---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Fernando Baez &lt;baezfer(a)hotmail.com&gt; Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:29:31 -0430 Subject: Institut d'Egypte library burned near Tahrir square clash For several days there has been an attempted clampdown of the military forces on the continuing street protests in Cairo. One of the victims today of the violence that has erupted has been the Institute D'Egypte and its library off Qasr al-Aini Street in central Cairo. The institute is considered the oldest scientific institute in Egypt it was established as L'Institute d’Egypte in August 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French invasion of Egypt. Its mission is to advance high quality research in various fields, ranging from biology and mathematics to fine arts and archaeology. Its library contains more than 200,000 books, including the original volumes of the "Description de l'Égypte (Description of Egypt), begun in 1798 by French scientists in Egypt. Professor Mahmoud al-Shernoby, the president of the institute, told state TV in a phone interview that the damage is a “great loss” to Egypt and that those “who caused this disaster should be punished.” The fire started on the lower floors of the building, but then spread to the higher floors. It soon got out of control and by the time firemen reached the site, there had already occurred a lot of damage, the state TV reported that the fire damaged the whole building and all of its collections. According to eyewitnesses (reported by both MENA and state TV) protesters were seen throwing a Molotov cocktail at the institute, aiming at stone-throwing soldiers <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz4ZPHsqj6E&feature=player_embedded#t=106s> at the Shura Council building, but the projectile missed the intended target and instead landed in the Egyptian Scientific Institute. Fernando Báez =========================== see also http://www.en.cybrarians.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article… 35:esi June Samaras KALAMOS BOOKS (For Books about Greece) 2020 Old Station Rd Streetsville,Ontario Canada L5M 2V1 Tel : 905-542-1877 E-mail : kalamosbooks(a)gmail.com www.kalamosbooks.com http://kalamosb.alibrisstore.com/ http://www.antiqbook.com/books/bookseller.phtml/kal