Archeologist denies reports on replacing basalt tiles floor with asphalt at Al Moez st.

CAIRO, 19 July 2018: Archaeologist Sameh el Zahar, a specialist in Islamic and Coptic archaeology, dismissed claims circulated on social media websites on removing basalt tiles floor at Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatimi Street and replacing them with (asphalt) known as bitumen.

In a statement to MENA on Thursday, Zahar termed the circulated video as “groundless”, pointing out that the street which is depicted in the video is Bab El Wazir in el Darb el Ahmar district and not Al Moez.

He called on social media users to ensure accuracy before publishing such false information, which may negatively affect Egypt as a cultural destination, urging the government to modernize el Darb el Ahmar district in general and Bab el Wazir in particular so that it would be turned into an open museum and a tourist attraction.

Al Moez street is an open street museum of Islamic architect. A United Nations study found it to have the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world. The street is named for Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, the fourth caliph of the Fatimid dynasty.