After being used as a warehouse for workshops.. The administrative judiciary saves Champollion Palace and obliged the government to maintain it and to stop infringements

The Eighth Circuit of the Administrative Judiciary Court, removal department, to cancel the -negative- decision of refrain from carrying out the necessary maintenance to protect the palace of Prince Said Halim, known as the “Champillion” palace.

The court also ruled, in the 26/3/2023 session, in the lawsuit filed by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights No. 21272 of 67 Judicial Year, represented by the tourist guide Sally Salah El-Din, against the Prime Minister, the Minister of Antiquities, the Minister of Interior and the Governor of Cairo in their capacity, to remove the infringements and attacks inflicted on the palace, with its implications, the most important of which is making it available to the public for tourism and cultural purposes as an Egyptian antiquity.

In its lawsuit, the Center pointed out that a number of people encroached on the palace, and used it for personal purposes from the workers of the surrounding workshops, as they used its yard as a store for their tools and property, and some of its rooms also used it as their shelter, which led to the occurrence of encroachments and damages to the palace building and its valuable components.

The center’s lawyers explained that as a result of negligence in supervising the antiquity and providing the necessary maintenance and restoration to protect and preserve it, it is suffering from damage to its foundations, which threatens its survival and the preservation of this historical and aesthetic value for years and generations to come, pointing to the exposure of the ancient palace to operations of encroachment and looting.

The Eighth Circuit of the Administrative Court previously referred the case to the Office of Experts of the Ministry of Justice, and recommended writing a comprehensive report on the violations and the extent to which minors need periodic maintenance to preserve it as a historical relic.

The report concluded by emphasizing the deteriorating condition of the palace and its appearance in a bad architectural and constructional condition, especially the appearance of some cracks, tendencies, leakage, cracking of the whiteness, and obvious neglect with the naked eye.

The report noted that upon examining the palace, it was found that it was without signs or numbers, while its fence was used to park cars, in addition to the presence of booths around it.

The palace guard also refused the expert’s entry to inspect the interior, in addition to the presence of clear cracking and neglect in the windows, and cracking of the decorations and shapes of the facades.

This historic ruling is an important step to confirm the importance of legal and actual protection of archaeological sites, and the submission of any encroachments or neglect of them to the observation of the judiciary, and that they are an integral part of the property of Egyptians, and gives them the status and interest to confront any encroachments on them before the courts, especially as it is one of the most important National income sources.

The Egyptian Center, while welcoming this historic ruling, hopes that it will be the beginning of saving this priceless relic, with the knowledge of the concerned authorities.

The center team also extends its thanks and gratitude to a number of archaeologists and photographers who helped us with valuable and important informations about the palace, its value, and proof of its deterioration, led by Ms. Sally Salah El-Din, the complainant and our client in the lawsuit.