Egypt forms government committee to protect Islamic heritage sites
by Tom Anstey | 13 Jan 2015
Egypt has formed a ministerial committee charged with developing a strategy to safeguard the country’s Islamic heritage by reinvigorating faltering projects.
“The committee has agreed to found a joint fund to complete stalled renovation projects to many mosques and other Islamic sites.” said Gamal Mostafa, part of the new committee and director general of the archaeological sites of Al-Sultan Hassan and al-Rifaai mosques. “[The committee] aims to tackle the bureaucracy and obstacles that inhibit the completion of Islamic heritage development projects.”
Over the past decade, several development projects – particularly in Cairo which is one of the world’s oldest Islamic cities – have been launched to protect Egypt’s ancient mosques, but lack of funding coordination and security following the 2011 revolution meant the majority of projects were abandoned.
The Egyptian government has been criticised over the increase in thefts, not only in mosques, but in Egypt’s heritage sites across the country. Following the 2011 revolution and the subsequent collapse of the country’s government, armed gangs, looters and general destruction placed the country’s rich cultural history in peril. As a result, Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab requested support from UNESCO to try and stem reports of ongoing chaos at Egyptian heritage sites.
22 Dec 2014
Egypt banking on art and heritage to bring back prosperity
08 Sep 2014
Egypt turns to UNESCO for help protecting heritage and museums
29 Jul 2014
Armed looters and violence putting Egypt's heritage at risk of being 'lost forever'
Egypt has formed a ministerial committee charged with developing a strategy to safeguard the country’s Islamic heritage by reinvigorating faltering projects. “The committee has agreed to found a joint fund to complete stalled renovation projects to many mosques and other Islamic sites.” said Gamal Mostafa, part of the new committee and director general of the archaeological sites of Al-Sultan Hassan and al-Rifaai mosques. “[The committee] aims to tackle the bureaucracy
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