Egyptian Government Announces the Closure of Tahrir’s Mugamaa

Downtown Cairo’s Mugamma Complex will reportedly be shut down as of June 30^th, the Deputy Governor of Cairo, Mohamed Ayman, said on Sunday.  

The complex, a symbol of bureaucracy and archaic infrastructure in public administration, has long been the centre for administrative practices required for both Egyptian nationals and foreigners. According to Egyptian Streets, the Deputy Governor qualified the decision as being in the public’s interest.

In an interview with Skynews Arabia, Ayman said the building, which is home to 30,000 public employees, could be transformed into a hotel – a decision which would be in line with the current revamping of the city centre that started last year. As Ismaelia for Real Estate embarked on the mission to repaint and renovate 23 historical buildings, including the iconic Radio Cinema, Shorbagui building, and the Old French Consulate, local authorities have also recently launched a number of projects, including the demolition of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party’s headquarters, the painting of numerous buildings, and the refurnishing of Tahrir Square.

A visit to Mugamaa – which has often been labelled a 'nightmare' by Egyptians and foreigners alike due to its endless queues, bureaucratic procedures, and lack of digitisation, – might thus take a different form, although it has not yet been announced where administrative practices will be held next. Estimates indicate that about 100,000 people visit the public building on a daily basis and, though there is a new mobile application to streamline access to certain services, it remains unclear where visitors will be expected to go.

Main image by Vyacheslav Argenberg, licensed under Creative Commons.