Luxor's Avenue of Sphinxes finally opened as a tourist attraction on Thursday in a ceremony filled with pomp, glitz and star appearances.
The two-hour affair featured an appearance by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, before a documentary about the site was shown and thousands of dancers, musicians and actors paraded down the 2.7 kilometre, 3,000-year-old avenue from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.
The televised event had few live spectators, who gathered with Mr El Sisi at the courtyard of the Luxor Temple to watch live performances, something people would have done in Ancient Egypt, Dr Khaled El Enany, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, told the crowd.
The ceremony to inaugurate the area was part of a series of high-profile investments in Egypt’s historical sites, designed to attract tourists and revive a sector struggling to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic.
HOW TO WATCH
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Years of painstaking restoration work led to Thursday’s celebration. Many believed the project, considered a white elephant for more than 70 years since the first stone sphinx was found on site in 1949, would never come to fruition.
Throughout the evening, which was designed to replicate ancient celebrations of the autumn festival Opet, there were messages of thanks to Mr El Sisi and the government for the investment in the site and in Egypt’s tourism and heritage.
The Parade of Mummies through Cairo in April drew millions of viewers around the world, but the smaller ceremony in Luxor looked unlikely to have the same effect.
The ancient walkway, variously known as the Avenue of Sphinxes, the Way of the Rams and the Path of the Gods, is in what was the city of Thebes, Egypt’s capital in antiquity.
It is believed to have been the path that pilgrims trod to visit the temples and pay tribute to their deities.
Some streets in the city were completely cleared for the event, particularly around both temples. Perimeters were set up along the length of the avenue on both sides, with hundreds of security officials throughout the city.
Egyptian officials had been told not to reveal any details about the spectacle to keep it a surprise to viewers, and the avenue was hidden from view by grey street hoardings before the show began.
Mr El Sisi featured prominently in the celebration, arriving with his wife Entissar Amer in a black car driven slowly up the avenue.
After being greeted by a group of blue-clad schoolchildren, he toured the Luxor temple site guided by Dr El Enany.
Later, thousands of actors, dancers and drummers walked in time to musical performances against the inviting backdrop of both temples.
Three golden, pharaonic-style model boats dedicated to the ancient sun god Amun Ra, moon god Khonsu and mother goddess Mut, were carried by men in sheer gold and black robes, replicas of what would have been worn for the same festival in ancient Egypt.
A song and dance
Ancient artefacts were presented with a modern flourish as Egyptian singers Mohamed Hamaki and Lara Scandar took to the stage, singing a composition in English, Arabic and French that was written especially for the occasion.
Dancers dressed in ombre turquoise and white robes danced inside the restored Luxor Temple, while a screen showed yet more festive events in markets and with hot air balloons.
Respect for the ancient also permeated the festivities. A chant dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s only two female pharaohs, traditionally performed during the ancient Opet Festival, accompanied a more solemn section of the festivities.
The oldest ruins on the pathways are six structures built by the queen about 1400 BC.
Another song was made up of lyrics inspired by hymns written on the walls of the two Nile-side city temples.
The eyes of the world were on the city of Luxor, but Egyptologist Bassam El Shammae said the best is yet to come.
"2021 was a huge year for Egypt's archaeology and for it to culminate with this celebration is nothing short of spectacular," he told The National.
"But next year is going to be even better. I anticipate 2022 will be the year of Egypt.
"Not only will it mark the much-anticipated opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, it will also mark 100 years since Howard Carter unearthed the remains of King Tut and 200 years since Champollion in 1822 deciphered the mysteries of ancient Egyptian languages using the famed Rosetta stone."
After suffering amid the coronavirus pandemic, there are high hopes in Egypt that reopening the archaeological site in Luxor, the country’s second most-visited site after the Pyramids of Giza, will give the tourism industry a much-needed shot in the arm.
“Tonight is an artistic celebration of the ancient Opet festival," Dr El Enany told the inauguration ceremony.
"One of the most important festivals in Ancient Egypt, it happened on the second month of the flood every year.
"Its name is also the name of the second month in the Coptic calendar. We are all part of one fabric throughout thousands of years.”
Company%20profile
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
New Zealand squad
Tim Southee (capt), Trent Boult (games 4 and 5), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Scoreline:
Cardiff City 0
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum 57', Milner 81' (pen)
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Eriksen 80')
Inter Milan 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Book%20Details
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
'Midnights'
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Company%20profile
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Company%20profile
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HOW TO WATCH
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