The Egyptian Ministry of Culture will organize a cultural and artistic celebration on the inauguration of the Islamic Art Museum at Bab El-Khalq on 1st of December this year following completion of works of renovation and re-formulation of display technique of monumental pieces with a total cost amounted L.E. 85 million.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawas said that the museum will be inaugurated prior to the inauguration of Islamic monuments museums departments currently underway in the museums of Louver in France, Metropolitan in U.S.A. and Berlin in Germany and Islamic Art Museums in Qatar and United Arab Emirates scheduled for inauguration in the coming two years.
He added that a French expert rendered his services in the preparation for the new museum display, interior design of the building that will comprise 2300 pieces represent masterpieces of the Islamic Art. He clarified that the Memlouk monumental fountain existing among collection of the Islamic museum is currently under restoration. It was successfully dismantled and transported to the restoration laboratory at the Citadel, after it was posing a problem for restoration process.
A team of Spanish and Egyptian restorators under leadership of Spanish expert Eduardo, who previously participated in restoration of Nefertary tomb at the West Bank of Luxor city succeeded in accomplishing the mission.
Hawas added that the restoration process of the monumental fountain was carried out in collaboration with Agha Khan Foundation, as the fountain was transported to its new site at the Islamic Art museum according to the new design.
He explained that 2000 kilograms of the cement material that was used in restoration of the fountain in years between 1960 and 1970 were removed in addition to treatment of harmful effects over the fountain as a result of previous restorations.
The new project of Islamic Art museum at Bab El-Khalq is composed of new areas for display to cope the museum scenario which depends in idea on historical eras of Egypt and Islamic countries and display of the monumental pieces according to the historical chronology and allocation of special halls for each of the Islamic arts and development of the restoration department and library as well as providing the museum with a new warning network and extinguishing fires and an administrative building. He pointed out that employees of the museum will manage it from the administrative building, while the museum is confined to the display halls.
It should be noted that the Islamic Art Museum at Bab El-Khalq was inaugurated for the first time on 28th of December 1903 under the name of Arab Monuments House, then the name was changed into the current name in 1952 due to its containment of antiquities collections from most of Islamic countries not from Egypt and Arab countries only. The last process of renovation at the museum took place in year 1983 and since then there was no other renovations.
