US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Robert Silverman and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy celebrated the completion of the restoration of the Sultan Qaitbey Mausoleum, a Fifteenth-century architectural landmark positioned in Cairo’s Metropolis of the Useless.
The mausoleum was restored by means of a partnership between the US Embassy in Cairo, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and Archinos Structure. In 2022, the US Embassy awarded a $340,000 grant to Archinos Structure by means of the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation to help the restoration of the historic monument. Agnieszka Dobrowolska, Director of Archinos Structure, attended the celebration.
“These efforts are greater than a report of the previous – they’re a bridge to the longer term,” Silverman mentioned throughout the occasion. “Our help for preserving cultural heritage displays America’s dedication to honoring shared historical past, empowering communities, and constructing a future for our two international locations that’s safer, stronger, and extra affluent.”
For his half, Fathy praised the longstanding cooperation between Egypt and the US in heritage conservation, archaeological missions, and the restoration of smuggled antiquities.
“We extremely worth the historic US-Egyptian cooperation in heritage conservation, archaeological missions, and the restoration of smuggled artifacts. I lengthen my gratitude to the joint work groups, reaffirming the Ministry’s dedication to preserving Egyptian heritage in accordance with the best scientific requirements to maximise its financial and social advantages,” he mentioned.
The USA mentioned the restoration displays its broader dedication to preserving cultural heritage by means of the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, which helps the safety of historic buildings, monuments, archaeological websites, museum collections, manuscripts, indigenous languages, and different types of conventional cultural expression.
In Egypt alone, the US has invested greater than $3.5m by means of the Ambassador’s Fund to help 17 cultural preservation initiatives, underscoring its longstanding dedication to safeguarding Egypt’s wealthy cultural heritage.
Past preserving the mausoleum’s architectural and historic significance, the restoration mission has additionally contributed to revitalising the encompassing neighbourhood by attracting a rising variety of guests. The Qaitbey complicated, famend for its distinctive mausoleum dome, is certainly one of Egypt’s most recognisable Mamluk monuments and is featured on the Egyptian one-pound banknote.
Traditionally, the location served as a burial floor for rulers and dignitaries throughout the Mamluk interval earlier than later changing into a cemetery for distinguished Egyptian households.
The restoration of the Sultan Qaitbey Mausoleum is certainly one of a number of cultural heritage initiatives supported by the US in Egypt. Two further initiatives funded by means of the Ambassador’s Fund are anticipated to start quickly within the Al-Gamalia district of Historic Cairo and on the Medinet Habu Temple in Luxor.
