File Photo: Boats sail past the burned out headquarters of former President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP), on the banks of the Nile in Cairo June 12, 2013 (Photo: Reuters)
The two extension buildings of the former National Democratic Party's (NDP) headquarters in Tahrir Square will be demolished due to their poor condition, according to a statement released by the antiquities ministry.
The news comes after a meeting between the ministries of antiquities, construction information and the governors of both Cairo and Giza. Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab led the meeting.
The ministers then embarked on an inspection tour of the NDP building to check on its current condition and to make a final decision about whether it should be demolished or restored.
Last week, a controversy arose between the ministries of culture and antiquities concerning the building.
The culture ministry said that it was a part of Egypt's architectural identity and could not be removed as it was on the country's list for buildings of distinguished value and protected by law 144 from 2006.
However, the antiquities ministry argued that the building has lacked architectural value since it was torched by protesters during the January 2011 uprising which unseated the NDP's Hosni Mubarak.
The building's location directly beside the Egyptian Museum was another point of contention.
The antiquities ministry said that it feared the building could collapse on the museum and called for it to be razed and replaced with either an open-air museum for ancient Egyptian art or a botanical kind like the one found at Karnak Temple in Luxor.
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