“As Muslims, we are invited to protect and enhance the world in which we live during our lifetimes. We are trustees of God’s creation, hence the word Trust in the name of the agency responsible for this restoration.
I remember well when the seeds for our cultural engagement in Cairo were first planted at a seminar more than thirty years ago.
You may know about the enormous dumping ground of debris that had developed over the centuries, and surrounded one of Cairo’s poorest neighbourhoods. And you will also know of our effort to create a state-of-the-art green space, the Azhar Park – and how that effort soon extended into a great archaeological adventure, uncovering and restoring some of Cairo’s oldest buildings.
The 12th century Ayyubid wall, for example, was almost completely covered in debris. We could not even tell how long it was! Today, thanks to the work on site, important remains of the Fatimid and Mamluke walls have been discovered and preserved. The minarets of the Khayrbek and Umm al Sultan Shabaan, like other landmark structures, were badly compromised. Six centuries of wear and tear had taken a toll – one that was difficult to reverse, especially given the vast array of heritage sites in Egypt that were competing for scarce resources.
Through revitalisation of the sort we celebrate today, we hope to preserve an extraordinary panorama of Islamic history, from the Fatimid Caliphs to the present. At a time when fractures in the unity of the Ummah are so highly visible, I see such projects as particularly hopeful. They are important symbols for the identity of all Muslims, sources of pride for the entire Ummah.
And finally I would like you to know that a young Muslim walking here in the 22nd century will be able to feel the pull of his or her own history, even in a radically transformed world.
And let us be reminded, too, that in undertaking this work, we are not only attending to our own Islamic heritage, but also preserving an essential part of the patrimony of all humankind.”
Extracts Remarks by His Highness the Aga Khan at the Inauguration of Amir Aqsunqur Mosque, Cairo
May 2, 2015
Read full speech at http://www.akdn.org/Content/1332
Ismailimail 
Yes, restorations of great Islamic places are someting all Muslims should be proud of and help preserve for future generations. AKTC plays a very noble role.
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