Banning visiting Giza pyramids in the feast days

The Egyptian Ministry of Culture decided to ban Egyptian visitors during the feast days from visiting the pyramids and Sphinx.

The decision will be applied starting from the coming greater Bairam feast to keep calmness and order in the area.

Zahi Hawas, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture for archeology affairs in Cairo and Giza, said this decision comes to keep the value of this area and its cleanliness during the feast days, as it becomes overcrowded with visitors.

He added that there is a project to develop this area to enhance tourists' experience by ending merchandising operations by owners of horses and camels as well as sellers of tourism tickets on Giza heights.

While some tourists enjoy riding and having their pictures taken on camels and horses in front of the pyramids, the unregulated vendors' aggressiveness in their sales can be unpleasant to other tourists.

Hawas said the vendors form a source of annoyance and anxiety to tourists, which deprive them of enjoying the Giza pyramids.