On 30 May, the Prime Minister chaired the meeting of the Higher Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Crisis, in the presence of the Minister and a number of minister sand officials. During the meeting, it was agreed to start implementing summer working hours for shops, malls, cafes, and restaurants, starting the first of June 2021. Strict measures will be taken against any establishment violating the set hours and hygiene safety regulations, including a fine and closing down for two weeks the first time and 1 month if repeated.
Vaccination of staff of the tourism sector in the Red Sea and South Sinai continues
During the month of May, the Ministry in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population and the Egyptian Hotel Association continued vaccinating the staff of the tourism sector with the anti-Coronavirus vaccine in the Red Sea and South Sinai. This is the first stage of vaccinating staff working in the tourism sector all around Egypt. Vaccination started in the Red Sea and South Sinai because they receive the largest number inbound tourism to Egypt. The Deputy Minister for Tourism Affairs visited Sharm El-Sheikh, to follow upon the progress of vaccination, and a number of hotels to ensure they are ready for the summer season. In a related context, 726 hotels in 5 governorates and 86 floating hotel shaves obtained the hygiene safety certificate approved by the Ministry, the Ministry of Health and Population, and the Egyptian Hotel Association since the resumption of tourism.
Continuing disinfection and sterilization procedures in Museums and Archaeological sites
During the month of May, the Ministry continued the sanitation and disinfection process of all Museums and archeological sites to provide the maximum protection to workers, citizens, and tourists from the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities visited a number of archaeological sites to follow up on the implementation of these measures. Disinfection and sanitation work is carried out on a daily basis in all museums and archaeological using material approved by the Ministry of Health and Population.
New decisions of the Supreme Council of Antiquities
The Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, headed by the Minister was held on 25 May. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, presented a number of archaeological projects, scheduled to open in the coming months, including the restoration of the Southern Tomb in Saqqara, the Palace of Mohammed Ali in Shubra, the Mosque of Altinbugha al-Maridani in historic Cairo, and Wakalat Al-Giddawi in Esna. It was agreed that the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board will promote these upcoming openings. The Board agreed to continue postponing implementation of the new prices for foreigners to archaeological sites and museums until May 2022, as a continuation of the Ministry’s policy to support cultural tourism and encourage one-daytrips from Red Sea cities to the Nile Valley.
Tours and Visiting
Gloria Walker fulfills her dream of visiting the Pyramids
On 9 May the Minister met with Mrs. Gloria Walker on the first day of fulfilling her dream of visiting the Pyramids of Giza. The Minister received her at the Sphinx paws, which was opened exceptionally for her.
Over the past few years, Gloria Walker has been the focus of the world’s attention, with many international and regional media reporting her story widely, when her son revealed on his Facebook page that his cancer- stricken mother wanted to visit Egypt and watch the Pyramids of Giza.
Gloria Walker and her family’s trip to Egypt lasted for a week and included Cairo and South Sinai.
The Minister with Ms. Walker and her son
Archaeological Discoveries
Discovering a number of Tombs in the Hamidiya Necropolis, Sohag
As part of the archaeological documentation and registration project of the rock tombs in al- Hamdiya necropolis in the Eastern Mountain in Sohag Governorate, the Archaeological Mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities succeeded in uncovering a large number of rock tombs of multiple models, Around 250 tombs etched at several levels in the mountain. They included tombs with a shaft or several burial Shafts and others with a ramp that ends with a burial chamber. These tombs date back from the end of the Old Kingdom to the end of the Ptolemaic period.
Tourism Promotion
The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and The Giza Pyramids receive Russian Blogger Josen Gasanov
On 3 May, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Giza Pyramids received well-known Russian blogger and influencer Gasanov, who has 16.5 million followers on his Instagram page.
He shared his visits on his account on Instagram, and invited his followers to visit Egypt.
45 Bloggers from 16 Countries visit Sharm El Sheikh Museum
Sharm El-Sheikh Museum in South Sinai governorate received a delegation of 45 bloggers from 16 countries, including Russia,Ukraine, the Netherlands, Greece, America, Italy, Armenia among others.
South SinaI governorate prepared a program for them from May 21st until May 27th. It included visiting Sharm El-Sheikh Museum, the old Market and the Sahaba Mosque, in addition to a sea cruise.
Miscellaneous News:
Getting Khufu Solar Boat ready to be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum
On 5 May, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities followed up on the progress of work in the process of the transportation of the first Khufu Solar Boat from its current display site at the Khufu Boat Museum in the Giza Plateau to its new display place at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The packaging and reinforcement work on the body of the boat is conducted in accordance with scientific international standards. The restoration team performed a comprehensive cleansing of the body of the boat before the reinforcement work taking very good care of the safety of all parts of the boat during the transfer, in addition to using of acid-free materials in the packaging process.
The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
NMEC receives Visitors from all over the world
NMEC has seen a large turnout of visitors since its opening last April. Dozens of tourist groups from France, Spain, the United States of America,Brazil, Romania, Japan and China flocked to the Museum during the month of May. They toured the Central Exhibition hall and the Royal Mummies Hall.
The Museum also received a number of public figures and foreign ambassadors in Cairo; including the Russian, the Japanese, and the Belgian ambassadors. An American delegation including the US National Security Council’s coordinator for the MENA, the Counselor of the US Department of State, the National Security Council Coordinator for MENA, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle Eastern Affairs also visited the Museum. The Museum also received a high-level delegation from the Francophone University Agency, and a delegation of the Federation of African Olympic Committees “ANUKA”.
Opening 02 Museums on international day of Museums:-
On 18 May of each year, the world celebrates the International Day of Museums. On this occasion, the Minister and Minister of Civil Aviation inaugurated two antiquities museums in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of Cairo International Airport.On this day both museums were open free of charge for all travelers. The idea behind those museums is to give travelers a glimps of the unique treasures of the great Egyptian civilization.Terminal 2 Museum houses 304 artifacts and terminal 3 Museum displays 59 artifacts, all unique and carefully selected. To encourage travelers to visit these museums, entry tickets were set at $ 3 or LE 50 for a foreign visitor and LE 25 for Egyptian visitors.
ICOM organised International Museum Day (IMD), in 1977.Its objective is to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
Each year has a theme and this year it was “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine