Why Egypt's £38 million ‘revamp' of the Pyramids of Giza is long overdue

Telegraph

28-04-2025

To paraphrase a familiar saying, there are lies, damned lies and misleading headlines. And if you have noticed recent reports of a '$51 million revamp' (£38 million) of the Pyramids at Giza – and frustrations with it – then you may have a few questions.
True, the Pyramids site is currently in the midst of a multi-million-dollar 'overhaul'. But this has nothing to do with adding an extra tier to Khufu's grave, or painting the Sphinx a brighter colour to make it look more alluring in an Instagram feed.
The plan is mainly concerned with improving the visitor experience at what is a place of inestimable historical worth – and with protecting international tourists from some of the more aggressive attempts to part them from their money.
Anyone who has made a pilgrimage to Giza will know that the latter has long been a problem. For many travellers, a stroll around the complex is not a serene exercise in admiring the marvels of centuries past. It is a trying scenario in which you are harried at every step by hawkers and 'guides' – desperate to sell you everything from plastic scarab-beetles to donkey rides, photo 'opportunities' with sad camels, and their 'expertise'.
It can be an exhausting process – sometimes verging on the unpleasant.
A change to this attritional situation is one element of the 'revamp'. Last week saw a new gateway given a trial run. Traditionally, visitors have reached the site via the main entrance, on the north-east side of the complex. But recent days have seen the testing of a fresh way in, on the Faiyum Desert Road, on the monuments' north-western flank.
This is a deliberate measure, designed to reduce congestion – in part by limiting the access afforded to private vehicles. Instead, the ambition is for tourists to transfer to more eco-friendly electric coaches that will carry them the last metres to the Pyramids.
A reasonable idea, you might think – but inevitably, it has caused howls of protest from the local vendors. There have been accusations of restraint of trade; complaints that moving the gate excludes them from the game. And with an even greater inevitability, there have been attempts to block the new entrance, leading to even greater congestion.
This is hardly surprising. In a country of high poverty levels, tourists are a key source of income for those who work on the fringes of the industry. Keeping them at bay is never going to be a popular initiative.
Not that the demonstrations seem to have worried the head of the company charged with the modernisation of the site. In a post on X, Naguib Sawiris, the founder of the Orascom Pyramids Entertainment Services Company, wrote that 'the well-being of the public and preservation of this treasure is more important than catering to the interests of 2,000 individuals who have caused harm to this country for years.'
There are, undoubtedly, more tactful ways of expressing this sentiment, but many would say that Mr Sawiris has a point. The Pyramids of Giza are, perhaps, the most remarkable ancient landmarks in the world. They should be a world-class experience for those who pay to see them – not a random backdrop to endless tugs at the elbow. You do not have to undergo such harassment if you visit the Acropolis in Athens, or the Colosseum in Rome; icons similar in magnificence (if not quite in age). Not only do visitors to the Pyramids deserve to appreciate their splendour in a calm context, the tombs themselves deserve it.
Moreover, there are increasingly obvious signs that visitors are unhappy with the fraught ambience around the complex. Earlier this month, a Dutch veterinary nurse sparked consternation in Egypt when she was caught on camera, punching, then chasing a 19-year-old local man who had been whipping a donkey close to the archaeological site. Joke van der Post both apologised for, and explained, her actions, saying that 'I don't think violence is the smartest thing to do, but it's the only thing I could do at that moment. He's taller and stronger than me – and old enough to know right from wrong.'
Of course, there is more to this 'revamp' of the Pyramids than altering the way in. Thankfully, plans to replace some of the granite blocks on the smallest of the three main tombs (the Pyramid of Menkaure), mooted in January, have been quietly dropped. But the broader blueprint – to bring the Giza necropolis in line with the likes of the Acropolis as a 21st century heritage attraction – is well under way. The Grand Egyptian Museum – the much-delayed, much-heralded showcase for the treasures of the country's incomparable ancient story – is effectively open just under two miles north-west of the Pyramids (its official inauguration is pencilled in for July 3, but its galleries are accessible). Ultimately, the two sites will be connected via an area of hotels and pedestrian pathways (of which the new entrance will be a part) which will facilitate a much easier journey between them.
As the overall name of the project – Giza 2030 – alludes, the complete picture is still five years away. But if it results in the Pyramids being fit for the modern world, and not just the ancient, then Egypt, as well as the many travellers who visit it, will be the beneficiary.