Egypt Reopens 3,400-Year-Old ‘Avenue of the Sphinxes’

The spread of a new coronavirus variant casts a shadow over Egypt’s attempts to revive its tourism industry in Luxor. Photo taken Nov. 24, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)

Local officials say the number of tourists doubled at Luxor Temple on the day after the Avenue of the Sphinxes reopened on Nov. 26, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)

A tourist boat passes Philae Temple in Aswan, a city ravaged last month by a storm that damaged and destroyed homes and unleashed swarms of dangerous scorpions. Photo taken June 27, 2021 in Aswan, Egypt (Hamada Elrasam/ VOA)

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi poses with a group of children on Nov. 25, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/ VOA)

Celebratory fireworks fill the sky over Luxor Temple on Nov. 25, 2021 in Luxor, Egypt. (Hamada Elrasam/ VOA)

After inaugurating the Avenue of Sphinxes, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi tours Luxor Temple, stopping at a hieroglyphic mural depicting the significance of the Nile River on Nov. 25, 2021 in Luxor, Egypt. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)

Rapid coronavirus tests are administered at the entrance to Luxor Temple, the site of a re-opening ceremony in Luxor, Egypt on Nov. 25, 2021. (Hamada Elrasam/ VOA)

Months before the pandemic struck, workers removed sand and debris from the ancient Avenue of Sphinxes in Luxor, Egypt on Sept. 8, 2019. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)

Against the backdrop of ancient Luxor, restored sphinxes await tourists on Nov. 24, 2021 in Luxor, Egypt. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)

Egypt’s tourism sector generates millions of jobs and billions of dollars yearly, but in 2020 its revenue dropped by 70 percent. Photo taken Nov. 25, 2021 in Luxor, Egypt. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)