The prestigious 80-year-old Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo‘s Giza district has been destroyed in a fire early on Saturday morning that took six hours to extinguish.

Countless Egyptian films and television series were produced there. The fire burned everything inside and spread to nearby buildings.

The fire broke out hours after the filming for Al-Moalem, a Ramadan television series, finished.

The Public Prosecution has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Culture Nevine El-Kilany visited the afflicted site this morning, promising compensation to affected families.

Al-Ahram Studio was founded in 1944 and built on 27,000 square metres (290,625 square feet) containing three production stages, a screening room, and an editing suite.