Middle East News
Egypt's museum of Islamic art reopened
Aug 14, 2010, 16:55 GMT
Cairo - Egypt's Museum of Islamic Art, considered the largest in the world, was reopened Saturday after an eight-year restoration that cost around 85 million pounds (14 million dollars).
There are around 100,000 items on show in the museum, including the oldest Islamic dinar, estimated to be some 1,300 years old.
There is also a gold-plated key to the Kaaba, the Muslims' most sacred cite in the holy city of Mecca, as well as rare manuscripts that document Islamic history and the sciences.
Tourism officials hope that the museum will help to attract more visitors to Egypt, where tourism revenues are a significant factor in the economy.
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