Latest news with #SherifFathy
Al-Ahram Weekly
10 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Rehla platform to launch soon, offering free school trips to museums, heritage sites - Museums
In a significant step toward promoting cultural and archaeological awareness among young generations, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is preparing to launch a new digital platform titled Rehla, dedicated to organizing free school excursions for public school students nationwide. The initiative falls under the Ministry's broader strategy to foster educational engagement with Egypt's rich heritage, while leveraging digital transformation to improve accessibility and the overall visitor experience. Through Rehla, public primary and preparatory schools will be able to schedule free visits to 112 archaeological sites and museums, which are available for booking via the Ministry's digital platform. These include some of Egypt's most iconic landmarks, such as the Giza Pyramids Complex, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Citadel of Salah El-Din, Karnak and Abu Simbel Temples, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to adopting advanced technologies in support of its strategic goals, with a particular focus on improving the visitor experience and expanding access to cultural heritage. He stressed the importance of completing the Rehla platform before the start of the upcoming academic year, including all technical development, content validation, and final testing. 'Once operational, the platform is expected to streamline the process of booking school trips, minimize overcrowding at heritage sites, ensure the safety of participating students, and foster greater awareness and appreciation of Egypt's diverse tourism and archaeological legacy,' Fathy said. Mohamed Shaaban, the Minister's Associate for Digital Transformation, explained that the platform—developed in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education—integrates both ministries' databases to enable secure, electronic verification for school trip coordinators. Once launched, Rehla will offer a user-friendly system for planning visits according to designated time slots and site-specific visitor capacities, ensuring a well-managed, crowd-free, and safe educational experience. Free admission is granted to participating students, as per decisions issued by the boards of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, as part of a broader effort to promote early cultural engagement. The Rehla platform is being executed in collaboration with E-Aswaq Misr, the company behind the Ministry's e-ticketing system and a subsidiary of E-Finance for Financial and Digital Investments. The launch of Rehla is part of a broader digital transformation effort by the Ministry, which has recently rolled out an integrated e-ticketing system for archaeological sites and museums. This system supports payments via bank cards and multiple digital channels, including the official website the Experience Egypt mobile app, self-service kiosks, and dedicated sales points for tour operators. By offering free, well-organized school trips to Egypt's cultural and historical landmarks, the Rehla platform aims to become a cornerstone in the government's mission to nurture a generation more deeply connected to its national identity and heritage—through the power of education and digital innovation. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Watani
a day ago
- Watani
Giza pyramids get new eco-friendly interior lighting
The three Giza pyramids of Khufo, Khafre, Mankaure have been fitted with new state-of-the-art, eco friendly LED interior lighting systems. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) collaborated with the Spanish government to upgrade the pyramids' lighting systems to a new one that highlights the grandeur and genius of the interior design of the pyramids. Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, said that the lighting project serves the Ministry's purpose to improve the quality of services provided in archeological sites and museums, while improving visitor experience and enhancing the beauty of Egyptian monuments. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the SCA, explained that the new eco friendly lighting system depends on cold lighting units that are completely safe for the original ancient architectural components used in the pyramids. He said it provides a unique visual experience for visitors, highlighting the aesthetics of ancient Egyptian architecture and its legendary accuracy in monuments built to glorify immortality, a cornerstone of the faith of ancient Egyptians. The lighting project, Dr Khaled noted, was implemented by a team of archeologists and specialised engineers from Spain, after completing all the necessary scientific and technical studies. For his part, Director General of Giza Antiquities Ashraf Mohieddine explained that the lighting project covered all the interior corridors of the three pyramids, in addition to the burial chambers, escalation passages and internal chambers. Comments comments Tags: Giza pyramids interior eco friendly lighting
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egyptian Museum trains archaeology students, offers free local tours - Ancient Egypt
The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir has launched a summer training programme for university students specializing in archaeology, tour guiding, and history. The initiative provides hands-on experience in museum operations, heritage management, artefact display, and documentation. Running alongside the programme is a community outreach initiative offering free guided tours for Egyptian visitors, led by volunteers from the Friends of the Egyptian Museum group. The aim is to enrich local cultural engagement during the summer. The training is part of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' strategy to bridge academic education with the practical needs of Egypt's tourism and cultural sectors. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy emphasized the importance of investing in youth to build a skilled heritage workforce. 'This initiative aligns with our vision to cultivate a skilled workforce capable of responding to the practical demands of the tourism sector and contributing meaningfully to the preservation of our national heritage,' he said. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, described the programme as part of the Council's broader mandate to build human capacity and promote social responsibility. 'This initiative offers students an interactive and immersive educational environment that fosters both professional development and a deeper sense of national identity,' he noted. Ali Abdel Halim, Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, stated that students will receive comprehensive training in exhibition curation, artefact classification, conservation, restoration, documentation, and museum administration. Experienced curators and conservators deliver the programme. The Friends of the Egyptian Museum initiative continues to offer free guided tours throughout the summer, in a bid to improve public appreciation of heritage and access to educational museum resources. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
2 days ago
- Egypt Independent
Photos: Egypt upgrades interior lighting system of the Giza Pyramids
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has worked in cooperation with the Spanish government to complete a project to upgrade the interior lighting system of the three Giza pyramids (Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure). The project uses state-of-the-art environmentally friendly LED lighting technologies to highlight the wondrous interior of the pyramids. – Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy explained that this project is part of the ministry's efforts to improve the quality of services provided at archaeological sites and museums, in order to make its tourist sites more attractive to global visitors. He emphasized the ministry's commitment to protecting and preserving Egypt's cultural heritage in line with international standards. The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, explained that the new lighting system relies on lighting units that will not damage the ancient interiors and thereby ensure the preservation of these unique monuments. The project was implemented in cooperation with a team of specialized archaeologists and engineers from Spain, after completing all the necessary studies. Khaled also emphasized that this modern system not only contributes to preserving the monument, but also enhances their sustainability and provides a unique visual experience for visitors inside the pyramids. The Director General of Giza Antiquities Area, Ashraf Mohieddin said that the lighting project included all the internal passages of the three pyramids, in addition to the burial chambers, adding even more excitement to the visitor experience while fully preserving the archaeological character of the site.
Daily News Egypt
3 days ago
- Daily News Egypt
Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system
Egypt has completed an upgrade of the interior lighting systems of the three Giza Pyramids, installing modern, eco-friendly LED technology in cooperation with the Spanish government, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement. The project, carried out by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), aims to highlight the design of the interiors of the Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure pyramids. Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said the project is part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to improve services at archaeological sites and museums. The goal is to enhance the visitor experience and the appeal of Egypt as a destination, particularly for cultural tourism, while adhering to international standards for heritage preservation. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the SCA, explained that the new system uses 'cool' lighting units that are completely safe for the original archaeological components used in the pyramids' construction. He noted that the project was carried out in cooperation with a team of specialist archaeologists and engineers from Spain, following the completion of all necessary scientific and technical studies. 'This modern system not only helps in preserving the monument, but also enhances the concepts of sustainability and provides a unique visual experience for visitors inside the pyramids, highlighting the beauty and precision of ancient Egyptian architecture,' Khaled said. Ashraf Mohieldin, Director-General of Giza Antiquities, said the lighting project covered all the internal corridors of the three pyramids, in addition to the burial chambers and other interior spaces, adding more to the visitor experience while fully preserving the archaeological character of the site.
