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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 6 - 12 May 1999 Issue No. 428
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Special Focus Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Hosni slams his critics
By Gamal Essam El-Din
Culture Minister Farouk Hosni informed the People's Assembly on Monday that the Museum of Islamic Arts is soon to be moved from its current location in the traffic-congested Bab Al-Khalq district to the Citadel area. Although he said that the relocation process had not yet begun, Hosni defended the decision, maintaining that the move was necessary to make the museum more accessible to tourists.
Five professors of archaeology and various writers last week filed a complaint with Prosecutor-General Ragaa El-Arabi aimed at stopping the relocation. Hosni described the complaint as part of a long running campaign against him. "Let me say very simply that a group of four famous writers have for 10 years been carrying out a continuing and relentless campaign against the policies of the Ministry of Culture," Hosni said. "These writers -- Ne'mat Fouad, Sekina Fouad, Gamal El-Ghitani and Farouk Gweida -- devote entire articles to levelling charges of negligence and irresponsibility against the ministry. This is a paradox because they used to defend the faulty restoration work of the 1980s. To support their charges, they resort to some university professors and introduce them to the public as archaeological experts who are keen on protecting ancient antiquities from deterioration."
The complaint also alleged that dozens of precious Islamic masterpieces are being removed from the museum in order to install air ventilation equipment and make changes to the gardens.
In response to an "urgent request" for information on the subject submitted by MP Ibrahim El-Bardisi, Hosni said that the Museum of Islamic Arts is one of the world's unique museums and added that decisions on Islamic antiquities and monuments rest with the permanent committee and board of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). "The committee has 16 members, five of whom are acknowledged as specialised professors of Islamic antiquities," he explained. "As for the board, it includes the dean of the Faculty of Antiquities and other professors, with proven records in Islamic and Pharaonic antiquities. These people can never be accused of negligence and their decisions are far from irresponsible. So the complaint is misleading and aims to provide public opinion with a distorted picture of what is happening."
Hosni accused novelist Gamal El-Ghitani, editor of the weekly literary magazine Akhbar Al-Adab, of using his publication in this "misleading" campaign. "This magazine published a photograph which suggests that antiquities are being taken out of the museum," Hosni said. "This is misleading. The fact is that the antiquities were being transferred from the museum's basement to the stores to protect them from water leakage. I do not know why they insist on misleading people. You may go there yourselves and ascertain that none of the antiquities has been removed."
Hosni confirmed that the museum will soon be relocated to the Citadel area. This, he added, will be preceded by a detailed study to ensure that the antiquities will not be exposed to harm. "As you all know, we began implementing a long time ago a plan for restoring all types of museums," Hosni told the assembled MPs. "We began with restoring and renovating the Nubia and Alexandria Museums. As for the Museum of Islamic Arts, we found that it has to be relocated to the Citadel. This museum, which was established in 1903, is located in an area congested with traffic. Tourist buses face great difficulty in reaching it. The result is that the number of tourists who visit this museum never exceeds 100 at best each day. In contrast, the number of tourists who visit the Citadel area each day ranges from 10,000 to 17,000. This means that I have to relocate the museum, not only to give thousands of tourists the opportunity to view the great masterpieces of Islamic art, but also to generate greater revenue."
Hosni added that the museum will be relocated to a building constructed by Mohamed Ali between 1830 and 1840. "This building is being developed in accordance with the highest technological standards to ensure the safety of the antiquities which will be transferred from the Islamic Museum," he said.
