Extending visiting hours into the evening under study
The "Treasures of the Pharaohs" exhibition, currently being held at the Scuderie del Quirinale in the Italian capital, Rome, has drawn a large public turnout since Italian President Sergio Mattarella officially opened it on Thursday, October 23 this month, accompanied by Sherif Fathy, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities; Alessandro Giuli, Italy's Minister of Culture; and Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, with thousands of visitors lining up in long queues from the early hours of the morning to enjoy the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled said 50,000 tickets have been sold so far, an increase of 10,000 tickets over the number sold up to the first day of the opening, noting that in light of this large turnout, the exhibition's organizers expect the number of daily visitors to reach between 6,000 and 7,000, which has prompted them to study the possibility of extending opening hours into the evening, to give as many visitors as possible the opportunity to see the unique artifacts on display.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities added that the strong turnout reflects the Italian public's interest in Egyptian civilization and is a clear indicator of the great success the exhibition has achieved since the first day it opened to the public, helping to boost the promotion of the Egyptian tourist destination in the Italian market, one of the most important source markets for tourism to Egypt.
It is worth noting that the "Treasures of the Pharaohs" exhibition features 130 artifacts selected from the collections of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and the Luxor Museum of Art, telling the story of ancient Egyptian civilization through various themes, including kingship, the royal court, religious beliefs, daily life, funerary rituals and the afterlife.
