Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has announced that visitors to the Egyptian Museum will finally be able to take photographs inside the Museum.

In statements, Dr Khaled Al-Anany, the general supervisor of the Egyptian Museum, said that Egyptians and foreigners would be allowed to take photographs inside the Museum free-of-charge. This would include the permission to photograph a number of ancient Egyptian historical items that have never before left the Egyptian Museum.

According to Dr Al-Anany, the decision comes after Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Damati said it would encourage and stimulate tourism to the Egyptian Museum which is a key location for tourists visiting Cairo.

In addition, the Museum will be displaying at least three new artifacts that had previously been in storage or that were recently returned from overseas after being illegally smuggled.

My queen @yosuheirhammad pic.twitter.com/PRw6Ux4iwz

— Mahmoud Khattab (@Mamoudinijad) December 3, 2015

However, the photography will only be allowed until 7 January 2016. It is not clear whether after this date visitors will have to pay to take photographs or whether photography will return to being completely banned.

A guide talks to students next to Egyptian antique in the Egyptian museum today. Until the 7th of January, visitors can use their cameras inside the museum as part of tourism campaign. #Cairo #Egypt #Everydaymiddleeast #Everydayeverywhere #everydayegypt #everydayafrica #museum A video posted by Mahmoud Khattab محمودالدين (@mamoudinijad) on Dec 3, 2015 at 12:10pm PST

Previously, visitors were not allowed the enter the Museum with cameras and had been restricted from using their phone cameras inside the Museum.

Egypt’s tourism industry, which has been struggling since the January 25 revolution in 2011, employs four million Egyptians and accounts for 11.3 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

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