CAIRO - 15 January 2021:Dr. Khaled El -Enany, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Major General Ashraf Attia, Governor of Aswan, inaugurated on Friday the Isis Temple after the completing its restoration project, developing and raising the efficiency of its tourism services.
Dr. Mostafa Waziry, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Dr. Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Mr. Abdel Moneim Said, Director General of Aswan Antiquities and representitives of the Egyptian Hotel Association attended the inauguration.
The Minister and the Governor listened to a detailed explanation from Mrs. Iman Zidan, Assistant Minister for the Development of Museums and Archaeological Sites, on what has been done to develop tourism services at the temple.
She said that explanatory and guiding panels and a map of the governorate's tourist destinations were placed and panels of precautionary measures against Corona Virus.
In addition to providing a leaflet on the temple in Arabic and English.
A QR code has also been created to transfer the visitor to the page of the Isis Temple on the Ministry's website, for more information and photos
Dr. Mostafa Waziry explained that the temple's restoration work included restoring the floors and columns, cleaning the walls from the remains of birds and bats, and placing wire windows to prevent the birds from entering again.
In addition to restoring and cleaning the inscriptions at the entrance to the sanctum, removing the soot on its ceiling.
In addition to cleaning the existing drawings and colors at the entrance of the temple and the side door, and maintenance of the offering tables in the hypostyle hall.
During the inauguration, Dr. Khaled El-Enany thanked the archaeologists and restorers for their great effort in restoring the Temple of Isis, developing and raising its tourism services.
He also thanked all Egyptian archaeologists and restorers for their dedication, and their ongoing efforts despite the difficult circumstances of the Corona Virus crisis which resulted in many big archaeological discoveries, in addition to the opening of a large number of important and major archaeological tourism projects, including the establishment and development of museums and the restoration of archaeological sites in various governorates.
This opening comes in line with the visit of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities to the city of Aswan to launch the initiative "Enjoy Winter in Egypt" on its first day on Friday, from Aswan, the southernmost city in Upper Egypt, which also coincides with the celebration of the National Day of Aswan, and the 50th anniversary of the construction of the High Dam.
After that, Dr. Khaled El-Enany visited the Nubian Museum, where he met some tourists from Brazil and USA, who said they were happy to be in Egypt, especially Aswan, enjoying its warm weather, see its monuments and learn about the ancient Egyptian civilization.
They added that Egypt for them, it is a safe country to visit thanks to the precautionary measures and hygiene safety regulations applied at airports, hotels, restaurants, museums and archaeological sites.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities also met with the owners of traditional crafts stores in Aswan, who were keen to talk to him and showcase their brightly colored heritage handicrafts that Aswan is famous for.
Yesterday, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, the Minister of Endowments, and the Governor of Aswan visited the ongoing development projects in the tourist market area, Al Mahatta Square and the Dora El Nil Plaza.
Dr. Khaled El-Enany made sure that his first tour of the city begins with a visit to the old market, to meet with owners of bazaars, and hear about their problems and the challenges they face.
What you need to know about Isis temple:
The temple was discovered in 1871 AD and is about 19 meters long.
King Ptolemy III built it to worship the goddess Isis and the triad of Aswan, and its construction was not completed.
It was built of sandstone and has two doors.
The main door is crowned with an ornament topped by the winged sun disk.
From it we enter into a hall with three open rooms, and in the eastern wall of the middle room “The Sanctum” is engraved with some scenes of offering sacrifices.
Development of services in museums and archaeological sites in Aswan.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Department of Archaeological Sites and Museums Development, in cooperation with the Financial Resources Development Unit, is carrying out development work for services in museums and archaeological sites in Aswan, as part of the "Upgrading 2020/2021" initiative.
The development work, which began in September 2020, is carried out in coordination with the relevant sectors and in cooperation with the Aswan Governorate and the Office of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board in order to promote the archaeological and tourist destinations in Aswan in an integrated manner, and means of cooperation with universities and specialized colleges are being discussed for participation.
The work to develop services in each of the archaeological areas includes:
Philae Temple - Kom Ombo Temple - Unfinished Obelisk - Temple of Isis - Kalabsha Temple - Rock inscriptions on Suhail Island - Mount Silsilah - Abu Simbel Temple.
And in the following museums:
The Nubia Museum - The Crocodile Museum in Karam Ombo - Aswan Museum.
These works consist in various services provided to visitors, such as:
Indicative and explanatory panels - developing visitor centers - toilets - umbrellas - benches - rubbish bins designed for recycling - brochures and pamphlets in Arabic and English - making ot accessible for people with special needs in the rehabilitation of movement paths, booklets in Braille, film translation in visitor centers in sign language, and other services that improve the visitors' experience.
In cooperation with sponsors from the private sector.
It is worth noting that the initiative "Irtiqa 2020/2021" aims to develop and raise the efficiency of visitor services in 20 archaeological sites and museums in various tourist governorates to provide the best experience for visiting and the services provided.
This comes through the participation of the private sector of companies and national banks as sponsors, in their belief in their social responsibility and their desire for supporting development projects through the commercial sponsorship regulation approved by the Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities to encourage cooperation with the private sector.
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