to speed up progress with the rehabilitation of the monuments of Fatimid Cairo. Farouk Hosni, the minister of culture, said that these regulations include the removing of all governmental, commercial and urban encroachment from both inside and outside the Islamic monuments, according to a time schedule to be decided upon by the prime minister. The number of recorded encroachments recently reached 1,510, involving 313 Islamic monuments in historic Cairo. These include 105 cases involving governmental offices, 274 of residential encroachments and 1,131 for workshops and bazaars. Hosni added that the presidential directives also allocate LE242 million to finance restoration work on 146 monuments in a first phase, which will include 43 restoration projects in Al-Azhar, Al-Darb Al-Ahmar and Al-Batiniya areas. "Restoration work on all the Islamic monuments will be under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), not that of the authority or ministry which finances or executes the projects," said Gaballa Ali Gaballa, general secretary of the SCA. Gaballa added that the conservation schemes will be executed according to a timetable decided by the prime minister. Gaballa also said that President Mubarak had especially emphasised his wish to see restoration work on the Amr Ibn Al-As mosque, the Hanging Church and the Synagogue completed speedily, so that the restored buildings can be reopened as part of the celebrations for the third millennium. "This is an important religious area, which brings together Islamic, Coptic and Jewish monuments," said Gaballa. The president also commissioned the Cairo Governorate and the Ministry of Construction to replace and renovate the drainage system of historic Cairo in keeping with the restoration plan for the area. "Within the framework of the rehabilitation project of Islamic Cairo, President Mubarak has agreed to make no changes to the headquarters of Al-Azhar (Mashyakhet Al-Azhar), in accordance with Law 117 of 1983," said Hosni, who explained that this law stipulates that any building of distinguished architectural style can be registered as a monument, regardless of its age. The headquarters of Al-Azhar are to be converted into a museum housing documents and books recording the historical development of the Egyptian capital from its founding until the present. "This museum will be an important reference resource for researchers," said Hosni. The SCA and Cairo governorate will collaborate to restore the headquarters of Al-Azhar both inside and out, while the surrounding area will be developed. New lighting, ventilation and security systems will be installed. A computer system will also be supplied to facilitate the transfer of information and data and provide access to the Internet. President Mubarak toured historic Cairo, including the newly discovered wall of Salaheddin Al-Ayyubi in Al-Azhar area, the citadel area, where he checked progress on the restoration work at Al-Gawhara Palace, and the area around the Sareyat Al-Gabal Mosque. He also visited Al-Azhar tunnel, which is presently under construction to facilitate the flow of traffic in the area between Old Cairo and Opera square. Mubarak also ordered the number of multi-story garages in the area increased, so that the newly-restored sites should not be disfigured by uncontrolled parking.
