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The Star
24-05-2025
- The Star
Egypt's tourism on the rise
Standing in awe beneath the open sky inside the Philae Temple complex by the Nile River in Egypt's city of Aswan, Spanish traveller Brais Recarey took in the symmetry of the towering columns and the intricate inscriptions carved millennia ago. Built during the Ptolemaic period and dedicated to the goddess Isis, Philae's structures feature floral capitals, hieroglyph-covered walls, and reliefs of ancient deities. 'It's magical and amazing,' Recarey said, marvelling at how such complex structures were built in ancient times. Recarey also learned that the temple complex was relocated, piece by piece, to its current island decades ago as part of a Unesco-led campaign to save it from flooding. 'It's hard to imagine the effort it took to move all this – thousands of workers, heavy cranes – it's incredible,' Recarey, 28, said. The visit was far more than a sightseeing stop for him. 'Ancient Egypt was the cradle of civilisation. It all started here,' he said. Aswan and Luxor are key destinations for foreign visitors seeking cultural tourism. Forming a historical corridor along the Nile, the two provinces are home to some of the world's most iconic ancient sites. Aswan offers the serene beauty of the Philae Temple complex, the giant, rock-cut statues of Abu Simbel to the south, and the vibrant charm of Nubian villages. Luxor, meanwhile, captivates visitors with the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the sprawling Karnak Temple complex, and the mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's few female pharaohs. Cruising along the Nile is a good way to visit Upper Egypt. Tourism boom In 2024, Egypt welcomed a record 15.7 million tourists, up from 14.9 million the previous year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. This rising influx came as no surprise to Mohamed Othman, head of the Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee in Upper Egypt, who attributed the surge to improved tourism infrastructure, the global promotional tours of Egyptian antiquities in major international museums. The upcoming opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum was also a factor. 'We've seen more tourists from new countries, not just traditional sources,' he added, emphasising how integrated Egypt's southern destinations are due to their cultural richness. 'Most tourists who visit Luxor also come to Aswan and vice versa,' he said. Among the newcomers to southern Egypt was Gema Duran, a young woman from Mexico, who described Aswan as 'heartwarming'. She enjoyed shopping for souvenirs at a nearby Nubian village. 'The people here are very kind. They would give you everything they have. I was even invited to dinner by a local family. Not every place offers that kind of hospitality.' Duran said she plans to continue her cultural journey across Egypt. 'Next, I'll be visiting Luxor, then the Red Sea city of Hurghada. I want to experience the local culture in every way I can.' Also exploring the sites of Upper Egypt was an older American couple, Bob Meehan and Ginger Edwards. While Meehan admitted he struggled with the heat, he found Egypt's cultural landmarks stunning. 'It's very impressive how they moved this temple complex to this island,' he said about Philae. 'Our guide told us some stories behind it, and I really enjoyed the history.' As for Edwards, she was touched by cultural interaction with the locals. She said she socialised with the Aswan people, ate together, and shared stories. 'We travel to learn how people make life work. Being here, talking to Egyptians, and listening to their stories – that's the reason we travel,' she said. As the midday sun cast its light over the Nile, He Yanju, a young woman from Sichuan province in China, walked along the riverbank in Aswan with her friend Luo Wenpei, taking in the gentle breeze and golden views. 'Aswan is really beyond my imagination,' she said. 'Before coming, I read some articles saying it's underdeveloped, but what I've found here is beauty, liveliness, and full of energy. I think it's booming.' One particular memory about Egypt has stayed with her since childhood: 'An Egyptian pyramid was on the cover of our world history book. So it has always been our dream to visit.' – MAHMOUD FOULY/Xinhua
The Guardian
02-03-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘We cleared rubble with our bare hands': Iraqis rejoice as shattered Mosul rises from the ruins
In the small courtyard of Sara's grandmother's house, children are running and playing as if time had never passed. 'The house kept our memories,' Sara says, sitting on the sofa of the courtyard. 'It seems like we never left. On the contrary, when we came back, we felt we belonged to this house.' Located in the old Iraqi city of Mosul, right behind the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, their home is part of the local cultural heritage. It was heavily damaged during the occupation by Islamic State (IS) and the battle to reclaim the city by Iraqi armed forces, backed by US coalition airstrikes. Sara and her family were forcibly displaced during the fighting in 2017 and for many years feared they would never see their home intact again. 'It was amazing when we could step in,' Sara says. 'The neighbourhood has changed a lot, but it's still very beautiful and we're optimistic that more and more neighbours will resettle in their home town.' Most of these old houses have been restored, thanks to a Unesco-led project called Revive the Spirit of Mosul, which includes the renovation of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and other sites. 