Photos circulating on social media in recent days have stirred controversy and resentment among those interested in heritage and antiquities, after they showed the garden of the historic Mohamed Bey El-Shennawy Palace in the city of Mansoura, which was built in 1928 and registered as an Islamic and Coptic monument in 1999, having been turned into a car park during the evening, according to what was published by the “Save Mansoura” initiative, which specialises in defending heritage. For his part, Mohamed El-Husseiny Tamman, head of Lower Egypt Antiquities at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, denied that this had happened, explaining that the company responsible for the palace’s restoration works had held a group iftar for the restoration engineers and specialists and the technicians working at the site.
This incident comes as part of a series of controversies that have continued for nearly ten years over the exploitation of archaeological and historic sites for commercial and entertainment activities, including holding weddings, opening restaurants and cafeterias, as well as filming commercial advertisements and fashion shows inside them. While some antiquities experts, intellectuals and heritage defenders believe that these commercial activities pose a direct threat to the safety and value of these historic sites, others consider them an important source for boosting the financial resources of the Ministry of Antiquities and for tourism promotion.
This controversy began in May 2016, when a wedding party was held inside the historic Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, built by the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr Qaitbay (882-884 AH). The controversy recurred in October 2018, after a dinner party and marriage contract ceremony for more than 300 people was held at the Pharaonic Karnak Temple in Luxor, which prompted the Chamber of Tourism Companies there to call for an investigation into the incident. June 2024 also saw the holding of the wedding party of the daughter of TV presenter Mofida Shiha in the courtyard of the Mohamed Ali Mosque in the Citadel of Salah El-Din in Cairo, preceded in the same year by the wedding party of the daughter of TV presenter Tarek Allam at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, with the participation of a number of art and media stars. The most prominent event was the wedding of Indian businessman and billionaire Ankur Jain to the model and former wrestler Erika Hammond, which lasted four consecutive days between the foot of the Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Mohamed Ali Pasha Palace.
Historic palaces have likewise not been spared commercial exploitation, as many criticised the setting up of a Ramadan tent in the Qubba and Abdeen palaces to serve iftar and suhoor meals, as part of the Egyptian government’s attempts to turn the presidential palaces into sources of income, amid calls to turn them into museums open to the public. The filming of a commercial advertisement featuring actress Yasmine Abdel Aziz inside the Grand Egyptian Museum also stirred wide controversy last December, as some considered it a diminishing of the historic value of the place, some of whose halls have begun trial operation in preparation for its official opening in the coming months. Similarly, social media users criticised the filming of a music video inside the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Luxor, and circulated a photo of a Syrian singer from inside the burial chamber of the tomb of Ramses VI.
In a related context, the annual report of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for 2024 revealed that the Supreme Council of Antiquities’ reliance on funding from the state’s general budget had declined to almost zero in the fiscal year (2023-2024), in exchange for an increase in investment spending allocated to improving the tourist experience at archaeological sites and museums and to the maintenance, restoration and protection of antiquities. This spending amounted to EGP 1.09 billion during the fiscal year (2022-2023) and rose to EGP 1.406 billion during the last fiscal year (2023-2024), an increase of 29%. The report also set out a 50% discount on the fees for holding social occasions at archaeological sites where this is permitted, for employees of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and their first-degree relatives only.
A Challenge to Experts and Archaeologists
The equation of combining tourism investment with preserving the value and safety of archaeological sites poses an extremely complex challenge, as it requires a delicate balance between the economic benefit from these sites and the protection of cultural and historical heritage. In this context, Dr Radwa Zaki, a researcher in Islamic archaeology and the history of Egyptian architecture, stresses in an interview with “Zawia3” that exploiting archaeological sites for commercial activities can be “a double-edged sword”: on the one hand it provides financial resources necessary for maintaining and protecting these sites, and on the other it may cause great damage to their historical value if it is done without careful studies and assessments.
Radwa Zaki insists that approval of such activities must be conditional on a rigorous impact assessment and on adopting balanced strategies that include sustainable planning to ensure that the activities do not exceed the carrying capacity of the archaeological sites, as well as raising the awareness of visitors and investors of the importance and value of these sites and the need to protect them. She also stresses the need to apply strict laws that define commercial uses and guarantee that heritage is not harmed.
The researcher explains that some practices, such as using unsuitable lighting during parties or social occasions, may cause damage to archaeological materials, especially lighting that generates high heat or radiation that may react negatively with historic stones. She believes it is necessary to use suitable modern lighting technologies such as cold lighting (LED), and not to direct it straight at sensitive surfaces. She also points out that using air conditioning and some unsuitable decorations may damage the historic walls, stressing the need to designate specific areas for holding activities away from the sensitive places at archaeological sites, with full adherence to international standards and guidelines on heritage conservation.
