President Saleh visits Qahira castle

TAIZ, August 12 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Thursday paida visit to the historical castle of Qahira, where he was briefed by Governorof Taiz Ahmad Abdullah al-Hajri about the underway works for repairingthe castle. He roamed the inside parts of the castle inspecting the renovation worksbeing accomplished by 370 skilled workers. Speaking to the supervising engineers, President Saleh praised effortsput by the province and municipal boards to restore that significant landmark. The significance of the castle’s repair was that it coincided with markingthe capital Sana’a as the 2004 Arab Cultural Capital, Saleh pointed out. He instructed the provincial board to make sure that all materials beingused in restoring the castle should be of the same kind of those usedin building it to keep its historic scenes. He also ordered that an open-air theater to be built in the castle’s yardin addition to a restaurant to serve the visitors. Meanwhile, President Saleh gave orders to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to contribute in the castle’s restoration and to draw up a planfor turning it into a museum to exhibit the historical and civic heritage of Yemen. He further instructed the ministry to pay more attention on restoring all the historical castles across the country. KM/KMSABA