On Monday the Museum of Islamic Art celebrated two major milestones: the centennial of the museum's existence and the grand reopening of the museum after an eight year refurbishment project. The day was a whirlwind of activity but I am so proud of this incredible achievement. It was a wonderful day, complete with a tour of the museum in the morning to invited dignitaries and press. The First Lady of Egypt, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak was also able to receive a private tour of the collection and was overjoyed at the beauty of the displays. In the evening, over 600 guests attended a beautiful dinner in the garden of Manial Palace in Cairo. 

It was a wonderful event and I hope that everyone who visits Egypt will take the opportunity to tour this museum and view our magnificent Islamic art collection. I am including here my speech from the celebration dinner and would like to extend my deepest thanks to everyone involved in refurbishing the museum.

"Minister of Culture, Mr. Farouk Hosny; Your exellencies; my dear colleagues and honored guests: 

This project proved to be a great challenge for myself and Mr. Farouk Hosny, the Minister of Culture, because the building of the museum itself was very old and its location under the Dar el-Kotob building made the museum structurally unsound. When we started the project we had countless problems. As soon as one issue was resolved, another one appeared. I insisted that the project would be completed and I visited the site every week. I firmly believed that the Egyptians would rise to the challenge and after 8 years of hard work this project has finally been completed. In my wildest dreams I never imagined that the museum would be this beautiful. To be honest I think that the reconstruction of the Museum of Islamic Art was my most demanding project over the last 8 years.

Dear guests, we should all be proud of the new beginning of this museum. This moment would not be possible without the countless hours of work put in by dedicated professionals from various fields. The crowning achievement of all this hard work was the visit of President Mubarak when he inaugurated the Museum of Islamic Art in August. Only a few minutes ago, our happiness was completed when Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the First Lady, visited the museum and expressed her joy over the display of the objects.  This evening we should all be grateful for those who have supported this huge project. On behalf of all of us I would like to thank Prince Karim Aga Khan and his Trust for Culture, and the studio of Adrien Gardere, French consultant for the reconstruction project. I would like to extend my thanks to the Louvre Museum in Paris for their assistance in creating the Museum of Islamic Art scenario, along with Egyptian curators and Dr. Mahmoud Mabruk who completed the organization of the displays. I would also like to thank the archaeologists, curators and the staff of the National Defense Council for their great efforts, along with the architect Said el-Komi.