'Most of our family members are employed here in the reconstruction of the city,' Sara says. 'Life is still precarious, but we hope that 10 years after Daesh [IS] occupied our beloved city, it will only improve.' The mosque's leaning minaret, named Al-Habda or the hunchback, has been restored under Unesco's supervision and reopened last month. Built in 1172, it is 45m tall and decorated with ornamental brickwork along its cylindrical shaft and square base. The self-proclaimed caliph of the IS, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, inaugurated the 'caliphate' from the pulpit inside the mosque in 2014. The renovation of the Great Mosque will be completed during Ramadan, which began on Friday, and 11 years after IS made Mosul its capital. The prayer hall will already be open for Ramadan prayers – for the first time since IS's defeat. 'The citizens of Mosul are very happy. The last finishing touches need to be completed, but we can open the mosque for Ramadan prayers,' says engineer Omar Taqa, responsible of the restoration project under Unesco. 'We are proud to have worked on this project, which is the largest Unesco project in the world, with $50m implemented. For the official opening and inauguration of the Great Mosque, arrangements are being made to hold a ceremony with the Iraqi prime minister.' Last June, during their work, five large IS bombs were found hidden in the site, which postponedefforts for some days. Huda, who lives next to the mosque, is originally from Baghdad and moved to Mosul with her husband after being displaced in a Christian neighbourhood in Erbil. 'I'm a Christian, the only one living in the old houses for now,' she says. 'Before the Daesh occupation, many more Christians were inhabiting the old city. I have two children and my husband is working on the al-Nuri mosque renovation. I feel at home here.' Father Raed, a local priest, told the Observer that, even though the large majority of Christians haven't resettled in Mosul, they come to the city daily from Erbil or nearby Christian-majority cities such as Qaraqosh for employment or to attend the church. Yamama Saleh, a civil engineer employed by the UN agency, has also been involved in the reconstruction of the mosque. 'It's the landmark of Mosul. I used to see the minaret from my rooftop, so when it got destroyed, it was really sad. But after being involved in the rebuilding of the shaft, it has another meaning for me. Now we're done, I will go back to the rooftop to take a picture from there.' Her colleague, Mustafa al-Zeewany, supervisor of the minaret works, is standing on top of the minaret. 'The minaret is iconic,' he says. 'All our workers here are feeling proud. We felt devastated when the minaret was blown up by IS in June 2017, and now we have the abilities and capabilities to redo it, using international and new techniques.' Al-Zeewany explains that new techniques were implemented because they allowed work to be done in a similar way to the time of the construction of the mosque and minaret in the 12th century. 'It's a great experience for all of us to know how our ancestors worked, especially in this kind of construction.' The colourful neighbourhood in front of the old houses and the Great Mosque is called al-Manqusha. It's where young people gather because of the cultural associations and cafes in the area. Saker Ma'an, founder of Baytuna ('Our house') association, based in an old, imposing two-storey house, says: 'In 2017, after the battle against Daesh, being here felt like living in the desert. We cleaned the neighbourhood of the rubble with our bare hands, we found corpses and unexploded bombs, then we finally managed to restore this traditional house and make it a cafe and office for our activities.' Ma'an recalls that some locals told him 'you will not last'. In the beginning, the cafe hosted no more than two people a week. 'We now have dozens coming every day,' he says. 'Especially the new generation: they came back to a destroyed city, not having any sense of belonging to the old city. But our association is working together with youth, to make them aware of their cultural heritage. Mosul really needed this place.' Ma'an remarks that the new generation doesn't know the archaeological sites of the Nineveh province of Mosul, such as the old Assyrian city of Nimrod, 30km south of Mosul, badly damaged by the terrorist group, like many others. Layla Salih, an archaeologist responsible for the Bashiqa district and head of the reconstruction team of Al-Tahera church (Upper Monastery) project, is an expert on the archaeological sites of Nineveh, the Mosul province. 'Many projects initiated after the liberation of the city were distributed between reconstruction, rescue or excavation work, and there are projects of documentation, archaeological and heritage survey, as well as the restoration of archaeological objects,' she says. Salih has become very well-known in the city after her discovery back in 2017 of a new archaeological site, the Assyrian Essarhadon's Palace, in a tunnel under the al-Nabi Yunes shrine, dug by IS militants who were searching for antiquities to plunder and sell. 'I expect that the renovation of Mosul will continue for years … and it is remarkable that the international community is so interested in the city for its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.' When IS was first driven out of Nineveh province in November 2016, Salih and a colleague, Faisal Jaber, reported on the destruction of Christian sites in the province. 'We hope for more cultural projects that contribute to building peace, promoting stability and coexistence.'
