French President and Wife's Visit to the Pyramids and Abu Simbel Is a Strong Promotional Campaign for Cultural Tourism

Brigitte Macron was impressed by the architectural details of the Mohamed Ali Mosque and took souvenir photos with the Sphinx and visitors

By Akram Medhat

A strong message and an indirect, effective promotional campaign were launched by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife during their visit to Egypt and their keenness to tour archaeological sites in Cairo and Aswan, inviting French tourists to visit Egypt's unique and diverse antiquities across the ages, which revives cultural tourism and restores its prosperity.

On the sidelines of his official visit to Egypt and his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the French President and his wife's tour included a visit to Abu Simbel Temple in Aswan, where photos showed the president's fascination with ancient Egyptian civilization.

The Pyramids archaeological area also received the French President's wife, Brigitte Macron, who was accompanied by archaeologist Ashraf Mohie, Director General of the Pyramids area, on a visit that lasted about two hours. It began with a tour around the Great Pyramid, the Solar Boat Museum and the Sphinx, and ended at the Giza Pyramids panorama. During the visit, she listened to a detailed explanation of the history of the archaeological area, the project to lower its groundwater level, the Sphinx restoration project and the Pyramids area development project, and she made sure to take souvenir photos in front of the Sphinx and at the panorama.

For her part, archaeologist and tour guide Fatma Abdullah, who accompanied the visit, said the French President's wife was impressed by the greatness of ancient Egyptian civilization and the ability and genius of the Egyptians in building the great pyramids and the solar boat with its advanced technology, adding that she also made a point of standing in front of the Sphinx for a while to contemplate the genius of its making.

She also took photos with some Egyptian visitors and foreign tourists of various nationalities who were at the site during the visit and asked her to do so.

On the same day, the French President's wife, Brigitte Macron, made a point of visiting the Mohamed Ali Mosque at the Citadel, accompanied by the French Minister of Culture and the French Ambassador in Cairo. They were received by Dr. Gamal Mostafa, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector. The tour lasted about an hour, during which she visited the mosque and mausoleum of Mohamed Ali Pasha and King Farouk's tea kiosk, where she listened to religious chants and praises of the Prophet, and toured the panorama area, where she enjoyed viewing Cairo and its Islamic monuments from atop the Citadel and took souvenir photos.

For her part, Egyptologist tour guide Fatma Abdullah, who accompanied the visit, said the French President's wife was impressed by the details of the architectural elements of the mosque and the mausoleum used to decorate its interior.