Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab on Saturday (6 September) requested support from UNESCO in a bid to help preserve the nation’s heritage and strengthen and develop its museum culture.

In light of reports of the ongoing looting and destruction of Egypt’s historic sites, Mahlab’s request will be welcomed as a signal of his commitment to dealing with the problems endangering Egypt’s rich and important heritage. The Egyptian prime minister made the plea during a UNESCO delegation visit to the country this weekend.

Mahlab told the organisation’s representatives that his government was working to establish new museums, such as the Grand Egyptian Museum (Giza Museum), a joint venture design by Heneghan Peng Architects, Arup and Buro Happold, which is scheduled to open in 2015.

The government also wished to renovate and develop existing historical attractions, he said. One of those that will have to be rebuilt is Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art, which was badly damaged in a bomb attack in January this year, having just undergone a multi-million dollar renovation.

The leader of the UNESCO delegation “welcomed boosting bilateral relations in several fields including training and renovating antiquities,” according to Egypt’s State Information Service.

Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, recently spoke out about the serious nature of the problems in the country. “There has been an increase in the number of armed gangs, operating with instructions from one or more knowledgeable parties, targeting sites,” he said, adding: “It means that the history of Egypt is being lost to us forever.”