Egyptian Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno announced that the demolition of the Imam al-Shafi’i cemetery has been temporarily halted.
He added that coordination is underway with the relevant authorities to keep the shrines in place or to study the possibility of moving other shrines to another location to complete the ongoing traffic axis project.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Hanno added that: “The demolition will be halted until the situation of the shrines and cemeteries located in the direction of the new traffic axis is studied.”
He continued that the Culture Ministry acted quickly to halt the ongoing demolition of the cemeteries, and representatives of the Ministry met with all relevant authorities in lengthy meetings to coordinate and halt the demolition currently.
Hanno continued: “We, as the Ministry of Culture, have been very active. We were not asleep to stop the demolition and look for available solutions to preserve the heritage cemeteries and the architectural style there.”
He noted that the Ministry of Culture has prepared a new proposal, which is that the road being built has a number of shrines that must be removed.
They have therefore concluded that some shrines and cemeteries will be spared demolition, and others will be moved and preserved by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities as it is the relevant authority.
Hanno stressed that the temporary halt to demolition is an opportunity to review the status of all cemeteries and shrines and study how to preserve them.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
