Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Assem El Gazzar has inspected work underway on the comprehensive development project of the historic Ain El Sira Lake to keep abreast of the recent updates on-site, Invest-Gate reports.

While being accompanied by several ministerial officials, El Gazzar urged the acceleration of the 265,000-square-meter development project of Ain El Sira Lake, in addition to landscaping works, in compliance with first-rate international standards, according to a ministerial statement on October 10.

El Gazzar toured the services and facilities underway to renovate the Ain El Sira Lake area, including restaurants, public bathrooms, parks, in addition to potable water, drainage, irrigation, and electricity networks, the statement noted.

Upon completion, the Ain El Sira Lake development project will change the face of Old Cairo, especially after the integration of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC), in a bid to provide tourists and visitors with the important components of the tourism experience by offering an array of food and beverage (F&B), recreation and entertainment, and travel services, he concluded.

In 2019, Antiquities and Tourism Minister Khaled El Anani had unveiled that phase II of NMEC in Fustat, south Cairo, is 95% complete, while 96% of the third phase is done, including three main exhibition halls covering a total surface area of 6,290 square meters, as highlighted in a previous statement.

Spanning 135,000 square meters across the ancient city, NMEC overlooks Ain El Sira Lake and is in close proximity to Old Cairo’s multi-religious complex, which consists of the Hanging Church, Amr Ibn Al’As Mosque, and Ben Ezra Synagogue – or the “Jewish Temple,” El Anani explained back then, indicating that phase III is set for finalization in Q2 2020. However, the project is still in the works at present.