Home of Egypt’s Abbas Al Akkad to Be Demolished

The former home of Abbas Al Akkad, one of Egypt’s most renowned writers, has been marked for demolition.

The planned demolition of the house in Aswan was confirmed by the southern city's governor on Wednesday. 

He said an engineering committee advised the government to demolish Al Akkad's house after appraising it in 2021.

Ramy Al Akkad, the late writer’s grandson, who still resides in the house, told The National that last Tuesday, the family had not received an official notice of the demolition.

The house, which was built in lat 1800s, has been in severe disrepair for years.

Ramy Al Akkad pointed out a restoration project announced in 2016 by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture and the Aswan municipality never materialised.

Demolition plans were met with widespread criticism from fans of the author on social media.

Ramy Al Akkad highlighted that engineers visited the house in 2021 to determine whether it would be eligible for the restoration, however, the results were never shared with the Al Akkad family.

The family had periodically carried its own repairs to the house, but in 2016, they were asked by the architectural heritage department of the culture ministry to cease any private renovations.

Al Akkad is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated literary figures in Egypt’s history. 

He was known for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the country and was an instrumental figure in the 1919 revolution that gave Egypt nominal independence from Britain.