By Zahi Hawass When I became secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in 2002, I turned my attention to the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). When I visited this museum in 1995, I could not stay inside for more than half an hour. The museum was so poorly lit and arranged that the beautiful artefacts were hidden from sight. The MIA has been closed for restoration since 2002. Unfortunately, the previous renovation plan that was developed for the museum was never put into action. Simultaneously, Dar Al-Kotob, the Egyptian National Library and Archives in Cairo, was also under renovation. One of the major concerns we faced was that both institutions shared a single basement, leaving the MIA with less storage space. Finally in 2002 I initiated a new strategy plan for the renovation of the MIA. I wanted to hire a good museum designer in order to properly display the beautiful artefacts. I spoke to my dear friend Luis Monreal, general manager of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), and convinced him to raise the funds required to hire an expert designer. To design the galleries we selected Adrien Gardère of Studio Adrien Gardère in Paris. The museum building dates back to 1903. We began looking into the current architectural and structural design and discovered that we needed further to consolidate the area around the museum, meaning that the ground needed to be stabilised in order to prevent the building from collapsing. This is due to the fact that the building was constructed above an ancient canal that had been filled in during the 19th century, and was located in a heavily congested area in the heart of Cairo's commercial and wholesale district. Solving these issues has involved some of the most difficult work I have ever done in my life. Over the years, I have had to oversee one meeting every month with regard to the MIA, and have allocated a few of my staff members, including General Nader Abdel-Wahab and Iman Abdel-Fattah, to follow closely the progress of the work being done. More than 2,000 objects have been selected for exhibition. One hurdle was the fountain in the museum, which was very difficult to move. We therefore hired a Spanish expert from AKTC, Eduardo Porta, to move the fountain to a conservation laboratory in the Citadel. The lab was specifically built to restore artefacts for the MIA as well as objects for the future Museum of Historic Cairo, and has on staff restorers from both the SCA and Aga Khan Cairo. The fountain has now been returned to the museum, and I am very impressed with the work that was done. Simultaneously, the Conservation Department at the museum has restored countless other valuable and unique objects. We are also cooperating with the Islamic Department at the Louvre, who have put together the scenario and have written the texts for the labels and the graphic panels. Currently, we are preparing to celebrate the centennial of the MIA. We are publishing a beautiful coffee table book for the opening, and designing a special stamp with the name of the museum, and a gold statue has been created by the great artist, Mahmoud Mabrouk. The celebration will be held at the Manial Palace immediately following the museum's official opening. The entire organisation was supervised by Elwi Farid. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni recently visited the museum to see the progress being made. I have to say what a miracle it is that the renovation is almost finished. The earthy colours chosen for the walls and the marble in no way distract the visitor from the museum's main focus: the artefacts. The larger objects are hung, and the names of each exhibit are beautifully incorporated into the skirting on the walls in an especially customised Arabic font. Connected to the museum via an open-air garden is a new administration building in a Neo- Mamluk design inspired by that of the museum. The building was constructed in order to allow for more exhibition space inside the main museum, and will house all the museum's offices, a cafeteria, library and a conservation laboratory. Lastly, there will be a parking area large enough to hold six tour buses. We hope to open the MIA officially by the end of December. It will be one of the most beautiful museums in all of Egypt.
