The was an organization established in December 1881 by Khedive Tawfiq which was responsible for the preservation of

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and Coptic monuments in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It was an Egyptian institution, part of the Ministry of Charitable Endowments (''

awqaf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charit ...

'' in Arabic), but is often referred to by its French title."Comités Bulletins", Islamic Art Network (Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation), retrieved on December 16, 2013, The Comité was established partly in response to the neglect and occasional destruction of

medieval Cairo Medieval Cairo may refer to: * History of Cairo during the Middle Ages * Islamic Cairo Islamic Cairo (), or Medieval Cairo, officially Historic Cairo (القاهرة التاريخية ''al-Qāhira tārīkhiyya''), refers mostly to the areas of ...

which had begun over the course of the 19th century under the regime of

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

and his successors, who attempted to modernize Egypt through projects including the construction of new areas of

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

that followed a European model.Williams, Caroline. 2008 (6th ed.). ''Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide''. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. French archaeological enthusiasts such as Arthur Rhoné and Gabriel Charmes had helped publicize the issue in France, which created pressure on the Khedive. The Comité's tasks, split between two sub-committees or commissions, was first to index every Islamic or Coptic monument in Egypt, assess which ones were in need of attention, and then recommend a course of action. Decisions were made based on the monument's condition at the time as well as its architectural or artistic value. The courses of action undertaken ranged from strict preservation to large-scale restoration of single monuments. Strict preservation, which characterized the vast majority of cases, involved the reinforcement, repair, or cleaning of existing structures, while restoration involved the reconstruction of a monument to varying extents, which could make it usable again for the community (as a mosque, for example). Many examples of such reconstructions by the Comité still remain in Cairo today. In some cases, if the monument was in such poor condition that it was not possible to reconstitute it according to its original design, then the building might be dismantled if dangerous and any objects or elements of artistic value would be transferred to the Museum of Arab Art, now known as the Museum of Islamic Art. The Comité tasked itself with this function partly because of their consideration to tourism in Egypt. Even as early as 1898, the Comité spoke of 'the satisfaction of Egypt's tourist'. The Comité became part of the Ministry of Education in 1936, and was formally dissolved in 1961. Its responsibilities passed to the Permanent Committee for Islamic and Coptic Monuments, under the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, now known as the

Supreme Council of Antiquities The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA; ) was established in 1994, responsible for the conservation, protection, and regulation of all antiquities and archaeological excavations in Egypt. From 1994 to 2011, the SCA was a department of the Egyptia ...

. In 2011, the agency tasked with preserving antiquities was named the Ministry of State of Antiquities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comite de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe 1881 establishments in Egypt 1961 disestablishments in Egypt Defunct government agencies of Egypt Culture of Egypt Arab culture Medieval Cairo