Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, Minister of Endowments; Khaled Abdel-Aal, Governor of Cairo; and Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities inaugurated on Tuesday Al-Hakim Mosque after restoration and revitalization in cooperation with the Bohra community, in Al-Muizz Street in Historic Cairo area.
During the opening ceremony, the officials inspected the mosque and listened to a detailed explanation about the restoration project.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities was keen to thank everyone who contributed to the development of this important mosque, stressing that it will be a strong addition to the antiquities of Islamic Egypt in the historic Cairo area, which is distinguished by its important tourism status and role.
For his part, Minister Gomaa expressed his happiness at the opening of this mosque in conjunction with the preparations for the holy month of Ramadan. He thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for its great efforts in the restoration work that takes place in various ancient Egyptian mosques.
The Governor of Cairo confirmed that today’s inauguration is part of the development witnessed by the historic Cairo area during the current period, as it witnessed the inauguration of Al-Hussein Mosque, Al-Ashraf Street and Al-Bayt path, in addition to the Fustat development project currently underway.
For his part, Waziri said that the restoration project began in February 2017, as the works included periodic maintenance to ward off danger and protect the walls of the mosque from the effect of moisture and salts, in addition to ventilation and strengthening of the walls and treatment of some cracks in them.
Hisham Samir, Assistant Minister for Antiquities and Museums Projects, said that the restoration of all the wooden works in the mosque has been completed, including the doors, the pulpit, and decorative wooden ties under the ceilings of the mosque.
In addition to the careful restoration of the mosque’s niches, with changing the curtains that cover the openings of the arches overlooking the courtyard, renewing the internal and external electricity network and raising its efficiency, a network of surveillance cameras was added, the restoration of chandeliers (Najaf) in the qibla iwan, maintenance and completion of the lamps and glass lanterns in the mosque’s iwans, and the addition of new lanterns As lighting units overlooking the court, with the maintenance of specialized lighting for the external façade, in addition to the maintenance of all the floors of the ions and the marble court in the mosque in accordance with the artistic and archaeological principles.
