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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 20 - 26 May 1999 Issue No. 430
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Supplement Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Defending Bab Al-Khalq
By Amira Howeidy"Its a conspiracy against our cultural heritage"; "a hidden agenda that aims at eradicating our identity"; "it is the destruction of the history of the Islamic nation"-- the "it" being a reference to a controversial decision taken by minister of culture, Farouk Hosni, to disperse the permanent collection of the Museum of Islamic Arts in Bab Al-Khalq and rehouse sections of the artefacts in other museums.
Following weeks of debate -- in parliament as well as in press -- where accusations and counter-accusations were exchanged between the minister and ministry's officials, on one hand, and a number of public figures, including writers and specialists in Islamic art and archaeology, on the other, the two opposing camps held two separate meetings last Monday to lobby for support.
The "opposition" repaired to the Press Syndicate where they held a three-hour heated debate. The speakers in the Press Syndicate, mainly professors of Islamic architecture at the Faculty of Archaeology, argued that the decision to relocate the museum's antiquities did not go through the legal channels.
"I don't think that the decision to develop the museum was presented to any of the Scientific or Consultative Committees affiliated to the Ministry of Culture or Supreme Council for Antiquities (SCA)," said Mokhtar El-Kasabani, a professor of archaeology. "We know what the members of these committees or even the board members of the museum itself said -- they simply knew nothing about it."
Moreover, he asserted, the argument of the (SCA), Gaballa Ali Gaballa, contradicts that of other officials in the ministry: "Gaballa said the museum will remain intact, Ahmed Nawwar [head of the Museums Sector] said it will be transformed into a museum for Islamic architecture, while the minister himself said that the idea of relocating the museum is his own. In all cases, we have one result: contents of the museum have been removed already despite all the opposition," said El-Kasabani, who is also a member of the ruling National Democratic Party.
Mohamed El-Dahlawi, a professor of archaeology, struck a more bitter note: "First it was Bab Al-Azab, then it was Fatimid Cairo and today it's the Islamic Museum... who will benefit by dismantling these Islamic edifices? And why is all this happening furtively?" he asked.
It is completely inappropriate to go ahead with "fanciful" projects (such as relocating the museum) that are totally impracticable "just because one person wants this to happen" argued El-Dahlawi.
Proponents of 'developing the museum' argue that the streets surrounding the museum are too narrow, making it difficult, if not impossible, for cars to park. Building a parking area in the museum's garden could be a solution they say. "If we are going to accept this argument to justify the relocation plans let us relocate Khan Al-Khalili and Al-Hussein Mosque because they have the same problem too," El-Dahlawi snapped.
The process of transferring the antiquities from the museum to other venues was another issue of concern for the speakers. Professor of Islamic Antiquities Yassin Zeidan claimed that this process inflicted damage on the antiquities. "There are certain scientific procedures that have to be followed in order to remove any antiquity such as using acid free paper, putting the object in special boxes and, above all, making an electronic fingerprint of the specifications of each antiquity. None of this happened with the Islamic Museum's artefacts which were relocated by movers," he said. "Do we know that what was removed from the museum arrived safely to its new destination?" he asked.
To novelist Gamal El-Ghitani, editor-in-chief of the weekly Akhbar Al-Adab, the Fatimid Cairo development plan is actually part of "a global scheme". "I tried as hard as I could to obtain information about the details of the plan of development, but it was very difficult," he told the audience. "Now I can see the link between what is happening to Fatimid Cairo and all the rhetoric they employ about globalisation, there is a trend seeking to dismantle areas of rich cultural heritage such as ours." Egypt, he stated with confidence, "is targeted".
The so-called Fatimid Cairo Development Plan, claimed El-Ghitani, aims at turning this area into another Rome. "I want to die before the day comes when this actually happens," he said before ending his speech. But leftist writer Salah Eissa took everyone by surprise when he defended the minister. "Why do we attack this particular minister? Everything he does is attacked be it good or bad. So what if the stored antiquities are relocated elsewhere so that all Egyptians can see them?" he asked. He was immediately attacked by novelist Salwa Bakr who snapped, "What do you mean develop Old Cairo? Is it an Omar Effendi store? This museum houses our Islamic heritage as a whole, no one should tamper with it." Supporting El-Ghitani, she stated that "there are attempts to eradicate our Egyptian identity".
