By Mohamed Khairat, founder, EgyptianStreets.com Once one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, Egypt’s Pyramids have been void of tourists since the 2011 revolution. For thousands of Egyptians whose incomes rely on tourism at the Pyramids, the lack of tourism has hit hard. Near the Pyramids, once vibrant shopping streets now feel cold: tour operators have shut down, souvenir shops are soulless, and cafes once popular with tourists are empty. At the Giza Necropolis – housing the Great Pyramids of Giza – hundreds of vendors and horse and camel operators are desperately searching for hope that tourists would return. In 2010, 14 million tourists from across the globe visited Egypt. Today, that number has declined by more than 50 percent – with the majority of tourists visiting locales along Egypt’s Red Sea. Nevertheless, local Egyptians working in the tourism industry at the Pyramids remain hopeful that tourism – their lifeline – will return. Below is a set of photographs – including short interviews – with some local Egyptians. The moment anyone enters the complex of the Pyramids, they are greeted by dozens of local Egyptians looking to make some…
Stories Under the Pyramids: Lives Threatened by Egypt’s Revolution
December 21, 2013
