CAIRO: After being the biggest open-air museum in the world since it was restored three years ago, Muizz Street in old Cairo turned into public car park due to the absence of security. Thus the Islamic monuments are threatened day after day by overcrowding, and the halls of mosques have turned into unlicensed open-air Cafeterias. "I saw a piece of stone break off Sultan Barqouq Mosque after a truck scraped its wall. The traffic movement negatively affects the archeological sites," Said the owner of a shop in the Islamic street. “Humidity could cause stones to fall from the mosque facade or shaking due to the traffic movement could cause damage,” said Mustafa Amin, head of Islamic Archeology in the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Amin added that some damage could be repaired. He continued there would not be a threat on the mosque itself as its substructure and sewer pipeline, fixed during previous restoration, were maintained but said car exhaust could damage the mosque's facades. Amin proposed a solution by forming a police station at the al-Fetouh gate and the hall of al-Hakem Beamrellah mosque to control traffic in the street. Mohamed Abdel Maksoud, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities expressed his sorrow and sadness over the deteriorating situation of the street. Abdel Maksoud has met with Egyptian Minister of Interior Mansour el-Issawy to regarding situation. He added, “There must be a quick solution since a large number of youth have violated the sanctity of the street, and set up coffee shops, making the street the source of their livelihood.” Consequently, a group of youth launched the Facebook campaign "Save Muizz Street,” which more than 2000 members. Basma Ashore, the Facebook group's administrator, said she could not practice her work as a photographer freely due to the overcrowding, prompting the group to propose solutions to save the street. The group proposes holding symposiums and hosting public and famous figures like the poet Abdel Rahman el-Abnodi, the actor Mohammad Sobhi, and others.
