[1/4] Smoke rises as Egyptian firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out in the historic neo-Islamic ministry in central Cairo, Egypt, August 5, 2023.
REUTERS/Patrick WerrCAIRO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A historic neo-Islamic ministry in central Cairo was engulfed in flames on Saturday, only days after its employees had moved to premises in a new capital city under construction in the desert 45km east of Cairo.
The main part of the building was built in 1898, with wings added on either side in 1912 and 1927.
Most of the ministry's employees moved to the new capital, away from the clutter and chaos of Cairo, in late July.
Some former ministry buildings are to be repurposed under Egypt's Sovereign Fund, a process the government hopes will draw badly needed investment and help regenerate central Cairo.
Persons:
Patrick Werr CAIRO, Patrick Werr, Moamen Saeed Atallah, Aidan Lewis, Giles Elgood
Organizations:
REUTERS, Religious Endowments, Reuters, Sovereign Fund, Thomson
Locations:
Cairo, Egypt