The researcher expresses her personal position rejecting the use of archaeological sites except within a limited scope that does not harm their safety, citing the objection of Alexandria’s residents to turning the Citadel of Qaitbay into a wedding hall, and considering that what is happening represents “a challenge to experts, archaeologists, intellectuals and everyone interested in heritage in favour of material gain”, asking: “Will we one day witness the sale of these antiquities on the grounds that they generate economic returns?” She stresses that in Egypt there is manipulation and circumvention of the laws to exploit antiquities in activities that are harmful in the short and long term, amid an almost complete absence of oversight by the responsible bodies, calling for the formation of specialised committees comprising the public and private sectors to examine these uses before approving them, and for activating the state’s oversight role.
The researcher also categorically rejects the exploitation of archaeological areas in activities that involve the use of fire, such as cooking or smoking shisha, considering the conversion of Mamay Palace on Al-Muizz li-Din Allah Al-Fatimi Street into a restaurant “a kind of absurdity”, and calling for those responsible for issuing such licences to be held accountable. On the other hand, however, she stresses that archaeological places can be reused for activities that do not harm them, such as turning them into museums, cultural centres or diplomatic premises, rather than turning them into restaurants and cafeterias, which she regards as “an insult to Egyptian heritage”.
The researcher believes that the Ministry of Antiquities resorted to this approach with the aim of providing the financial resources necessary for maintenance and restoration in light of the limited government budgets allocated for this, but the implementation is carried out in a wrong and exaggerated way. She adds: “If the purpose of using historic sites is to hold special events to attract new categories of tourists and diversify the tourism offer, then this must be done in an organised and regulated way, not by treating Egypt’s heritage as empty real estate rented out to the highest bidder”, warning that haphazard implementation may lead to the deterioration of the condition of archaeological sites and the distortion of their image globally. She concludes by saying: “Economic crises do not justify exploiting what is priceless and exposing it to danger; we must look at heritage with the eye of the future and not only with the eye of the present.”
On the other hand, the revenues of the antiquities sector in Egypt remain a major source for the national economy, and include entry fees to sites and museums and the sale of souvenirs and cultural products, and these revenues are directed to the maintenance and restoration of antiquities and the development of cultural tourism. According to 2023 data, the number of tourists reached 14.9 million, with revenues of up to USD 15 billion, the highest level since 2010, and Egypt is seeking to bring tourism revenues to USD 30 billion annually.
Regarding the general budget of the Tourism Development Authority for 2023/2024, an increase of 30% in new investments was allocated to complete the infrastructure of the tourism development sectors, with the support allocated to tourism development raised by 100%, and a total investment budget 11% higher than the previous fiscal year, with the Authority achieving a net profit estimated at about EGP 1 billion going to the state treasury. The former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities also announced in 2023 the application of an increase in the prices of visiting some sites and museums of up to 50% starting from 1 December 2023, with EGP 3 billion allocated for restoring antiquities, an increase of EGP 1 billion over the 2022 budget.
A Conflict of Interest Between Tourism and Antiquities
Egyptologist Dr Monica Hanna, assistant professor of archaeology and cultural heritage, attributes the expansion of the commercial exploitation of archaeological areas in recent years to the decision to merge the ministries of antiquities and tourism and place them under a single administration, which led to a conflict of interest: while archaeologists aim to preserve the monument, those in charge of tourism want the monument to generate money; and she holds that preserving heritage and antiquities requires a separation of powers and the guaranteeing of transparency.
She tells Zawia3: “We are not against creative ideas for investing in heritage and not relying solely on tourism resources to maintain heritage, but there must be executive regulations that set the share of the returns from those investments spent on the maintenance and restoration of antiquities at no less than 30%, in a way that guarantees the monument is not harmed, and that these returns are not remitted in full to the public treasury. But this is not happening, and what is going on is a depletion of heritage resources without a clear plan for their maintenance, restoration and protection. The matter of leasing in archaeological areas to cafeterias and restaurants is also being done in a crude way, as is happening in the garden of the Tahrir Museum and at the Baron Palace, and this can be understood in historic palaces that can structurally bear it; and I denounce the erection of a celebration platform in front of the Pyramid of Djoser on top of Pharaonic tombs, which endangers their safety.”
She adds: “Care must be taken over periodic maintenance and setting suitable numbers of visitors so that this does not negatively affect the antiquities, through carbon emissions and excessive loads, provided that the rental revenues from weddings, birthday parties, fashion shows and other commercial activities go towards improving heritage and rehabilitating and restoring buildings, following the example of the successful experience of using the profits of a cafeteria to restore a historic palace in Turin, Italy, which has come to generate profits for the state treasury in Italy.”
