Giza Plateau Upgrade: Phase 1
“The entrance gate to the plateau that faces the Mena House Hotel, which after the completion of the project’s three phases will be for VIPs and private visits only, is controlled by electronic security gates featuring X-ray machines that automatically check visitors’ bags. Electronic ticket machines that will count minute-by-minute the number of visitors moving in and out of the plateau are also installed. This will accurately control the number of visitors in the plateau at all times, and is accompanied by an early warning system and a burglar alarm. According to Hosni, since the device was installed the income from tickets has increased from LE500,000 to LE800,000 per day.
More facilities have been also provided on the site such as high-standard toilets, a large parking area and a small bookshop selling archaeological and historical books as well as replicas.
“It was a zoo,” Hawass told reporters, recalling the free rein given to traders up to now. “Now we are protecting both the tourists and the ancient monuments,” he added.
Hawass said that under the second and third phases, all the paved roads around the monuments would be removed and replaced with paths in the style of those seen in ancient Egypt in an attempt to restore some of the area’s original features. A special path for tourists will be built and lit. All the administrative buildings and storehouses within the archaeological site will be removed, and a new lighting system will be installed at strategic places around the plateau while a conservation laboratory will be established for the preservation of artefacts.
Another parking area will be created outside the plateau at the entrance on the Giza-Fayoum road, just behind the second pyramid of Khafre, which will be reserved for tourists and group visits. Access to the site will be limited to pedestrians.
Within the framework of this project, the SCA is now signing a contract with a company specialised in providing and operating electric vehicles, which will transport tourists to and from the plateau. “The [vehicle] company will be also in charge of the maintenance of the vehicles, and will pay the SCA a monthly fee to operate them,” Hawass said.
Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, head of the ancient Egyptian department at the secretary-general’s office, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the project would also include the repaving of the road around the archaeological site, the installation of a new lighting system, the development of the square in front of the Sphinx, and moving the inspectors’ building to the area behind the storage facility located to the south of the pyramids. A parking area, cafeteria, bookshops, bazaars and a visitor centre to introduce visitors to the plateau before their actual visit will also be included, along with a police station and an ambulance unit.”
Read the full story at Al Ahram.
Tags: Giza
