The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities organised on Thursday a special tour for the wives of 20 foreign ambassadors in Egypt to Giza’s iconic Saqqara necropolis as part of the country’s plan to promote the tourism sector.
The tour, in which the wife of the Egyptian foreign minister and a number of his assistants participated, aimed to promote Egyptian tourist destinations and shed light on the ancient Egyptian civilisation and tourist sites.
The group was received by Mohamed Youssef, director of the Saqqara Antiquities Area, who accompanied them on a tour inside the Pyramid of Djoser, the pyramid of Unas, the pyramid of King Tete, the tomb of Kagemni, and the Serapeum of Saqqara, in addition to a tour to the Imhotep Museum.
The group expressed their pleasure with the experience, which enabled them to get acquainted with the ancient Egyptian civilisation in the Saqqara area, especially in light of the latest archaeological discoveries made there.
Saqqara, home to the famous Pyramid of Djoser, or Step Pyramid, is an ancient burial ground that served as a necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis.
A series of discoveries were unearthed in the area, the most recent of which was a collection of 100 intact 26th Dynasty coffins discovered in November.
Golden funerary masks and a collection of 40 wooden statues of Saqqara goddess Ptah Soker were also found in the discovery.
To help offset the vital sector’s losses amid the pandemic, Egypt resumed regular international flights at all Egyptian airports in July, with foreign tourists allowed into three coastal governorates as part of tour groups. Since then, 1.4 million tourists visited Egypt as of December.
The tourism sector is an essential source of foreign currency for the country.
Since September, Egypt has required travellers to present PCR certificates upon departure and arrival.
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