US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen visited Historic Cairo on Tuesday, to see the restoration of heritage buildings, religious sites, and community businesses by the United States.
Ambassador Cohen’s engagement builds on Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s commitment to revitalize Historic Cairo and reaffirms the strong US-Egypt partnership in cultural heritage preservation.
The US Government, through USAID, is investing $13m to revitalize cultural tourism in Historic Cairo and Luxor. The project bolsters Egypt’s capacity in cultural tourism management, helping Egyptians in the tourism sector partner with investors to open historic sites for tourists and ensuring that key sites are ready for visitors. Additionally, the project seeks to boost private investment in some of Egypt’s most invaluable cultural sites. This support creates jobs, enables tourism, and increases private investments.
During his tour, accompanied by USAID Deputy Mission Director Margaret Sancho and Deputy Director of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Abu Bakr Ahmed Abdullah, Ambassador Cohen said: “Historic Cairo is one of Egypt’s cultural treasures; its rich history of artisanship, trade, and religious worship are still a part of its landscape, and a draw for tourists wanting to experience and understand Egypt. We look forward to seeing the tourism industry continue to rebound in Historic Cairo and across the country.”
Since 1978, the American people have invested over $30bn to support Egypt’s economic development, including $100m to preserve dozens of cultural heritage sites throughout Egypt
