Six months ago, the Egyptian Minister for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs, Nabila Makram, visited Sydney on a diplomatic tour. While she was there she spoke to a group of Egyptian-Australians about a ‘back to your roots’ style tour of country which her ministry was funding with the support of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Since then, I have been working hard to make this possible for a group of 28 Egyptian-Australians in Sydney who were joined by around 50 Egyptian-Australian youth from Melbourne. Here’s my diary of return, rediscovery and revival. This trip gave me new insights I didn’t think possible and rekindled a love for our ancient yet ever new country of origin. A spiritual ‘mother of the world.’ Day 1: Visiting the New Suez Canal At once both a symbol of her military prowess and the frequent exploitation suffered at the hands of invasive Western powers, this ‘new Suez Canal’ stands for much more than a bridge between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. For our group of 70 young Egyptian-Australians visiting the country, this half-day long Suez Canal tour was a fascinating, if not somewhat…
Giza Governorate to Demolish Illegal Buildings in Nazlet El-Semman Near Giza Pyramids
The Giza governorate denied the rumors of demolishing several inhabited houses in Nazlet El-Semman in Al-Ahram district in Cairo after 24 protesters were arrested in an attempt to stop authorities from destroying the illegal buildings. On 22 January, the governorate said in a statement that the information was incorrect and that “demolishing buildings located in the area of the pyramids is done in coordination with the Ministries of Antiquities and Interior and that the removal of four properties is due to the fact that the buildings violate antiquities laws and do not have the required licenses from the competent authorities.” It is mentioned that owners of the real estates did not take into account the archaeological aspect of the ancient pyramids, where tourists from around the world come to enjoy. Instead, these buildings distorted the image of the archaeological location and historical heritage. The statement highlighted that the eradication does not include any residential buildings near or far from the Pyramids, indicating instead that the buildings were non-residential in nature. The Giza Governorate called on citizens not to circulate rumors that would harm the public interest. On the other hand,…
Vacating Cairo: 50,000 Public Sector Employees to be Transferred to Egypt’s New Capital City by 2020
The Egyptian Government announced on Monday that up to 50,000 public sector employees (of nearly 5.5 million public sector employees around the country) will be reassigned from their offices in and around downtown Cairo to new locations in Egypt’s new administrative capital city. According to a statement released by Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, mechanisms have already been implemented to process the transfer, which is set to be completed by 2020. Beyond simply relocating offices, all public sector employees who will be working in new offices in Egypt’s new administrative capital city are required to undergo training and testing. It is unclear exactly what this training involves, but the Ministry of Planning said that employees will be tested and trained on their computer and technology skills, language and communication, and other necessary skills to ensure greater efficiency and higher quality output. The renewed training and testing will also likely coincide with an increase in digital government services. In 2018, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology announced that an initiative had been launched to make available at least 20 services available digitally. This included taxation, health insurance, vehicle licensing and more…
Six Tombs Dating Back to Old Kingdom Discovered in Hawa Dome in Aswan
Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities has announced that the English Archaeological Mission led by the University of Birmingham discovered six tombs dating back to the era of the Old Kingdom in Hawa Dome in Aswan. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the tombs are different in size, ranging from 190cm by 285 cm to 352 cm by 635 cm. Two of the tomb have a carved entrance, and the third one has a closed entrance covered with rocks. One of the entrances to the burial chamber is carefully enclosed by a brick wall. However, it was looted in ancient times by thieves who broke the back wall. Martin Pumas, project director and director of the Museum of Ancient Cultures at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, said that a fragment of a funerary mask, a small metal amulet showing the god Khnum, and a large quantity of pottery, are still preserved. These things dates back to the late era. Abdul Moneim Said, Director General of the Aswan Antiquities, said that all the finds discovered were transferred to the Aswan Museum storehouse. It is the beginning of the…
Egyptian Lawyer Files Lawsuit Against TV Presenter Over Gay Man Interview
