Min.: We refuse to exploit Baron Palace commercially

CAIRO - 18 August 2019: The minister of antiquities announced the completion of the renovation of the Baron Palace within 90 days from now. The completion rate is currently 90 percent.

Khaled al-Anani explained that offers were submitted to the Ministry of Antiquities for commercial exploitation of the historical palace; however, we believe that its archaeological nature must be cultural.

Baron Empain Palace is a historical palace that was inspired by Indian architecture and was constructed by Belgian millionaire Baron Edward Empain (Sept. 20 1852 - July 22 1929).

He came to Egypt from India at the end of the 19th century shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal.

The ministry is finalizing the Baron Palace in preparation for its opening to the public before the end of 2019. The ministry completed about 90 percent of the restoration work, where the structural consolidation of the roofs, and restoring the facades' decorative elements has been completed.

The project cost LE100 million, and the ministry plans to turn it into an archaeological documentation center after its scheduled opening in November 2019.