Tourism: Tourist Regulations in the VOK

drhawass.com

Many people who come to Egypt like to take pictures everywhere, to remember their visit. However, many people come into the Cairo Museum and take pictures with flash, even though there are signs everywhere saying no flash photography, which is to protect the objects.

I had made it a rule that people could take pictures in the Cairo Museum as long as they did not use flash, but when I went into the Museum, I saw that there were camera flashes everywhere. I had to change the rule so no one can use a camera inside the Museum.

This also became a problem in the Valley of the Kings. I learned that the tombs in the Valley of the Kings will be completely destroyed if people continue to use flash inside the tombs. Even though we had allowed people to take pictures in the Valley, people continued to bribe the guards and take cameras into the tombs and use flash. So I made a decree that people could not bring cameras into the tombs. If 20 tourists would disobey this rule and use flash in the tombs, they could be damaged. When I made this rule, many tour guides were upset, but it is their job to help preserve the monuments of Egypt. Tourists are still able to take pictures in the temples, such as Karnak and Luxor Temple, but now people cannot bring their cameras into the Valley of the Kings, because then some will take pictures in the tombs.