CAIRO: A historic gate in Islamic old Cairo was demolished on Sunday, raising questions about saving Egypt's heritage. Bab Al Wazir gate, one of the medieval portals to the old city of Cairo, was among the remaining gates of the Islamic city, yet it was not registered as a monument. The Islamic-style gate in al-Darb al-Ahmar area was demolished along with another building, as the landowners want to establish a new building in its location. The gate was located on a land owned by the family of Egypt's Grand Mufti from the early years of the twentieth century. "Despite the gate not being registered as a monument, that does not eliminate its artistic and historic value. It should have not been destroyed," a professor of Egyptian Antiquities told Aswat Masriya. Meanwhile, the Project Manager for the development of historic Cairo at the Ministry of Antiquities, Mohamed Abdulaziz, said that the gate before demolition belonged to a house that was not historic. AbdulAziz added that the destroyed site had no archaeological value and that demolition permits were issued, stressing that no historic sites were affected. BN
