The Pyramids of Giza will now have restaurants and electric buses
The Pyramids of Giza are one of the first attractions that any tourist to Egypt wants to see and one of the most recognisable not only in the country, but in the world.
They have remained intact since they were built from 2550 BC by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.
After thousands of years, it has been decided to begin a 17 million euro renovation of the site in order to make it more accessible to tourists. This redevelopment focuses on the Giza plateau, which is home to the Sphinx and three pyramids, including the oldest and tallest masonry structure, the Great Pyramid of Cheops.
The project includes a new visitor centre and restaurant, the first to be located at the site. Along with the visitor centre, there will be other amenities planned: a cinema, public restrooms, signage throughout the site, food trucks, photo booths, free Wi-Fi, tickets that can be purchased through an app, and a free-stop electric bus route that will tour the site and drop tourists off at designated stops. It will be ready to welcome tourists by mid-2021.
Visits to the Egyptian pyramids will never be the same again, as modernisation of the area and renovations mean tourists can now enjoy a meal at The Pyramid Plateau.
The 9 Pyramid Lounge, designed to mimic a traditional Bedouin desert camp, opened in late October. The 1,341-square-metre space has many options for visitors. They can choose to dine outdoors on typical Bedouin cushions or under the canopy where tables and chairs are available.
To integrate the complex with its surroundings, the materials used are natural, demonstrating the project's commitment to sustainable tourism.
The complex was built with all natural materials to integrate with its surroundings and demonstrate the project's commitment to sustainable tourism in the area. In addition to the restaurant, a fleet of electric buses and golf carts have been tested with the aim of making them the only means of transport on site.
Naguib Sawiris, chairman and CEO of Orascom Investment Holding, was the funder of the restaurant, in partnership with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany recently met with the billionaire Sawiris to discuss the latest developments in the project to increase the efficiency of tourism services in the Giza pyramids area.
The meeting led to an agreement to open another new open-air restaurant, also built with simple natural materials without any heavy construction.
Sawiris added that eco-friendly electric buses will begin to be used in the area, after the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University approved the technical specifications and field tests of the buses.
Earlier, he explained the thinking behind the new venture: "Our main objective was to improve the services provided to visitors in order to upgrade the grandeur of Egyptian civilisation and the magnificence of this historical site, while preserving this area from all forms of pollution and creating a fascinating experience for its visitors."
Sawiris added that "the breathtaking view of 9 pyramids is unique in the world. This is in addition to two fine dining restaurants and a café that will open in early 2021 in the former engineering administration building on the northwest side, which has been completely modernised and redesigned to serve as a restaurant complex."
These innovations have been undertaken to boost tourism, which accounts for more than 12 per cent of Egypt's gross domestic product (GDP), according to government statistics. The new facility on the Giza plateau is part of a wider effort to develop key tourism sites in the country.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, which will become the largest archaeological museum in the world, is due to open next year.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Dr Khaled el-Enany said at the opening of the 9 Pyramids Lounge restaurant that "Egypt is eager to transform Cairo's tourism map".
The plan has been in the works for the past 15 years, but the project was suspended in 2011, after the revolution that overthrew ruler Hosni Moubarak. A deadly attack on a plane in 2015 hit the tourism industry hard. In recent years the industry has begun to recover. And last year, Egypt welcomed 13.6 million visitors and was expected to surpass 15 million by 2020, but the health crisis over COVID-19 did not allow it.
The pyramids of Giza have been standing for some 4,500 years and were built to last for eternity, exactly what they are doing. They are monumental tombs from the era of Egypt's Ancient Empire.
To prepare for the next world, the pharaohs of Egypt who hoped to become gods in the afterlife built goddess temples and giant tombs for themselves. These pyramidal tombs are filled with the things each ruler would need to get to the next world.
Around 2550 BC the pharaoh Cheops began the first pyramid project at Giza, whose pyramid is the largest on the plateau and is about 147 metres high. Each of its 2.3 million stone blocks weighs an average of 2.5 to 15 tons.
His son, Pharaoh Khafre, built the second one 30 years later and its necropolis included the Sphinx, a limestone monument with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.
Built by the pharaoh Menkaure, the third of the pyramids was built around 2490 BC. This one has a much more complex mortuary temple and is the smallest of the previous pyramids.
Each of the pyramids has a detailed complex that includes a palace, temples, sunboat wells and other features.
The surrounding area is currently being renovated to encourage tourism, but the history will remain intact.
