Reaching the s of Giza atop a dusty camel has long been the staple mode of transport for anyone wanting a more ‘authentic’ trip to the magnificent monuments. But now Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, spearheaded by Dr Zahi Hawass, wants to turn the area around the country’s most iconic structures from an unregulated free-for-all, with camel drivers, docents and peddlers, into a carefully planned $35 million visitor centre. And the Council wants to complete the task by October this year, leading to open disgust from locals who have plied their trade in the area for generations.
Dr Hawass’ project would see a centre erected in Giza, from which every tourist would have to begin his or her journey. From there they would climb aboard an official tram to the s or Great Sphinx. Unofficial operators would have to be sanctioned by the state and pay license fees, a move which unsurprisingly hasn’t gone down well with the locals – who already compete with government-run schemes like tour buses and a containment wall. Sed Ali, 33, has been giving guided tours of the s since he was six years old; and feels Dr Hawass‘ scheme will be the end of local operators: “Without the camels, the place, it will die. This is the school of life,” he tells Boston.com.
Yet Dr Hawass is typically lyrical in his assessment of the area, which he currently sees as a threat to the posterity of his beloved s. “To the people with camels and horses, the plateau is like a plate with gold,” he says. “I want to polish it.” Hawass loathes the containment wall, but wants his plan to protect the wonders from building and unofficial tours. “I did not like the wall,” he continues. “But sometimes, if you are dying and they want to cut off your leg, you’ll agree. I want people to feel the magic of the s. (They) were made for history.” The temples of Karnak and Hatshepsut have already succumbed to government regulation, the latter following a 1997 Islamic militant massacre in which 62 tourists were killed. Dr Hawass has long argued against the heavy influx of tourism to Egypt’s most treasured sites – and even capped the daily visitors to Tutankhamun’s tomb at 400 in 2007. Yet it looks like many locals see reforming Giza as a step too far, and the people who make a living from Egypt’s greatest attractions are unlikely to surrender easily.