The Supreme Council of Antiquities has opened a new tourist path in the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar in Historic Cairo, in cooperation with the Aga Khan Cultural Foundation.
It comes within the framework of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ plan to improve the tourist experience at archaeological sites and museums.
In this context, Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, made an inspection tour of the path and the antiquities located on it on Sunday, which have been restored and maintained.
Waziri explained that this path was equipped to provide access to and preserve Islamic cultural heritage in Cairo by strengthening the role of tourism as a major catalyst for local social and economic development.
He added that the path allows its visitors to enjoy visiting about 12 archaeological buildings located at a length of 2 km, with a unified ticket worth EGP 20 for the Egyptian visitor, EGP 10 for the Egyptian student, EGP120 for the foreign visitor, and EGP 60 for the foreign student, after the approval of the Board of Directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, provided that the visit begins From Al-Azhar Park where the visitor center is located, passing by the dome of Prince Tarabay Al-Sharifi, the architectural group of Prince Khair Bey, the Blue Mosque, Umm Al-Sultan Shaaban School, Qasaba Radwan, Al-Razzaz House, the eastern Ayyubid wall inside Al-Azhar Park, the Qajmas Al-Ishaqi Mosque, Al-Saleh Tala’a Mosque, and Faraj Ibn Zawiya plum.
Waziri said that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is working with the Aga Khan Foundation to provide a number of tourist paths within the scope of Historic Cairo, similar to Al-Moez Street and Khan Al-Khalili, in a way that works to restore the Historic Cairo region to its former era in proportion to its historical and archaeological importance and uniqueness on the world level.
Waziri explained that work has been done to raise the efficiency of the services provided to the visitors of the track, as it was provided with a number of seats and umbrellas, in addition to placing a number of identification and indicative panels of the area’s antiquities equipped with a QR code so that the visitor can access it to find out more historical and archaeological information related to the archaeological building.
A number of clean-energy electric cars have been equipped to transport visitors, including tourists, Egyptians, and others for people of determination, in addition to preparing a visitor center inside Al-Azhar Park equipped with an exhibition hall and lectures for a review, through an introductory video translated in several languages about the path, the history of the region and its archaeological buildings, so that Visitors get to know the area and its effects initially before starting the visit. Printed brochures about the trail and the archaeological buildings it includes are also distributed, in addition to a map of the trail.
Sherif Erian, Chairperson of Aga Khan Cultural Foundation, said that the Foundation is scheduled to participate in the ITB Berlin to promote this new path, pointing out that it is intended that the path receives more than 5,000 visitors during 2023.
