Egypt is re-opening its beaches to tourists again after a series of shark attacks that left one dead and four injured.
The shores of Sharm el Sheikh have been out of bounds since a German tourist was killed. Earlier, three Russians and a Ukrainian suffered severe injuries.
South Sinai Governor, Mohamed Abdel Fadil Shousha, said: “We have allowed the beaches to reopen on condition that hotel owners adhere to new controls to ensure the safety of foreign tourists while diving or swimming.”
Hotel owners will be required to ‘patrol the sea’ and also establish watchtowers along the shoreline, so that professional divers can monitor against attacks. Tourists must remain within designated swimming areas and refrain from feeding sharks.
An investigation is continuing into the sharks’ behaviour, with some experts suggesting that overfishing may have driven the sharks closer to shore.
Others have speculated that the sharks were attracted to the coast after a ship carrying Australian sheep and cattle for sacrifice during the Muslim festival of Eid last month, dumped the carcasses of animals which had died on the voyage.
by Andy Moreton
Now the coast is clear … Luxique’s featured luxury hotel in Sharm el Sheikh is the Four Seasons Resort.
Three shark experts from the US are flying to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, where a tourist has been killed and four others badly injured in shark attacks during the past week.
Snorkelling and most water sports have been suspended at the Red Sea resort following the death of the 70-year-old German woman, but the authorities are now allowing experienced divers into the water.
The beaches had been closed after the first attacks, but were re-opened after two sharks – an Oceanic Whitetip and a Mako – had been caught and killed. The fatal attack last Saturday has sent a new shudder through the resort.
Shark experts and local observers have offered a number of possible explanations for the attacks. Some say overfishing in the Red Sea may have driven sharks closer to shore.
As well as the trio of experts, a Swedish vessel is patrolling the waters to track shark movements. The cost is being met by the Egyptian tourist authorities.
Sharm el Sheikh is one of the most popular winter sun destinations for British people and other Europeans wanting to escape cold, grey climates. The easily accessible reefs off the coast offer some of the worlds best snorkelling and diving.
by Andy Moreton
When the coast is clear … Luxique’s featured luxury hotel in Sharm el Sheikh is the Four Seasons Resort.
The ancient wall painting fragments that caused a feud between Egypt and the Louvre Museum in Paris (see my article Luxor Relics Repatriated ) have been returned to Cairo.
The five frescoed pieces – believed to be from a 3,200-year-old tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor – arrived by air last week.
French officials had maintained that the Louvre had acquired the fragments, known as steles, in good faith. But Egypt’s antiquities department said the Louvre bought the fragments in 2000 and 2003 despite knowing they’d been stolen in the 1980s. It broke off ties with the museum in October, saying they would be restored only when the fragments had been returned.
Egypt is stepping up demands for the restitution of many relics, including the Rosetta Stone, on display in the British Museum, and the bust of Queen Nefertiti in the Neues Museum in Berlin.
“Everything which was stolen from us should be given back,” said Zawi Hawass, the head of the antiquities department.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re travelling to Luxor to see the wonders of the Valley of the Kings, take a look at Luxique’s two selected luxury hotels: the Old Winter Palace and the Hotel La Moudira.
France has said it will return to Egypt five relics stolen from a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and sold to the Louvre museum in Paris.
A special commission of the French museums agency decided unanimously to give back the five painted wall fragments from the 3,200-year-old tomb. They were taken in the 1980s and ended up at the Louvre in 2000 and 2003.
Egypt’s antiquities authority had accused Louvre officials of knowing the pieces had been illegally imported when they bought them. The museum insists they were acquired in good faith.
Relations had become so strained that the Egyptians announced that they would suspend co-operation with the Louvre, which would have stopped work on an archaeological dig on the necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital, Cairo.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re travelling to Luxor to see the wonders of the Valley of the Kings, check out Luxique’s two selected luxury hotels: the Old Winter Palace and the Hotel La Moudira.
There’s been a warning that the ornate tombs built for the pharaohs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens could vanish within 150 to 500 years, partly because of tourism.
Apparently, the breath of thousands of tourists every day, coupled with poor ventilation, is damaging the carvings and painted decorations inside the chambers.
Egypt’s authorities have taken action to protect the tombs by implementing new ventilation systems and setting a cap on visitor numbers.
For the long term, it’s been decided that some original tombs will eventually be closed to tourists and replaced with replicas. These could include the most visited - those of the boy king, Tutenkhamun, and Queen Nefertiti.
“A team of experts is currently using laser technology to examine these tombs in order to build the replicas, which would then open to visitors in a place near the Valley of the Kings,” said Zahi Hawass, the Head of Antiquities.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique has carefully selected seven of the best luxury hotels in Egypt for your trip of a lifetime, including the sumptuous Al Moudira in Luxor - only two-and-a-half miles from the Valley of the Kings.
