DESTINATIONS — NORTH AFRICA & THE RED SEA
DESTINATIONS ALSO IN
THE US PAGE 63
A combination of Egypt’s renewed stability and fewer crowds make this the perfect time to see the Pyramids, says Joanna Booth
COME BACK TO CAIRO
“E
verything was turned upside down,” says Hussain, gesticulating with excitement.
If you’re thinking that our guide from Your Egypt Tours is talking about the revolution of 2011, you’d be wrong. He’s talking about a tooth. A 3,500-year-old broken tooth, found in a box in a burial chamber, which helped solve one of Egyptology’s great mysteries. A CT scan revealed the tooth would fit exactly
into the mouth of a previously unidentified mummy, now known to be the only female pharaoh from the Golden Age, Hatshepsut. Which not only means visitors can now come face to face with her in the mummy room at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, but also that experts have changed their views on this indomitable queen’s relationship with her stepson and the manner of her death. Even though Egypt’s pharaonic history could
hardly be more ancient, new discoveries and developments are happening all the time, and new sites are being excavated and opened to the public. Which makes this an exciting time to visit Egypt – for all the right reasons.
l SAFETY AND SECURITY Pharaoh’s teeth aside, some clients may question whether the times in Egypt are a little too exciting for them to choose Cairo as a holiday destination. It’s understandable. Political instability
followed the 2011 revolution, and the news carried footage of mass protests in Cairo. But this year, things have been quieter under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Egyptians have lost some of the freedom they fought so hard for, but the country is undeniably more stable, and tourists are starting to return. UK arrivals were up year on year by 15.8% in July, 76.7% in August and 193% in September. Visitor
27 November 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 51
NORTH AFRICA & THE RED SEA
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
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