Egypt’s iconic historical relic is the pyramid, but there’s much more, such as mosques – but bits and pieces are disappearing, as Khalid Hassan reports for AL Monitor:
In a bid to preserve old mosques and protect them from being looted, the Standing Committee of Islamic and Coptic Monuments, affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities, decided Jan. 4 to move old mosque artifacts to the ministry’s warehouses. Smaller items, such as niches, carpets and chairs, are taking priority as they are easier to steal.
The decision comes after six niches were stolen recently from Al-Rifai Mosque in Cairo’s Citadel Square. On Jan. 1, the Ministry of Antiquities announced the disappearance of six out of 15 niches from the burial chamber of King Fuad I and Princess Ferial, the descendants of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. The niches, which date back to 1911, are made of sanded glass emblazoned with the seal of Khedive Abbas Hilmi II. They also bear a Quranic verse in Mamluk characters.
Even more interesting, beyond the reported drugging of guards?
On Jan. 2, Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anani decided to form a commission to inventory the content of Al-Rifai Mosque and compare the findings with the ministry’s records to check whether any original artifacts have been replaced by fake pieces.
Not an overwhelming problem in the United States. I wonder how it affects society, knowing there are millennia of history to protect, meanwhile we’re facing power and water shortages, not to mention a sometimes restive population.
Some pictures of missing glass from King Fuad I are here. I wondered about a referenced Ministry of Endowments, which, on further research, appears to regulate institutions such as hospitals and other such that aid the community. In Wikipedia it’s called Ministry of Awqaf.
