Sultan Al Qasimi Vows to Restore Egypt's Scientific Complex

Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has vowed to fully restore and rebuild the Scientific Complex in Cairo at his own personal expense. The announcement came on Monday, December 19, 2011, during a phone call His Highness Sheikh Sultan made from France to the live program "Al Ashira Masa'an", which is presented by TV presenter Mona Al Shazli and is aired on the TV channel, Dream 2.    His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah said: "I will completely rebuild and restore the whole building. And I will also gift all the books and original manuscripts that were burnt, because I have most of them in my library; including the journals that were first issued in 1968, the French editions of some books, and the rare maps from the collection of Prince Youssef Kamal, which are only present in my home. These original copies I offer as a gift to the Scientific Complex." "There are malicious hands that have reached the Scientific Complex and burnt it down. And this is why I called the Egyptian Minister of Culture to try and save this building, which holds great scientific and historical value, and is home to very rare manuscripts and books. I have also asked the committee authorized with restoring the building to send me a complete list of the books that were destroyed during the fire, so we can replace them as soon as possible," His Highness Sheikh Sultan added. It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian Scientific Complex situated in Al Qasr Al Ainy Street in Cairo, was established in 1798 by the French Campaign in Egypt by a decision from its leader; Napoleon Bonaparte. It was burnt down on Saturday, December 14, 2011, during a wave of riots that swept over Cairo, destroying tens of thousands of rare manuscripts, books and documents.