A recent celebration in the Egyptian city of Luxor to mark the reopening of its restored Avenue of the Sphinxes will become an annual event, the country's tourism authority has said.
Decades-long excavations and restorations to the 3,400-year-old avenue that connects two of Luxor’s most prominent temples were completed in November, resulting in hundreds of visitors arriving at the Nile-side city to see it.
The 2.7km avenue had sustained significant damage over the years. Houses had been built over parts, burying many of its original relics – including a large number of the sphinxes that famously line the road.
After the success of a grand parade in March to relocate 22 royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to the newly opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the country’s tourism ministry is keen on highlighting the country’s other antiquities, said tourism minister Khaled El Anany.
November’s celebration was fashioned after an ancient Egyptian religious ceremony known as the Opet festival, which will now be marked with a parade each year, said the tourism ministry.
Tourism officials said this week that the date will most likely vary each year.
The next of the ministry’s planned promotional events is set to take place at the end of this month at Sinai’s famed St Catherine Monastery.
This will be followed by events at the rock-cut Abu Simbel temples in Aswan province in February. These will mark a solar alignment at the site that occurs each February and October.
“Next year is going to be a particularly significant year for antiquities in Egypt,” Bassam El Shamaa, a prominent Egyptologist, told The National.
It will mark the centenary of the discovery the tomb of Tutankhamun in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings, and the 200th anniversary of translation of Egyptian hieroglyphs using the Rosetta Stone.
Egypt’s tourism, one of its economy’s most important cornerstones, was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government has been endeavouring to revamp the sector after the pandemic kept tourists away for two years.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEric%20Barbier%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYoussef%20Hajdi%2C%20Nadia%20Benzakour%2C%20Yasser%20Drief%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
