The Engineers Syndicate has formed several urgent committees of specialized architectural experts and all relevant parties to investigate the demolition of the Imam al-Shafi’i cemetery, an important part of Cairo’s heritage, and to communicate with all relevant parties to investigate the matter and prepare a comprehensive report.
Several members of the House of Representatives submitted urgent requests for further information and statements to stop the demolition.
Protecting Cairo’s heritage
The Engineers Syndicate stressed that the demolition and removal of historical buildings is a waste of irreplaceable heritage.
The union explained that it fears the obliteration of Cairo’s historical landmarks and the implementation of construction operations that are incompatible with the area, in violation of the president’s decisions on preserving national heritage.
The syndicate expressed its readiness to participate in the restoration of what was demolished and to preserve what remains, alongside creating paths and converting the area into shrines.
Parliament members call for answers
A member of the House of Representatives for the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Samira al-Gazzar, submitted an urgent statement to the Speaker of the House of Representatives regarding the demolition of the cemetery of Imam al-Shafi’i.
She said that the dome of “Nam Shadh Qadin” and the tombs of Halim Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, were demolished despite being architectural masterpieces.
Gazzar slammed the erasure of heritage without consulting the people, which she warned will lead to overwhelming backlash.
Another member of the House of Representatives, Amira Abu-Shoqa, demanded that those responsible for demolishing the cemetery of Imam al-Shafi’i be held accountable, and that the unique heritage domes be transferred much like the dome of “Ruqayya Dodo”.
She expressed her deep sadness over the demolition of tombs with unique architectural styles worldwide, in order to establish “national projects”.
In a request for a briefing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, addressed to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, the Governor of Cairo, and the Head of the National Authority for Urban Coordination, Abu-Shoqa asked about the results of the work of the committee that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered to be formed in June 2023, to evaluate the issue of transferring the cemeteries of Sayyida Nafisa and Imam Al-Shafi’i areas, especially since they constitute an essential part of the Egyptian identity.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
