Anani: Egypt Never Forgets its History

Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Minister Dr. Khaled Al-Anani said that the inauguration of the Baron Empain Palace development project is a significant cultural and tourism event.

This came during the opening of a number of national projects on Monday in the presence of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

He also affirmed that Egypt never forgets its history and works to develop the Heliopolis area, as well as providing an important archaeological tourism infrastructure.

"Egypt is keen on civilization and history," the minister said.

Moreover, Anani added that the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) project has achieved a quantum leap in the West Cairo region, explaining that before mid-2016, the implementation rate was 17%, yet after the Armed forces Engineering Authority took over the responsibility of the project, the implementation rate has reached 90%.

The Minister stressed that the GEM is the largest cultural opening in the whole world, noting that the surrounding area has been developed to achieve traffic liquidity and notable tourism movement in a professional manner.

"The GEM covers an area of 490 thousand square meters," he added. " A large number of antiquities have been transferred to the museum, including 90% of Tutankhamun pieces."

In addition, Anani reviewed the key archaeological openings across all governorates during the last years, including, Al-Azhar Mosque, the Hanging Church, Al-Fateh Mosque, and the Jewish temple in Alexandria, in addition to the development of Al-Tahrir Square and the forthcoming opening of Sharm al sheik Museum.

"The first restaurant in the pyramids plateau is set to be opened soon," the minister revealed, noting that it is being implemented in cooperation with an Egyptian company.

He also added that the Baron Empain Palace has not been developed since its establishment, indicating that the Armed Forces Engineering Authority in cooperation with national companies, has worked on this project according to a unique scientific method.

"This museum was suffering from long-time neglect, and now it has become an architectural masterpiece and has been fully developed and prepared to receive tourists," the minister noted.