An urgent committee of “antiquities” inspects the fire of the Al-Azhar...

Dr. Osama Talaat, Head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, confirmed the safety of the Al-Azhar Mosque and its archaeological annexes after the fire that broke out in the western part of the upper floor above Bab Al-Sa`idah towards the Al-Batinah area.

“Talaat” said, in statements, on Wednesday evening, that an archaeological committee headed by Ahmed Abu Bakr, vice president of the sector, went immediately to the site of the fire to find out the damage to the Al-Azhar Mosque, where it was found, by apparent inspection, that there were no damages to the building, inscriptions, decorations or wooden movables. Where the fire was ignited as a result of a short circuit in one of the lighting lamps in the room, which is used to store some movables to manage the mosque.

A report had been received by the Civil Protection in Cairo, this evening, Wednesday, stating that a fire had broken out in the Al-Azhar Mosque, and a number of firefighting vehicles were paid to control the fire.
A security source confirmed that a limited fire was controlled in one of the rooms attached to the second floor of the Al-Azhar Mosque, without any injuries or damage.

The Al-Azhar Mosque was inaugurated in 2018, after it witnessed the largest restoration process in its history that lasted for about 3 full years, through a grant from the late Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of 30 million pounds, which began at the end of 2014 after the Ministry of Endowments gave it up in favor of the Al-Azhar Sheikhdom.