CAIRO: Egypt's national flag has been hoisted atop a 192-yard-high (176-meter-high) iron tower in a ceremony led by a member of the country's ruling military council.

The construction of the tower was privately financed and its inauguration on Monday was presented as part of the 38th anniversary of Egypt's 1973 war against Israel. The tower is located in central Cairo.

Major General Mohsen El-Fangari, a member of the military council, addressed the ceremony which coincided with the 76th birthday of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the country's military ruler.

Tantawi and the military council took the reins of power in February when a popular uprising forced Mubarak to step down after almost 30 years in power.