EGP 235 Million to Protect Qaitbay Citadel From Sea Waters

EGP 235 million! That's the budget set to save Alexandria's historical Qaitbay Citadel from the raging sea, reports Egypt Today. The renovation - to be kicked off in April - was announced by the city's governor, Mohamed Sultan, on Monday, during the Alexandria Youth Forum at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Renovations will mainly focus on the stones on which the fort was built, following studies issued by the Ministry of Antiquities and the Engineering Center for Archaeology and Environment at Cairo University. The Egyptian General Authority for Shores Protection also conducted a number of studies to establish barriers in order to keep the sea waves away from the stone on which the Citadel stands.

The renovation comes after earlier assessments done by archeological and geophysical experts, and reported by Egypt Independent as far back as four years ago, showing that the Qaitbay is at risk of collapse due to its cavities being filled with seawater. The Ministry of Antiquities stated that the latest inspections on the Citadel took place in July 2017, after which the survey team had agreed to continue monitoring the cavities.

Image: Wikipedia