Contemporary architects from Rem Koolhaas to Daniel Liebeskind have been claiming a political dimension to their buildings for years, but when it comes to politics their work has nothing on the finest architecture in the Middle East — the region's historic places of worship. This is particularly clear in Egypt these days, where the Mubarak-led government has been using restoration projects of the country's architectural patrimony as a way of smoothing over political tensions. The most recent example was the recent $14.5-million restoration of St. Anthony's, the world's oldest Christian monastery, which was just unveiled this week — a month after a religiously-motivated shooting at an Orthodox church on Christmas Eve killed seven people

Located in Zaafarana on the coast of the Red Sea, the citadel-like monastery was founded in 356 A.D. following the death of St. Anthony, who had lived as a hermit in a nearby cave. The eight-year restoration project included the refurbishment of the ancient wall surrounding the monetary, its two main churches, the monks' quarters, its sewage system, and a tower that was used as a place of refuge during 6th-century Bedouin raids. Over the course of the project, archaeologists excavated the monks' original 4th-century cells, covering the site with a glass floor so that visitors could see the original layout.

Egypt's head archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, touted the restored monastery as a sign of the country's commitment to respecting the heritage of all religions in the region, noting that the work on the 1,600-year-old edifice was conducted by Muslims. "The announcement we are making today shows to the world how we are keen to restore the monuments of our past, whether Coptic, Jewish or Muslim," he said, according to the Associated Press. Last year, the government also sponsored the highly-publicized restoration of several historic synagogues in Cairo — a move that was widely perceived as part of an effort to mitigate antisemitism charges against Farouk Hosni, the country's culture minister who was then campaigning to be director of UNESCO. Hosni's ultimately unsuccessful bid for the post was derailed in 2008 when he stated he would personally burn any Hebrew-language book that he found in an Egyptian library.

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