Limited fire breaks out in 3rd floor of Al-Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo

CAIRO – 8 October 2020: A limited fire broke out Wednesday evening in the third floor in Al-Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo; no human causalities were reported.

In a statement, Grand Imam of Al Azahr Ahmed Tayyeb assured that no human causalities were reported and the mosque was not affected by the fire, calling for an urgent and a comprehensive report about the damages.

A committee of the Antiquities Ministry examined the mosque immediately after the fire, saying that the mosque as well as its archaeological annexes were intact.

The committee added that no damage was inflicted on the building, inscriptions or the wooden furniture.

Head of the Islamic, Christian and Jewish Antiquities at the Antiquities Ministry Osama Talaat made clear that the fire was caused by a short circuit in one of the lamps in an upper flood room used to store some furnishings.

Upon hearing about the fire, Christian and Jewish Antiquities at the Tourism Ministry Osama Talaat said the committee rushed to the scene to stand on the damage inflicted on the mosque, that was re-opened in 2018 after the end of three-year renovation works that cost 30 million pounds.

He made clear that the fire was caused by a short circuit in one of the lamps in an upper flood room used to store some furnishings.

A security source has earlier confirmed that the fire was contained with no casualties or damage being reported.