The Egyptian Scientific Institute that caught on fire during unrest earlier this month can be restored, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman said Thursday based on the preliminary results of a report on the damages.
Abdel Rahman, who serves on the panel that is writing the report on the institute's condition, said the building's life can be extended, but that renovations could cost around LE7 million. He said the panel would submit the final report to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) later Thursday.
The Culture Ministry organized a committee to evacuate the institute's historical documents when it went up in flames on 17 December during protests outside the cabinet and parliament buildings. Since then, various organizations and foreign donors have offered to help replace the manuscripts and repair the facility, which was established as L'Institute d’Egypte in August 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French invasion.
The governor said the report takes into account the preservation of the institute's original architectural structure and design.
The governor has visited the complex to investigate the damage as part of the panel.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
