SCA to take legal action in mosque robbery case
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is taking legal action against the workers of Mengak Al Youssefi Mosque after some of the mosque’s antiques located in the citadel area were stolen last Friday. Decorative parts of the menbar (the preacher’s pulpit) of the mosque made of ivory and ebony were stolen along with its doors and platform.
The Ministries of Endowments and Culture were playing the blame game, with neither claiming responsibility for the incident. Hamdy Zaqzouq, Minister of Endowments, said in previous statements that the responsibility in such cases lies also on the antiquities authority that is supposed to supervise these mosques. On the other hand, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni refuted these allegations saying that the antiquities entity’s role is to reconstruct these mosques and protect them from construction violations. He also called for establishing a department at the Ministry of Endowments to protect these sites and guarantee security presence at all times especially at night when these incidents are likely to occur.
Mengak Al Youssefi Mosque dates back to the Mamluki era and was built in 1349 (750 in the Islamic calendar) by Prince Mengak Al Youssef.
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