Egyptians alarmed as government delists protected park
A government decision to cross out a public park from the country's heritage list has dismayed Egyptians, wary of the authorities' plans to develop the park.
A controversial decision by the Supreme Council of Antiquities to remove Cairo's Aquarium Grotto Garden from Egypt's list of antiquities has sparked uproar in Egypt. Preservationists and many citizens fear the move may pave the way for the destruction of the public park at the hands of developers.
The park, also known as the Fish Garden, is one of a handful of dwindling green spaces in a city crammed with concrete buildings and disorderly-built red-brick structures.
Defending the decision, Mustafa El Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Al Sharq Al Awsat,"There is no such thing as 'an archaeological park;' only buildings, monuments, and heritage sites may be registered as antiquities."
However, in an interview with TV talk show host Lamis El Hadidi on the privately-owned ON TV, El Waziri however contradicted himself, denying that the park would be written off the antiquities list.
