Cairo starts evacuating 65-year old Tahrir’s Mogamma

Tahrir complex (The Mogamma), a 65-year old administrative governmental building in Downtown Cairo in the heart of Tahrir square, is currently being evacuated beginning, Ahmed Taymour deputy Cairo governor said Saturday.

He added that the decision to evacuate aims to reduce traffic congestion in the heart of Cairo.

The 14-storey building includes government agencies which process documents such as driver’s licenses and visas. The construction of the building was completed in 1951. In addition, the building covers 28,000 meters of land and stands at a height of 55 meters.

With evacuation works which begun last Thursday Taymour explained that each ministry is expected to withdraw its agencies from the complex instead each ministry will be directly responsible for doing its paperwork for the public.

Taymour added that the suggestions to transform the building to a hotel with restaurants and a swimming pool are yet to be considered, adding that building will still remain one of “Cairo’s landmarks.”

The Mogamma building, also called Mogamma el-Tahrir, is located in the southern corner of the iconic Tahrir Square, across the street from the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.

The building also neighbored the former headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party, which was set ablaze during 2011 upheavals, and was recently demolished.