Meanwhile, Dr Hamdy Ahmed El-Sorougy, professor of archaeology at the Faculty of Arts, Tanta University, stresses to Zawia3 that the safety and preservation of the monument is everyone’s responsibility, and yet in recent years a trend has been observed among those in charge of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to rent out no small number of archaeological, historic and heritage areas for holding parties and weddings and organising some events with the aim of increasing income, and the matter has become an imposed reality. Despite the ministry’s assurances that this is done within a legal framework, that is not enough for the value and safety of the monument, he says, attributing what is happening to the tourism slump that followed the January revolution, and asking whether it can be acceptable to hold a wedding inside the courtyard of a historic mosque with guests joining in dancing and singing, as happened last year at one of the weddings held in the courtyard of the historic Mohamed Ali Mosque in the Citadel? Is this compatible with the sanctity of the mosque?
He says: “It seems that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been unable to find better alternatives for increasing income, which forced it to resort to this, but what do the countries that attract huge numbers of tourists every year do, without having this enormous quantity of antiquities and without turning to renting out the historical legacy they have?! Why do we not try to study these experiences and follow their example? Our beloved Egypt is full of economic cadres who could put forward beneficial and useful alternatives without resorting to abusing the antiquities. Their haphazard exploitation and dealing with them without organisation may harm them, but if the matter is done within a framework of knowledge and order, it will certainly achieve the desired material benefit and work to promote the monument in a fitting manner.”
El-Sorougy explains that if the state is compelled to rent out archaeological areas, then specific archaeological areas must be used and others spared, provided that parties are held in outdoor courtyards that guarantee the monument is not touched and there is no direct contact with it, with the matter subject to more oversight and firmness, and with awareness of the damage that could befall the antiquities, since the dazzling lights that are an inherent part of parties cause serious damage to the monument, and handling and direct touching also harm the monument, not to mention that the vast majority of those attending lack sufficient awareness of the monument and how to deal with it and preserve it. Therefore, there must be a specialised company that combines knowledge, culture and party organisation, with cadres capable of striking a balance between the safety of the monument and its exploitation, considering that holding a party in the Pyramids area is a good thing and amounts to good publicity for the purpose of tourism promotion, while a party could not under any circumstances be held, for example, inside the Valley Temple next to the Pyramid.
An Infringement on the Rights of the Monument
Antiquities expert Dr Abdel Rahim Rihan, head of the Campaign to Defend Egyptian Civilisation and member of the History and Antiquities Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, believes that tourism investment can be combined with preserving the value and safety of antiquities, by setting certain conditions that preserve the monument and viewing the monument as a cultural product before anything else, and by repurposing it to become a centre of cultural radiance, since the cultural and creative industries generate large incomes worldwide if they are well invested, such as by organising folk art performances. He completely rejects the exploitation of antiquities for setting up restaurants and cafeterias or wedding halls, because this harms the antiquities architecturally and artistically through the effect of noise and shisha smoke on the colours and decorations, stressing that wedding halls should be limited to marriage contract ceremonies only, on condition that there is no noise or loud music or clothing that contradicts the nature and sanctity of the antiquities; full camera surveillance of the monument to prevent children from tampering with any decorations or colours; a ban on touching the monument; full monitoring and supervision by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, with at least a weekly visit by archaeologists and a restoration specialist to prepare a report on the technical condition of the monument; and permitting surprise inspections by antiquities committees at any time, with this condition written into the lease contract, and in the event of a breach of any of the controls the contract is automatically terminated, with the tenant bearing the cost of restoring any damage.
He tells Zawia3: “Investing in antiquities is a good thing, but the concept of investing in antiquities needs clarification. Antiquities are first and foremost culture and cultural tourism, and antiquities should be used to establish major cultural centres, halls for conferences and seminars, halls for heritage and folk arts, halls for literature and the fine and applied arts, archaeological theatres and art ateliers, and not rented out to restaurants and cafeterias as merely a source of income at the expense of the archaeological and historical value and the sanctity of the monument itself. Renting out the historic Maq’ad of Mamay, which was once a court of justice, to a restaurant and cafeteria where smoking shisha is allowed, is an infringement on the rights of the monument itself and its sanctity, and whoever carried out this unacceptable act for EGP 300,000 a month must be held accountable, because the effects of this unacceptable activity will appear after years, and perhaps the lease will end and the antiquities authority will restore it at its own expense at a cost of millions, because restoring antiquities is no easy matter; therefore this deal is a losing one, materially and morally, by every measure,” pointing out that the Ministry of Antiquities’ income is very high, especially with the opening of new museums, the restoration of new areas and their opening to visitors, archaeological discoveries and the organisation of exhibitions abroad, and that there is a need to amend the concept of investing in antiquities, on condition of maintaining and protecting the monument and preserving its sanctity and inviolability.
