The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities inaugurated part of the Babylon Fortress in the religious complex in Old Cairo after completing the first phase of its restoration work, opening it for visitors and tourists.
Hisham Samir — the Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Projects and General Supervisor of the Historic Cairo Project — explained that the part of the fort located on the side of the Coptic Museum gate is the area that is now open for visits.
He revealed that the first phase of the project included cleaning all the external and internal facades of the fortress and brushing off any dirt, dust, and stains on the stones, in addition to developing a lighting system in all parts of the circular fortress, which contributed mainly to showing the architectural beauty of the fort and the original function of the building. The railings were filled in to accentuate the shape of the existing stones and the restoration of the deteriorated parts of them, and the windows of the fort were repaired with the help of the Institute of Archaeological Crafts of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Samir indicated that the second phase of restoration is now underway, which includes restoring the southern part of the fortress that is located below the hanging church, called ‘Amr Gate’, and fully opening it soon for visitors.
