CAIRO, Oct 11 (Aswat Masriya) - The funeral prayers for Mamdouh al-Beltagi, two time Egyptian minister who died on Saturday at the age of 76, were held on Sunday in a mosque at the Cairo suburb of 6th of October.

The prayers were attended by public figures including current ministers and celebrities. A delegation from the Egyptian Cabinet also attended the event. 

Beltagi first served as tourism minister from 1993 to 2004, when he took over the information portfolio. His second position in government lasted only one year but state-run television says on its website that Beltagi was able to quickly convert systems inside the broadcaster from "analogue to digital." 

He also reduced the number of broadcast channels and launched the first ever talk show on state television.

Even proir to taking on ministerial positions, Beltagi served in several high-level government posts. From 1982 to 1993, Beltagi headed the State Information Service, which is closely linked to the presidency and serves as the government's official public relations and media office.

Born in 1939, Beltagi studied law at Cairo University and graduated in 1958. He completed his studies in France where he received a doctorate from The Sorbonne.