Taking photos in the Valley of the Kings allowed? Stopping outside photography 'Will be Charged'

Submitted by Sean Williams on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 10:50

It's fair enough not to be allowed to snap away inside the tombs of the Valley of the Kings (unless you're Sandro Vannini , see why here). Flash photography - and that's what you'll need - can have a damaging effect on the delicate tomb paintings, some of which are around 4,000 years old. But jobsworth Egyptian officials denying you a snapshot outside the tombs? According to Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass, that's not on. The SCA boss has come out this week to smash claims his men are forbidding photography outside some of Egypt's biggest attractions including the pyramids, Sphinx and Luxor Temple.

"It is allowed to take pictures for the open monuments area," says Dr Hawass via an Egyptian Culture Ministry statement. He adds that any guide denying open pictures will face charges, as they are a vital part of tourists' memories of Egypt. Dr Hawass will be anxious to curry favour with Egypt's massive tourist population. Just under 13million people visited the country last year, raking in a shade under $11billion (£6.66billion). Global tourist numbers are expected to top one billion people this year, with a revenue of around $1,000billion (£605billion). Egypt's tourist guides don't have the best of reputations, having been known to point people in the wrong direction and demand money for just about anything.

Do you think tourists should pay for photography, wherever they are? Or do you think we should all be able to snap away in and outside tombs for free? Maybe you've got a story about Egyptian tour guides - Have your say at Heritage Key - either via the comments box below, our contact page or by emailing me direct.

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About The Author

Sean Williams (follow me: e-mail or

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Last three pieces by this author:

New York's Met Museum Records Best Attendance since 2001 | Bettany Hughes Publications you Can't go Without | 3,200-year-old Chariot Linchpin 'Proves Ancient Egyptian City in Israel'

Sean is an English Literature graduate, who currently works as a writer and journalist in London. He enjoys ancient history, theatre and sport. He does not enjoy Big Brother.

Comments

Ann:

Not really about Egyptian Tour Guides, just about the quality of the horses they rent out... -sighs- Anyway, never experienced any 'photography ban' myself when outside visiting the monuments around Cairo and Alexandria. Is it an 'Upper Egypt' thing? ;)

Tue, 24-11-2009 11:38

Jim Ashton:

Firstly, I'd like to point that there is absolutaly no scientific evidence that flash photography is harmful to ancient (or modern) pigments due to the minuscule quantity of light reaching their surfaces. On the contrary, the practice of reflecting sunlight into the tombs by guardians (for baksheesh!) is much more damaging, though still minimal.

What possible justification can there be for banning photography in the Valley?

I now rarely enter the tombs in the Valley (or the Valley itself) since, as a graduate in Egyptology, my main interest is examining the artwork to confirm or refute theories, I need to take photographs as a permanent record for later examination. So Dr. Hawass has lost my entrance fees!

If photographs were available in sufficient detail to permit me to examine closely th artwork in question, I would gladly pay for such publications but this does not appear to be the case (with the exception of Zahi Hawass' excellent recent book "the lost Tombs of Thebes", Which I have bought but which does not, unfortunately cover the V.O.K. tombs).

Not only that but, the last time I was in the Egyptian Museum (in November 2009) , I was prevented (in a panic-stricken manner) by the guardians from illuminating the sides of the Tutankhamun shrines with a pocket lamp to examine the texts more clearly. I cannot understand the logic behind such a reaction. Let us hope that this restriction will not be carried over to the new G.E.M!

Best wishes,

Jim Ashton.

Fri, 08-01-2010 16:12

Ian Alderton:

when we went ot egypt in Nov 2008 we had no issues with photos outside any site, our guide was helpfull as when we asked if we could take photos of an area or inside a temple or tomb he would ask on our behalf and advise us accordingly.

I did notice a number of so called care takers in the valley of the kings accepting bribes so people could take photos, but this was not the normal practice.

As mentioned the only places we could not take photos were within the Museum at Cairo, in the toombs at the VOTK and inside the temples at Abu Simbel, the remainder of vast egyptian temples and sites wre opent to any photography.

Tue, 16-11-2010 12:29

Frank Goudy:

The forbidding of photos on the inside of areas is increasing throughout the world.

It is mainly a scam by the locals and governemnt so you have to buy their books, postcards etc. Everyone with a lick of brains knows this. There might be a few exceptions for religious reasons and I would accept that if there are no phtos of the area taken by anybody from their contry and no photos for sale. In other words, if it is truly a matter of religious custom, I respect that. Anything else is a B.S.

I noticed in Russia they charge a small photo fee. I have no problems with that, as long as it is small for a conventional camera shot- a movie production is something else.

I hope this no photo trend is reversed, but everybody is very greedy so I am not hopeful.

Sun, 02-01-2011 06:44

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