DOZENS of Islamic art experts are urging Cairo to wake up to the “alarming” threat that shoddy restoration work is posing to numerous buildings dating back to the days of the Thousand and One Nights. In a letter to Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak last month, the experts highlighted monuments under renovation by nine local contracting firms which they claim “have little experience with the fine art of restoration.” “Old columns in many mosques are now replaced by generic concrete replicas,” while destructive cement is being used on Ibn Tulun mosque, one of the best preserved early Islamic buildings in Egypt, the letter said. Around 50 ancient mosques, town houses and Islamic schools are currently undergoing restoration work as part of the government’s Historic Cairo Project which aims to turn Islamic Cairo into an open-air museum. – AFP
Thursday June 21, 2001