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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Interview Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters History saved
By Nevine El-ArefThe Administrative Court has ruled against a plan by Culture Minister Farouk Hosni to rent out the historical area of Bab Al-Azab, on the edge of the Citadel grounds, to build a five-star hotel and a shopping complex. The plan had sparked cries of protest by intellectuals and parliamentarians.
The court said that turning an archaeological area into a commercial complex violated Law No 17 of 1983, which calls for preserving and protecting all monuments against urban encroachment. The court also said the proposed plan would threaten monuments and lead to a drop in their historical and archaeological value.
Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said the Culture Ministry would contest the court's decision with the Supreme Administrative Court.
The issue began a year ago when Hosni unveiled a plan to lease a 50,000 square metre plot of land in an area commonly known as Bab Al-Azab, on the Citadel's edge, to a private company to build a hotel and a shopping complex. But the scheme was put on the back-burner after it was met by several protests. Intellectuals complained the project would set a precedent for using a historical site for commercial purposes.
Sekina Fouad, a writer and a member of the Shura Council, described the court's decision as a "historic ruling" by the Egyptian judiciary. "We submitted documents which proved that the land in question was an archaeological area, not a garbage dump as some SCA officials claimed," she said.
Fouad pointed out that never before had an archaeological area been rented out for commercial use. Authorities should protect, preserve and restore such places, not build a hotel on them, she added.
"If they want to develop the Citadel area and attract more tourists, there is an empty hotel on the Muqattam hills overlooking the Citadel which the Culture Ministry can use," Fouad said.
Ne'mat Fouad, a writer, praised the court's decision, saying it proved the independence and impartiality of the Egyptian judiciary.
The archaeological area which was to be commercially developed has a large gate built in 1754, is flanked by two towers and includes more than 100 monuments dating back to the Mameluke and Ottoman periods. The plan had also called for the construction of a conference hall, an Islamic art museum and a school to teach the art of restoration.
The Citadel, originally built in 1166 by Salaheddin Al-Ayoubi -- also known as Saladin -- who drove the Crusaders out of Jerusalem, is currently undergoing massive restoration.
