Ottoman-era Sabil-Kuttab catches fire

CAIRO – 6 June 2018: Fire broke out on Tuesday in a residential building behind the Ottoman-era Sabil-Kuttab of Um Mohamed Ali al-Saghir, located in Al-Gabrouni alley in Ramses Square.

Gamal Mostafa, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector, said that the fire led to a deterioration of parts of the isolation layer and some wooden beams at the wooden ceiling of the Kuttab’s right wing, on the upper level of the building, which has fallen onto the Sabil’s second floor.

Mostafa added that the residential building was engulfed by flames and collapsed without casualties, referring that the fire has been immediately brought under control and isolated from the archaeological building.


Fire broke out early Tuesday morning in a residential building behind the Ottoman-era Sabil-Kuttab of Um Mohamed Ali al-Saghir - Ministry of Antiquities’ official Facebook page

He remarked that an archaeological building, led by Deputy of the Islamic Antiquities’ head Wajdi Abbas and other officials at the sector, was formed to inspect the archaeological building and prepare a detailed report on the incident and the archaeological building’s condition to be submitted to the Ministry of Antiquities.

The Ottoman-era Sabil-Kuttab (water fountain and school building) of Um Mohamed Ali al-Saghir belongs to the Ministry of Endowments and is rented to several organizations, including Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar newspapers for commercial storage, residence and industrial security.

Mostafa stressed that the Ministry of Endowments has been asked several times to stop all the rentals as they are threatening the monumental edifice.

The Sabil-Kuttab was put in Egypt Islamic and Coptic heritages’ list in line with the ministerial decree 188 of 1989.

It was established by Ziba Kaden, the mother of Mohamed Ali Pasha al-Saghir in 1869. It was designed by architect Hassan Pasha Fahmy and includes a ground floor for the Sabil and a upper floor for the Kuttab.