An antiquities inspector has warned of recent vandalism at the historic Japanese Garden in Cairo’s Helwan district, documenting new direct fractures and severed statue heads, even as governorate officials claim the damage stems from the 2011 revolution.
The dispute highlights growing concerns over security and oversight at the 10-acre park, which was established in 1919 and contains 44 statues depicting Buddha and his disciples.
While the site awaits official classification as a protected national monument, Cairo authorities plan a private-sector-funded restoration, leaving the unmonitored heritage site vulnerable to public damage and decay.
Naglaa Magdy, an Islamic and Coptic antiquities inspector for the Helwan region, told Al Manassa that she documented damage to more than four statues while on an unofficial visit with her family last week. She urged authorities to address what she described as continuous destruction that began last November.
Damage to statue heads, Japanese Garden in Helwan, Aug. 22, 2026“Alongside the severed heads, there were fresh impacts and direct fractures on the shoulders and necks, with statue fragments scattered across different areas,” Magdy said, noting that the damage required a sharp tool. “Where is the supervision, and what are the security guards in the garden doing?”
Magdy said no protective measures were implemented after investigations held late last year. She observed broken statue fragments left near the garden’s lake without security perimeter fencing. During her visit, she saw a child playing with a broken statue ear alongside his parents, persuading him to return it due to its heritage value.
Magdy assigned administrative responsibility for the neglect to Cairo Governorate’s Committee for Distinctive Architectural Style and the Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Authority’s Specialized Gardens Department. She stated that while staff, security personnel, and sector heads receive regular salaries, field supervision remains virtually non-existent.
Major General Yasser Asaad, board chairman of the Specialized Gardens Project at Cairo Governorate, denied any recent destruction or vandalism at the site, despite more than 15 photographs published by Magdy detailing the damage.
“No, there is no destruction at all,” Asaad told Al Manassa, adding that the site is not officially registered as an antiquity. “If someone is destroying something, photograph them and show us who is destroying anything there.”
Asaad attributed existing damages to the events of the 2011 revolution, saying two or three statues had their heads broken during political unrest. He added that the site is preparing for full development.
According to Asaad, Cairo Governorate signed a corporate social responsibility agreement with an oil materials company to fund the restoration of damaged structures and upgrade the entire park.
He stated that the project remains in the planning phase, and that physical work has not yet begun. Pressed on the newly documented photos, Asaad reiterated that the images show two statues decapitated in 2011.
The park is currently classified under Cairo’s “distinctive architectural style” list, a preliminary designation prior to official registration as an antiquity. Magdy confirmed that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities submitted a file to register the park as an official monument, which remains pending Cabinet approval.
The last specialized restoration using Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities restorers occurred 12 to 13 years ago. Magdy noted that she previously attempted to contact the Japanese Embassy to secure assistance for the park’s development but received no response.
Magdy called on the Cabinet, Cairo Governorate, the Ministry of Local Development, and the Cairo Cleanliness and Beautification Authority to expedite the site’s official registration and include it in urgent government development plans.
She requested that restoration work be restricted exclusively to Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities specialists rather than general construction contractors, and urged immediate fencing around damaged zones to protect visitors and preserve structural integrity.
