CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian officials and the U.S. ambassador inaugurated renovations of several monuments and buildings in Historic Cairo, including the Bimaristan al-Muayyad Sheikh, a hospital complex built in 1420 A.D.
The building is notable for its giant crenulated facade and inlaid kufic Arabic inscriptions.
“It is a new policy the government is following, which is to merge civil society to help preserve the antiquities,” Mohamed Ismael, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said.
The building will be used for cultural functions with the involvement of the neighbourhood’s people, he added.
Other monuments restored with U.S. Agency for International Development help and inaugurated on Sunday included the 18th century Sabil Kuttab of Ruqayya Dudu and the 14th century Gate of Manjak al-Silahdar.
(Writing by Patrick Werr)
