WATANI International
6 September 2009
Alarming rumours had been lately circulating that the venerable Giza Zoo, a beloved outing venue for all Cairenes, young and old, is to move from the place it has occupied for over a century in time to new premises in the satellite town of 6th October west of Cairo. The public was outraged; no-one could imagine any plausible reason for such a move unless, as gossip would have it, the government planned to carve up the precious zoo garden and put it up for sale to investors. The public outcry against such a disgraceful plot was huge. It was in fact huge enough for the Supreme Council of Antiquities to promptly step in and declare that, according to Egypt’s law no 117 for 1983 which stipulates that any building more than a century old and with distinguishing features be regarded as an antiquity, the Giza Zoo is a listed monument.
Disapproval
It is hard to imagine a single Cairene who does not harbour fond memories of childhood days happily spent at the Zoo. Culture Minister Farouk Hosni expressed his disapproval of moving the zoo. “Giza Zoo was established more than a hundred years ago and is a gem of a heritage,” he said.
Dr Mustafa al-Khateeb, chairman of the Giza governorate local council, said moving the Giza Zoo would be a waste of national wealth. “It is not just for entertainment, but it is first a place of educational and historical interest,” he said.
He is supported by Dr Sami Taha, a member of the Veterinarians’ Syndicate, and Dr Sami al-Bassati, head of the Egyptian Association of Zoologists, who warned of the danger of moving the zoo from its current premises, which is a favourite picnic place for all Egyptians and especially affordable for the poor.
They also counselled against privatising the zoo. Major zoos were public property the world over, Dr Bassati said.
European style
The zoological gardens were founded by Khedive Ismail, who ruled Egypt from 1863 to 1879, with the intention that they be part of the activities surrounding the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, but they were not finished on time. They opened only in March 1891 under Ismail’s successor Khedive Tawfiq. The Giza Zoo and botanical gardens were from the outset regarded as educational. Ismail, who admired the European way of life, filled the gardens with exotic trees and plants as well as animals and birds.
The 80-feddan Giza Zoo includes the Japanese Kiosk, a piece of art created by the Japanese architect Hiro Hito, and the Citadel Hill, the highest area in the park. The hill, built in 1867 by a Turkish architect, holds statues of reptiles and birds made of cement and pebbles.
Shattering the image
Yet this is not the first crisis to hit the Giza zoo, which recently failed to achieve a place on the international list of major zoos. Giza Zoo has come under fire in the past, especially in regard to animal care and hygiene.
In 2004 the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) announced the expulsion of Giza Zoo from the world zoological and aquarium community for the bad manner in which it dealt with animals, especially after two camels were slaughtered by a butcher and an accomplice who broke into the park at night to cut the animals into pieces in order to sell their meat.
The avian flu outbreak in February 2006 also shattered the image of the zoo, as 83 birds died of H5N1 infection, while almost 600 other birds were put down by veterinarians.
Nabil Mahmoud Sidqy, head of the central administration of the zoo, says there are many obstacles in the way of renovation, however; among them the lack of trained medical staff, absence of adequate space, and the shortage of technology.
The Andalusian Gardens
A report by the archaeological committee suggesting that the Andalusian Gardens in Gezira, Cairo, should also be registered among Islamic and Coptic monuments for their architectural uniqueness managed to get the gardens listed as a monument.
Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, describes the location of the gardens as remarkable since they overlook the Nile on the east and Opera House Square on the south. The small park was established by Mohamed Bey (later Pasha) Zul-Fiqqar in the 1930s. It is divided into two parts: the southern end is called in Arabic Fardous or ‘Paradise’, and is designed in the style of the Arabesque Andalusian Gardens in southern Spain; while the northern part is called the Pharaonic Park.
The central area of the garden is dominated by a statue of the poet Ahmed Shawqy set under a regal arch standing on doubled columns, with Andalusian decorative motifs. All the steps and benches of the garden are decorated with coloured mosaics. The garden is also famous for its hedge labyrinth and the many statues of animals.