Egypt has stepped up efforts to open a museum to honor its 1988 Nobel Literature Prize laureate Naguib Mahfouz by the end of the year.
The president of the Cultural Development Fund, Ahmed Awad, said in a Sept. 4 press statement that the museum will open in the next 40-50 days, marking a breakthrough in the decadelong delay in opening the museum. Culture Minister Helmy El-Namnam said Aug. 11 that the museum will open on Dec. 11, on the occasion of the 106th birthday of Mahfouz.