As protests against military rule continue in Tahrir Square, with 10 dead and over 500 wounded, the Institute of Egypt has also become a victim of the unrest. After a fire on Saturday, this library with its priceless records of Egyptian history and geography has become a charred ruin.

The institute, located just off Tahrir Square, caught fire in circumstances that are still unclear, with the army blaming Molotov cocktails thrown by protesters, according to AFP. But Sherif Magd El Din, an engineering student at the University of Cairo, told France 24 that he did not believe that the protesters had attacked the institute. "There are much more symbolic administrative buildings in this area, starting with the prefecture, that could have been attacked," El Din said. "If the authorities are so concerned about our heritage, why did their men continue to attack the protesters while the institute was in flames?" According to France 24, AFP photographers confirm that supporters of the military regime threw rocks at protesters from the roof of the library.

The Institute of Egypt was founded by Napoleon during his expedition to Egypt in 1798, and the current building was built in the early 20th century. It held approximately 200,000 books, some of them rare and irreplaceable. "This fills me with sadness and distress," Raouf el-Reedy, a former Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. and a member of the Institute, told AFP. "It's a huge disaster for Egypt." The institute's employees, two UNESCO workers, and volunteers combed through the rubble to rescue what books they could, Le Figaro reports.