A historic neo-Islamic ministry in central Cairo was reportedly overwhelmed with fire on Saturday, August 5, several days after the employees in the building had moved to new premises in a new capital city located in the desert and 45km east of Cairo.
As at the time of filing this report around 1:00 pm (GMT +1), it was not immediately clear, the cause of the fire of if anyone had been hurt.
According to reports, the blaze had mainly been confined to the top floor of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, or the Awqaf building, but the flames had also been seen shooting out of a second floor window as well.
About seven firetrucks had been deployed, and it took at least several hours before the inferno was mostly extinguished.
The major part of the building was constructed in 1898, with wings added on both sides in 1912 and 1927 respectively.
Fortunately, majority of the ministry’s employees packed to the new capital, away from the hustle and bustle of Cairo, in July’s end.
Several former ministry buildings are well on their way to being reconstructed under Egypt’s Sovereign Fund, a process the authorities hopes will draw a much needed investment and help revive central Cairo.
