Drop in tourism endangers restoration of fabled monuments in Egypt

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1 Drop in tourism endangers restoration of fabled monuments in Egypt By Agence France-Presse. adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 681 Tourists take photos of the giant colossi at the entrance of the ancient Egyptian Luxor Temple in the Nile Valley, Egypt. Photo: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images Following years of unrest, Egypt has suffered a huge drop in tourists. Its economy the system of buying, selling and producing goods and services is shaky. As a result, the North African country is struggling to preserve its fabled archaeological heritage. Egypt is home to impressive monuments, from the historic city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the last of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the South is Aswan, where an ancient city once stood. For years, the sites relied on a steady stream of ticket sales to finance their upkeep. But since Egypt's 2011 revolution, the number of tourists visiting the country has dwindled and authorities are scrambling to make up for lost revenues. Number Of Tourists Decreasing Khaled el-enany is Antiquities Minister of Egypt. Antiquities are ancient objects such as monuments and artifacts. "Since January 2011, our revenues have fallen sharply, which had a strong effect on the state of Egyptian monuments," Enany said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 From more than 15 million in 2010, the number of tourists visiting Egypt dropped to 6.3 million in The 2011 uprising unseated Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and in 2013 the army overthrew his Islamist replacement, Mohamed Morsi. After that, there was a jihadist insurgency followed by years of political unrest, discouraging many from visiting. Revenue from tickets to historical sites dropped to about $38 million in 2015, from about $220 million in "It's catastrophic," said Fayza Haikal, an ancient Egypt expert and professor at the American University of Cairo. Zahi Hawass, an archaeologist and former antiquities minister, said the country's heritage has suffered as a result. "With the lack of funding, you cannot restore anything. Look at the Cairo museum. It's dark," Hawass said, referring to the famed Egyptian Museum in the capital's Tahrir Square. Antiquities Are Deteriorating Everywhere Hawass said that the government cannot help with funding because the economy is suffering. "Antiquities are deteriorating everywhere," he said. Administering the country's antiquities takes about 38,000 employees, including on-site workers, technicians, Egyptologists and inspectors. Egypt has relied on foreign handouts since Morsi's overthrow. The government finally decided to allow the value of its currency to rise and fall according to supply and demand based on other currencies, like most major world economies. The decision was part of an economic reform program connected to a loan from the International Monetary Fund. An important part of an economic revival would be the return of tourism, a main currency earner for Egypt. Until then, Enany is trying to limit the damage by doing extra activities to increase revenue. For example, the Egyptian Museum, home to the golden mask of Tutankhamun and mummies of pharaohs, now stays open into the night, he said. Annual passes are also available to encourage Egyptians to visit the sites. Donors and archaeological missions still help preserve Egypt's ancient heritage, but they cannot cover everything. Restoration Is Top Priority Haikal said that restoration is the top priority, and some excavations have been stopped due to lack of funding. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 The excavations "have waited for 5,000 years and can wait," she said, but important restoration work has also been delayed. "At the very least we identify what needs restoration, and we do the minimum to keep them [these structures] in a proper state." Enany also wants to grant public access to more sites, as was done with the recently opened tombs of Nefertiti and Seti I in Luxor. The Malawi museum in the province of Minya was also reopened after it was looted in the unrest after Morsi's overthrow. The Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza pyramids should also be opened, at least partially, in The ministry can get special funds for some projects. Examples are recent work done on the synagogue of Alexandria and the Abu Mena church, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hawass advises Enany, and he says Enany needs more support and for authorities to think beyond Egypt by taking exhibitions abroad. "Why leave Tutankhamun in the Cairo museum, in a dark area. No one sees it," Hawass said. "Tutankhamun can bring money!" This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 Read the first paragraph of the article. Following years of unrest, Egypt has suffered a huge drop in tourists. Its economy the system of buying, selling and producing goods and services is shaky. As a result, the North African country is struggling to preserve its fabled archaeological heritage. The author uses the word "fabled" to mean: fictitious imaginary magical legendary 2 Read the sentence from the section "Number Of Tourists Decreasing." "It's catastrophic," said Fayza Haikal, an ancient Egypt expert and professor at the American University of Cairo. Which selection from the next section, "Antiquities Are Deteriorating Everywhere," BEST illustrates what Haikal means by "catastrophic"? Hawass said that the government cannot help with funding because the economy is suffering. "Antiquities are deteriorating everywhere," he said. Administering the country's antiquities takes about 38,000 employees, including on-site workers, technicians, Egyptologists and inspectors. For example, the Egyptian Museum, home to the golden mask of Tutankhamun and mummies of pharaohs, now stays open into the night, he said. Donors and archaeological missions still help preserve Egypt's ancient heritage, but they cannot cover everything. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 3 Which statement would be MOST important to include in an accurate and objective summary of the article? Tourists have wisely chosen to avoid Egypt since its period of political unrest began in Egypt's antiquities experts have undertaken a number of steps to get more funding for its ancient heritage. The primary cause for concern about antiquities is a lack of international interest in excavation. The government of Egypt must do more to fund restoration and preservation of its antiquities. 4 The central idea of the article is developed by: outlining the different political factions in Egypt and the reasons for their conflict with one another explaining the reasons for lack of funding to preserve antiquities and what officials are doing about it describing in detail the beauty and physical state of many of Egypt's oldest national treasures contrasting the viewpoints of different antiquities experts on the best way to preserve heritage This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5