Villas to regain Abbasid glory in Lower Egypt
Egypt, Local, 7/15/2002

Four restoration projects in Lower Egypt will be funded by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). LE8 million from the budget for the new fiscal year has been allocated for the third phase of the city of Fuwa in Kafr El Sheikh, eight villas in Rosetta and Beheira Governorate, the Qaitbey Fortress in Alexandria, and mosques and bathhouses in Mahala Al Kobra and Samanoud.

Once phase three at Fuwa is completed, the structures of the entire city, which includes six mosques, will have been restored and the site will rank with Fatimid Cairo and Rosetta in terms of archaeological potential. The monuments of Fuwa and Rosetta, two towns that are separated only by the River Nile, date back to Abbasid times.

The first restoration work on villas in Rosetta began in 1982, but considerable maintenance is needed to preserve their original structures. Interiors and facades are madef carved wood.

SCA Secretary-General Zahi Hawas said most of the work on the Qaitbey Fortress has been completed. The remaining tasks are scheduled to finish within the next year.

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