{"id":14135,"date":"2025-10-07T17:05:46","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=14135"},"modified":"2025-10-07T17:05:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:05:46","slug":"suez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/suez\/","title":{"rendered":"Suez: When Demolition Orders Become Stronger Than a City\u2019s Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOh homes of Suez, my city\u2019s homes\u2026 they were martyred beneath you, and yet you live on.\u201d To the rhythm of the simsimiyya<\/em>, this famous folk song has long echoed through the streets of Suez, where residents sang to their homes as if they were living witnesses to the city\u2019s soul. Every home is dear to its owners\u2014but those that stood through war, history, and the resilience of Suez\u2019s people hold a special place in the hearts of all Egyptians. Today, as many of these historic buildings collapse from neglect or fall victim to demolition by local authorities, one question remains urgent: who is responsible for erasing the heritage of a people?<\/p>\n

Since 2020, when the Egyptian government began implementing urban development plans that targeted numerous old structures of historical and architectural significance, waves of controversy and public outrage have repeatedly resurfaced. With every new demolition\u2014regardless of place, time, or justification\u2014the Ministry of Antiquities\u2019 response has remained unchanged: \u201cNot registered as a monument.\u201d This repeated justification has not been accompanied by any serious effort to address registration loopholes or improve protection mechanisms, prompting widespread criticism from historians, archaeologists, and architects who warn that a large part of Egypt\u2019s urban heritage lies outside official protection records, leaving it constantly threatened by demolition machinery.<\/p>\n

The latest controversy erupted over the demolition of the Boutros Kassab House in the city of Suez. The destruction of one of the city\u2019s oldest landmarks\u2014an elegant European-style building reconstructed in 1896 by a descendant of the Kassab family\u2014sparked anger among residents and heritage enthusiasts. Historically, Boutros Kassab\u2019s name is deeply linked to Suez in the second half of the nineteenth century. According to archival sources, Kassab served as an important administrative official under Mohamed Ali Pasha and his successors, tasked with collecting taxes from ships traveling between Egypt and India, before the construction of the Suez Canal.<\/p>\n

The house stood as a witness to multiple eras: Ahmed Orabi stayed there for several days upon returning from exile; it survived the Tripartite Aggression of 1956, the 1967 War, and the 1973 siege\u2014only to end in demolition, following a court ruling in favor of the owning company, which claimed the structure posed a risk to public safety. The absence of cultural and heritage authorities from the scene led intellectuals and historians to condemn the act as \u201ca crime against the memory of Suez.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In September 2017,<\/a> parts of the upper floor\u2019s ceiling and several interior walls collapsed, prompting then-governor Major General Abdel Meguid Saqr to form a technical committee to determine whether the building was listed in the National Antiquities Registry or protected under urban coordination laws, as well as to investigate potential negligence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo of the house before demolition \u2013 Source: Facebook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final demolition took place in September 2025, carried out on behalf of the Canal Shipping Agencies Company<\/a>, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, with participation from security and utility forces. According to Colonel Ahmed Alaa, head of Suez district, the demolition order was based on a final judicial ruling after the building was deemed structurally unsound\u2014a statement reported by several local news outlets.<\/p>\n

In response, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities told Zawia3 that the property was not registered as a historical monument, and therefore, by law, does not fall under the ministry\u2019s jurisdiction or legal protection. He added that the lack of registration classifies it as an ordinary building, one that carries no official heritage or antiquity status.<\/p>\n

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Is Egypt Effectively Managing Its Historical Artifacts?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n