Archaeologists wary as Egypt plans to 'upgrade' vicinity of Giza plateau

An announcement by the Egyptian prime minister about the possible launch of a global tender for the upgrade of the vicinity of the Giza Plateau little impressed archaeologists, who are wary of potential negative effects on archaeological sites in this area.   

The planned overhaul, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli said following a cabinet meeting on 4 December, would aim to better the services offered tourists in the vicinity of the Giza Plateau, in ways that match the historical value of archaeological sites in this area. 

"The vicinity of the Giza Plateau houses unique ancient sites that need to receive the attention that befits them," the Egyptian prime minister said. 

The same unique nature is, however, what makes those closely following worried that the planned upgrade might jeopardize these ancient sites. 

The Giza pyramid complex is by far Egypt's most important ancient site, an icon of the great Egyptian civilization and a dream destination for hundreds of millions of people around the world.  

The global tender to be launched by the Egyptian government will cover an area that extends 45 kilometres north of the plateau to Sphinx International Airport and 33 kilometres south of the plateau to Dahshour, an ancient necropolis with its own pyramid complex, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The same area is also home to Saqqara necropolis, one of the most important cemeteries of Memphis, an ancient Egyptian city of matchless importance. It is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.   

The aforementioned millennia-old antiquities can only be protected only if the planned upgrade is carried out in a way that does not distort their ancient environment, specialists said. 

"Human activities, including construction, cause irreversible harm to ancient sites," independent archaeologist, Bassam al-Shamaa, told The New Arab.  

"This is why the planned works have to be carried out so far away from them, not to mention the need for preventing any change to the historical environment of these sites," he added.  

Reaction to the planned tender was equally full of scepticism on social media where ordinary people cited some past upgrade projects that proved harmful to historical sites, including the destruction of parts of the City of the Dead in Cairo and the demolition of century-old Islamic shrines in some parts of Egypt.  

The same people expressed fears that instead of making services offered tourists in these areas à la mode, the planned development would distort the nature of ancient sites in them, including by allowing cafés and restaurants to sprout in their neighbourhood. 

"The Giza Plateau doesn't need cafés or shopping malls," a man wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "It only needs more order and more effort from the Tourism Police Department."  

'Ill-reputed' upgrade

Upgrade is becoming 'ill-reputed' in Egypt as a concept these days, with some people associating it with the demolition of ancient sites and the removal of buildings of utmost historical value.  

Egypt has invested heavily in its tourism sector in the past decade in its bid to protect its own heritage and attract more tourists.  

It constructed numerous new museums, renovated old ones and restored a long list of ancient sites, belonging to the different eras of its history. 

Nonetheless, the Arab country's modernisation drive, including its desire to expand its road network to accommodate the growing number of vehicles on its streets and ease movement to different places, has in some cases come at the cost of ancient areas, such as historical cemeteries, ancient mosques and even important antiquities, dating hundreds of years back.  

Some of the activities carried out for the development of ancient sites or their surroundings have also gone awry, making the members of the public ask about whether those carrying out these activities know their value.  

Al-Shamaa still remembers when he used to accompany tourists in, around and out of the Giza Plateau years ago. 

Soon after tourists get out of the plateau, he said, they see modern life features in its immediate vicinity, including KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants. 

"The presence of these places causes cultural shock to the tourists," al-Shamaa said to TNA. "Imagine getting out of a site that is thousands of old to be instantly faced with these symbols of modernity." 

He also refers to distortion made to the Fatimid quarter of the Egyptian capital because of an upgrade carried out by the authorities there.  

Most recently, a video clip of construction workers using hammers to break down parts of the rocks of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza stirred up debates and, for some people, best exemplified what the authorities mean by 'upgrade'. 

The planned global tender comes hard on the heels of calls by specialists for ending some of the problems facing tourists at the Giza Plateau, ones that scare some people away from visiting the area.  

Last month, the members of the Committee on Tourism in the Egyptian parliament called on the government to speed up the area's development.  

The planned development also comes as Egypt strives to increase revenues from the tourism sector, a major foreign currency earner that employs close to 9 percent of the national workforce of 33.4 million. 

The general belief inside the Arab country with one of the earliest human civilizations is that it does not get its rightful share of international tourists, even as it has whatever it takes to be a prime international tourist destination.  

Egypt currently receives between 12 and 16 million tourists annually. It has formulated a plan to raise this number to 30 million by 2028.  

The plan depends on the exploration of new tourist markets; the introduction of new tourism products; the launch of international promotion campaigns, and improving the tourist experience by bettering the services offered at tourist sites.  

"I think the plan can pay off, if we work on elevating the standards of the services we offer tourists, increase the number of hotel rooms we have and maintain our country's security stability," independent tourism expert, Magdi Seleem, told TNA. 

"Egypt has what it takes to attract more than 30 million tourists every year," he added.  

The same plan follows years of deterioration, initially induced by lockdowns caused by Covid-19 and then by downfall in the number of incoming tourists because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, with both countries being major tourist export markets for Egypt.  

Integral part of bigger plans

The Egyptian prime minister said five consortiums have so far expressed interest in participating in the planned global tender for the upgrade of the vicinity of the Giza Plateau.  

He expected the design of the development plan to be ready within six months from announcing the winning tenderer.  

The planned overhaul comes, meanwhile, with the Grand Egyptian Museum, a gigantic structure that stands only metres away from the plateau, preparing for its official opening. 

The museum, by far the world's largest, houses tens of thousands of artefacts, belonging to almost all phases of Egypt's history. 

The plateau itself is witnessing major change, with a local contracting company investing close to $30 million on its upgrade. 

The upgrade has so far included the opening of a major restaurant in the site and the construction of a tourist reception area that contains a cinema theatre that will play documentaries and materials that give visiting tourists information about the history of the pyramids and their builders.  

The entrance to the plateau has already been relocated to the desert fringes of the plateau, which brings the site closer to Sphinx International Airport, which was opened by the Egyptian government in 2017 to ease access to the Giza pyramids.  

Together with the planned overhaul of the vicinity of the plateau, these changes make for a better visitor experience, the proponents of the development plan say. 

"Changes taking place in the Giza Plateau will turn it into an important magnet for foreign and local tourists," Ahmed al-Teibi, a member of the Committee on Tourism in the Egyptian parliament, said to TNA.  

"The Giza pyramids have not so far received the number of tourists they deserve," he added.