An Egyptian misdemeanor court has sentenced TV presenter Mohamed El-Gheity to one year in prison, one year probation, and EGP 3000 fine in a lawsuit filed by lawyer Samir Sabry that charged him with promoting debauchery and homosexuality over an interview with a homosexual man on his TV talk show in September 2017. The verdict can be appealed and will be suspended if Gheity pays bail of 1,000 pounds pending the outcome of the appeal, as stated by Sabry. Though El Gheity has expressed his stance against homosexuality, Sabry accused El-Gheity of hinting during the interview that there were financial gains and advantages gained from practicing homosexuality. In the interview, the man said he was a sex worker and openly discussed his relationship with another man. Following the incident, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Media Regulation, suspended the channel for two weeks for violating its decision of “banning the appearance of homosexuals or promotion of their slogans”. The ban was decided after a rainbow flag was waved during a concert in Cairo in 2017, which led to the arrest of at least 22 people. This is not the first time lawyer Samir Sabry filed…
Maadi Residents Angered by the Tree Massacre
Several posts have been circulating social media about trees being chopped down in the leafy district in Maadi and the residents have not been happy about it. Maadi is known for its green fields and trees making it one of the nicest neighborhoods to live in in Cairo. The tree massacre has been going around for a few years as the private sector tries to turn these fields to residential and corporate buildings. Activists took to social media to share the tragic abolishment of trees. In 2017, Tree Lovers Association called out for nature lovers to join them in a walk across Maadi’s natural life to raise awareness to its environmental advantages. According to the association “Maadi was declared a protected area under Law 119 for the year 2008. Over the past few months Maadi citizens have risen together in shock and anger as they watched villas being demolished. To date 14 villas are down and 45 are requesting licenses to demolish.” Tree Lovers Association created a petition for the authorities to voice their concerns about the increasing destruction of green fields and old buildings across the neighborhood. Resident Sawsan…
Prime Minister Madbouly Announces Plans for Cairo International Stadium for AFCON 2019
In a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, Prim Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that Cairo International Stadium will be upgraded to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019) competitions during the summer. Egypt’s prime minister visited the stadium for the second time to draw up plans for the enhancement work needed in preparation for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2019), and ordered officials to finish the refurbishment process at the stadium within the next three months Madbouly held a meeting with Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, chairman of the Cairo stadium authority Ali Darwish, head of the Egyptian Football Association Hany Abu Reida and chairman of the Arab Contractors company Mohsen Salah to discuss the plans.. Furthermore, the prime minister emphasized that by hosting the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt is reviving its relations with African countries since Egypt was also granted the chairmanship of the African Union in 2019. Earlier this month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that Egypt has been granted the hosting rights of the 2019 African Cup of Nations after winning the majority of votes….
In Photos: Massive Sandstorm Turns Cairo Orange
A massive sandstorm hit the Egyptian capital last week turned the sky orange, with fierce winds of almost 50 kilometres per hour (around 30 mph). Several ports were reportedly closed as the sandstorm had caused flight delays. Four people were killed and 43 injured in the sandstorm, according to Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer. https://twitter.com/joey_shea/status/1085554119455240192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085554119455240192&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-middle-east-46899258 https://twitter.com/MadaMasr/status/1085569871428157440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1085569871428157440&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-middle-east-46899258 …
Mercedes-Benz Assembly Plant to “Improve Egypt’s Investment Climate”
Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady stated on Friday that the decision taken by Mercedes-Benz to resume manufacturing and assembly of cars in Egypt will have positive effects on the country’s investment climate, credit rating, and will encourage other companies to come to invest in Egypt. “The decision sends a positive message to the world’s business community,” Rady told MENA. “It is not just about the return of a giant company to the Egyptian market, it will help attract more investments into Egypt in the future,” he added. “It shows that Egypt is entering a new era of mobility systems in line with the vision of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for an Egyptian future characterized by modernity and relying on the latest global technologies,” the spokesman concluded. Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, noted that Egypt is “an attractive and competitive location for production and supporting logistics.” “With regard to the new capital in Egypt and the planned new smart cities, Daimler; the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has offered its expertise in modern mobility concepts, electro-mobility and electric cars as well as autonomous driving,” Mercedes-Benz said in the statement. Mercedes-Benz…