Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Controversy re high rise buildings facing Citadel

Penultimate article on the above page: "Controversy over what the media has dubbed the 'Citadel Towers' reached new heights last month after Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni reportedly suspended Dr. Abdallah Kamel, the director of the Islamic and Coptic antiquities’ sector. Insiders claim Hosni berated Kamel for his failure to inform the ministry that a leading businessman was building a number of high-rise buildings on the hills facing the Citadel.
The question is: Why fire him now? It’s not as if the threat of high-rises so close to the Citadel hadn’t been discussed for months in Egyptian newspapers. The towers’ existence directly violates international antiquities preservation measures as they fall within the safety zone of the ancient Citadel. Under Egypt’s Antiquities Act, the Supreme Council for Authorities (SCA) has the right to halt any construction around a monument if it falls within a three-kilometer radius."
See the above page for the rest of this short piece.

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