Rihan reveals that the Campaign to Defend Egyptian Civilisation monitored the organisation of a loud party at the Philae Temple in Aswan, which is registered as UNESCO World Heritage, even though noise and lights negatively affect the colour layers of archaeological surfaces or stone surfaces, with the loosened or exposed stone flakes they contain, in addition to the mechanical effect of sound waves on stone antiquities, especially stone antiquities bearing inscriptions and coloured decorations; since exposing any solid body to sound waves reaching 1,200 kilometres per hour makes it directly affected by this great impact, taking into account the weak and fragile condition of those stone surfaces, which suffer from high humidity resulting from rising groundwater, which has led to the formation of salt layers and the collapse of the stone’s lattice structure. He stresses the need for the matter to be studied by a sound engineer who determines the strength of the frequencies required for each celebratory event held at an archaeological site.
The antiquities expert stresses that all antiquities are directly affected by light, whether they are organic antiquities or stone and metal antiquities bearing inscriptions and coloured decorations, and that at other times stone antiquities are affected by the amount of heat emitted from the sources used for lighting, especially those used in film shooting, which produce high thermal energy that affects the expansion and contraction of stone surfaces, especially when they are switched on and off in rapid alternation. This alternating effect of temperatures rising and falling directly affects weak or even strong stone surfaces bearing colours, and leads to the loosening of the surface layer and reduces the strength of the bond between its particles,
and the duration of exposure to long wavelengths, whose effects on antiquities are lower, equals the damage caused by short wavelengths; therefore the effects of the different wavelengths must be limited, over both the long and short term, to protect the monument from photochemical damage, along with the need to prohibit photography using camera flash or to use filters inside the display halls, and for the glass of the display cases to act as light filters, because with the huge numbers of visitors, the energy emitted from camera lights will damage the monument within a short period of time, and all the coloured surfaces will turn to light fading or colour degradation of the colours that were mixed to obtain a third colour.
A Fitting Image of Egypt
Preserving antiquities is considered a basic condition for benefiting from archaeological areas in investment and tourism development operations, and to achieve this, security, archaeologists and a maintenance and restoration team must be present during celebratory events, controls must be set to preserve their facilities and infrastructure, lighting must be controlled to preserve colours and materials, filters for harmful rays must be installed, and antiquities made of limestone must be protected from humidity, as explained to Zawia3 by Dr Mahmoud El-Halwagy, professor of ancient Egyptian archaeology and former director general of the Egyptian Museum, who praises the festivals and cultural events organised at the Citadel of Salah El-Din and considers that renting out archaeological areas to restaurants or cafeterias will affect them negatively.
El-Halwagy acknowledges the existence of a trend in the state’s general policy in recent years to expand investment and tourism development in archaeological areas to increase sources of income, in light of tourism activity being affected by a number of events since the 25 January revolution, through the Covid-19 pandemic, international crises, the Ukrainian war and others, calling for selectivity in the events, celebrations and activities organised in archaeological areas, in a way that guarantees conveying a fitting image of Egypt, because that is more important than financial returns.
Meanwhile, Wahiba Saleh, a director general at the Ministry of Antiquities, believes in the need to organise folklore and heritage festivals, exhibitions, bazaars and cultural events for folk arts in archaeological areas, which help promote tourism, and for the state to adopt projects such as a chain of restaurants and cafes in the area surrounding the Pyramids, instead of renting out those areas for weddings and personal occasions, which abuse and harm the monument, because of the difficulty of controlling visitors and their behaviour and the absence of any tourism return from it, stressing the need for the matter to be subject to scientific study and impact assessment.
In statements to Zawia3, the government official warns of the effect of strong lighting on archaeological sites and Pharaonic tombs, but she encourages the correct exploitation of the area surrounding the Pyramids and the area of the Citadel of Salah El-Din Al-Ayyubi to stimulate international tourism and offer an integrated programme to visitors, opening the historic presidential palaces to visits and organising events and investment activities in them under state regulation, and the Ministry of Antiquities not relying solely on the return from tickets for visiting archaeological sites.
While some antiquities and architecture experts believe that tourism investment in archaeological areas should be limited to cultural events and festivals, to preserve Egypt’s image and the value of the antiquities, others show more flexibility towards investment activities and make it conditional on setting strict controls to prevent harm to those antiquities, provided that a specific share of the returns from those investments is allocated to the restoration and maintenance of antiquities. Experts and government officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities agree on the need to encourage tourism development and organise events that promote tourism in Egypt, and to find financial resources that pump returns into the state treasury and provide a budget for restoring neglected antiquities and for the periodic maintenance of archaeological areas, in light of the economic crisis the country is suffering from.
Editorial correction: The first version of the report stated that the increase in the prices of visiting some sites and museums announced in 2023 would begin on 1 December 2025; in fact it began on 1 December 2023, according to the statement of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper on 29 March 2023.
