Egypt

New dawn for Luxor temples

Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El-Aref)

The heat wave that hit Egypt last Sunday did not deter Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif from going ahead with his planned two-day tour of Luxor to view the progress achieved so far with the project to develop the whole area, including the town itself, into an open air museum. The plans include more facilities and easier access for tourists.

Luxor has been under major development since 2005 under President Hosni Mubarak's programme to improve services for the residents of Upper Egypt and to develop and promote tourist projects, which will in turn fuel the local economy and provide job opportunities. Buildings that encroached on ancient monuments were cleared, making way for excavations that revealed the full route of the Avenue of Sphinxes, once the royal path between Luxor and Karnak temples.

After three years of makeover, Luxor is looking more alluring than ever. New houses and shops have been built to replace those that were forcibly demolished. All the buildings along the Corniche have been repainted in earth colours, and the city's streets and squares have been given a facelift, including the planting of large numbers of trees and flowers.

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Al Ahram Weekly (Nevine El Aref) TWELVE sphinx statues from the reign of the 30th- Dynasty Pharaoh Nectanebo I were unearthed last week in Luxor, reports Nevine El-Aref. Archaeologists have unearthed a set of 12 limestone sphinx statues near the road...

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drhawass.com (Zahi Hawass) The SCA currently has many restoration projects underway. One of the most important is the Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor. This is an avenue that stretches between Karnak and Luxor Temples and is lined with sphinxes, although most...

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- Development: Luxor Heritage Management
Egypt State Information Service President Hosni Mubarak will inaugurate a project to refurbish the ram road in the ancient Upper Egyptian archaeological city of Luxor in March, a project that should turn the city into an open outdoor museum. Luxor Governor...

- More Re Qurna Relocation
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7166A lengthy article about the relocation of the inhabitants of Qurna on the West Bank at Luxor, in order to provide access to archaeological sites. It repeats much of what has already been said, emphasising...

Egypt