In 2002, when I became head of Antiquities, I was good friends with Dr. Abdul Aziem Wazier, who was governor of Damietta at the time, and I was always joking with him that I only accepted the position in order to restore the mosques of Damietta. And indeed, the first thing that I did when I took the job was to ask those in charge of the Islamic monuments to  immediately make a study for the conservation and restoration of the mosque of Amr Ibn El As and the mosque of El-Maniem.

The mosque of Amr Ibn El As is one of the oldest in Damietta, it dates to 642 AD, and was built after Amr El Az came when the Muslims conquered Egypt. It is very simple, but it is an architecturally unique mosque - you feel peace when you enter, because of the beautiful colours of the open pillared court, and the simple yet elegant writing of the Koran that can be seen. After the conservation study was completed, it was decided that the best way to save the mosque was to disassemble it block by block and then put it together again on a base above the water-table.

On the day of my visit, we first opened the mosque of Amr Ibn El As. The people of Damietta are happy now because 3000 people can pray at Friday prayer inside the mosque. To improve the area further, I have also decided that we should renovate the square around the mosque by painting and cleaning it.

Then, the current governor of Damietta, Dr. Fathi El Bradey, took me to see an iron bridge that had once been set up in Imbaba in Cairo in 1898, before being taken to Damietta in 1927. A few years ago they removed this bridge again, but the governor, who is a very smart architect, divided it in half, and arranged it so that it jutted out into the Nile from the Corniche; it is now a cultural centre for exhibitions, lectures, and outdoor conference events. There is also a theatre and a cafeteria.

Then we visited the mosque of El-Maniem. This is actually a mosque and a school, built in 1310 AD. It is small but beautiful, and we have conducted a lot of important restoration work there. 

The third mosque we visited, which is also a mausoleum for a religious man called El-Adidi, was 9km away, in a town called Faraskour. This town is close to Abadiya, the village where I grew up. When I was at the age of 12 or 13 my Father used to take me there to go shopping, and we used to go to pray in this mosque. This mosque has faced many problems over the years, including bad restoration work involving cement. It dates back to 1325 AD, and I remember about 14 years ago, when I was Director of the Pyramids, a great film director and actor called Saad Ardash called me, and I went with him to Faraskour to see the condition of this mosque, but I could not do anything about it because I was only Director of Giza; however, when I became Head of Antiquities I had the opportunity to help.

People always accuse me of not liking the Islamic monuments because I always talk about the Pharaonic antiquities, but this is only because this is what I know. I do not know lots about the Islamic monuments, so people do not see me talking about them. However, the huge number of Islamic monuments that we have restored is amazing. We have spent billions of Egyptian Pounds restoring Jewish synagogues, Christian monasteries and churches, and mosques. In the Islamic part of Cairo, which is being cleaned now, we have performed a lot of restoration, such as at Bab el-Futuh, and Bab Zuweila. Also, I would like everyone who reads this article to go to El Muez street in Islamic Cairo before sunrise, because it is very beautiful to see at that time; it is now a pedestrian area and there is a new textile museum there, as well as thirty-three restored monuments. Walking in the streets there you can smell the history of more than 1000 years of Cairo. There has also been much restoration of post-Pharaonic monuments elsewhere in the country too, from Rashid and Alexandria in the Delta, to many locations in Upper Egypt.

One of the best parts of my visit to Damietta was seeing the people of my village; the crowd that received me in Faraskour was amazing, and I could see the love in their eyes as they thanked me for doing this restoration work for them. I am very proud that I could help.