The historic Lycee al-Horeya school building has been completely burned in the course of ongoing clashes between Mohamed Mahmoud clashes between protesters and security forces, the Education Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry’s statement described the incident as "unjustified violence and an assault on public and private property."

The ministry claimed that the safety of citizens was in danger at the hands of outlaws and thugs who robbed the administrative offices of the school, stealing items including computers and projectors, before setting the building on fire.

Antiquities such as the historic Napoleon-era book “Description of Egypt” were taken out of the school before it burned, said ministry spokesperson Mohamed al-Serougy.

An alternative building in Zamalek has been made available for students and teachers to continue their classes.

Hamdy Abdel Halim, chairman of the National Institutes, said that losses were estimated at LE500,000.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm