محافظ القاهرة يشهد حتفل الشراكة المصرية الأمريكية فى السياحة والتراث الثقافى

Dr. Ibrahim Saber, Governor of Cairo, witnessed the celebration of the Egyptian-American partnership in the tourism and cultural heritage sector, “Integrated Cultural Tourism Management Project.”“

This came in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Minister of Culture, Yomna El-Bahar, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Hiro Garg, US Ambassador to Cairo, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Sean Jones, Head of the US Agency for International Development, Eng. Ashraf Mansour, Deputy Governor of the Southern Region, and a number of leaders from the Ministry, the Governorate, the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and the US Embassy..

Dr. Ibrahim Saber, Governor of Cairo, praised the cooperation efforts to preserve the heritage of Cairo Governorate through the Egyptian-American participation in the tourism and cultural heritage sector in a number of archaeological and historical sites in Cairo after their development, which included eight sites within the integrated management project for cultural tourism at the level of Cairo Governorate, including Taqi al-Din al-Bastami Tekke and Al-Muayyadi Hospital, looking forward to more cooperation in various fields related to heritage protection in Cairo in the future. .

The Governor of Cairo stressed that the celebration expresses a change in the approach to developing antiquities in cooperation with major international bodies to achieve sustainable development for these sites and benefit from them as historical tourist areas that play an important role in developing cultural, economic, social and artistic activities, pointing out that the effective participation of international bodies as a strategic partner in the field of cultural tourism represents an added value and a new success in this joint cooperation that revives these archaeological facilities and preserves them for future generations..

The Governor of Cairo thanked the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities and Culture for their tangible efforts to preserve the heritage of the capital.
The Governor of Cairo pointed out that he received directives from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, when he was assigned the duties of his new position as Governor of Cairo to work on making an effort to achieve a qualitative leap in the capital with the aim of placing Cairo in its rightful place among the capitals of the world, as we are all proud that Cairo, which is more than 1055 years old, has expanded geographically and demographically since its establishment on July 6, 969 AD until today..

The Governor of Cairo stressed that work in Cairo Governorate is being carried out on two axes, the first of which is preserving heritage through developing historic Cairo in general, including the development of Fatimid Cairo and Khedivial Cairo, and the second is achieving development and completing infrastructure projects..

The Governor of Cairo added that the governorate seeks to transform historical areas into an open museum to attract tourism investment in cooperation with several international bodies and the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities, Culture, Housing, Urban Planning and a number of government agencies. .

Dr. Ibrahim Saber pointed out that Cairo is currently working on comprehensive strategic re-planning, including the removal of slums in many of Cairo’s historic areas, as work is currently underway in the Bab al-Nasr and Bab Zuweila areas with the aim of developing them..

The Governor of Cairo added that the state’s interests come to preserve historic Cairo, which brings together civilizations from different eras, and in accordance with the directives of the political leadership to implement comprehensive sustainable development in “Egypt’s Vision 2030”, and achieve its various goals to improve the quality of life of citizens and improve their standard of living, take into account the rights of future generations, and enhance tourism investment..
At the end of his speech, the Governor of Cairo stressed that there are still many archaeological sites in Cairo ready for development and cooperation, and we confirm that we are all ready and prepared to implement the development map and achieve all the targeted results in the areas of developing cultural tourism in an integrated manner. .

Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hanno, Minister of Culture, expressed his happiness to attend the celebration of the Egyptian-American participation in the tourism and cultural heritage sector, the Integrated Cultural Tourism Management Project, stressing that this important event clearly embodies and expresses an image of cooperation and friendship between the Egyptian and American peoples..

The Minister of Culture said that we are gathered here today at the southern entrance to Historic Cairo, which is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, to celebrate a model to be emulated for the management and re-employment of heritage and archaeological sites, and in the Bimaristan of Sultan Al-Mu’ayyad Sheikh, which was designated as a hospital, as we know, and we almost lost it as an archaeological building due to the factors of time, obsolescence and successive interventions, had it not been for the intervention of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and the Historic Cairo Administration to completely restore it and restore its architectural and functional features..

The Minister of Culture added that the integrated management project for cultural tourism and the cooperation that took place between the Egyptian and American sides and the formation of joint work teams to select a group of spatially close monuments to rehabilitate them to achieve a higher goal, which is to provide cultural and development services to the surrounding areas, and the truth is that this is completely consistent with the application of cultural justice pursued by the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Culture was a pioneer in re-employing many monuments to provide cultural and artistic services, and we have in the Dome of Al-Ghouri, the Agency of Al-Ghouri, the Manasterly Palace, and other examples that can be emulated in this regard..

The Minister of Culture expressed the Ministry of Culture’s full readiness to provide any assistance or advice in this fruitful project, in order to fulfill its mission and serve our beloved country, Egypt..

During the speech she delivered on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ms. Yomna El-Bahar expressed her happiness to be present at the “Al-Muayyad Sheikh” Hospital in historic Cairo, one of the most important and largest living heritage areas registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which is also an open museum full of a unique and diverse collection of antiquities that bear witness to the great Egyptian civilization and which still maintains its homogeneous urban fabric..

She also explained that the integrated management project for cultural tourism IMCT It reflects the importance that the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America attach to preserving the Egyptian cultural heritage, which is a legacy not only for Egyptians but for all of humanity. This resulted in the convergence of the will of the Egyptian and American sides to maintain this historical site and present it in a way that guarantees a unique and original tourist experience for its visitors, encouraging tourism as a basic pillar of sustainable development and economic growth. She pointed out that this project is one of the strong models for enhancing the partnership between the public and private sectors, and works to simplify legislative and regulatory frameworks and develop partnership models in a way that encourages the private sector to invest in cultural tourism sites within a framework of sustainability..

She stressed that developing models of partnerships between the public and private sectors to restore archaeological sites and reuse them in an innovative way and build the capacities of small, medium and micro enterprises in developing and promoting cultural tourism experiences will contribute to developing the Egyptian cultural tourism product and increasing tourism revenues, which will benefit the local communities surrounding the sites included in the project..

At the end of the speech, the Deputy Minister thanked all those in charge of this important project in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the United States Agency for International Development, and local and international companies for the great effort they have made over the past years since the project began in order to ensure its success and the desired results. .

For her part, Ms. Hiro Garg, the US Ambassador to Cairo, began by expressing her great happiness to be present today in this great historical place, noting that the cultural heritage expressed by historic Cairo cannot be denied, and it also proves that Egypt is the mother of the world..

She also stressed the shared responsibility to ensure that future generations enjoy history and civilization, noting that the US government proudly offers full cooperation and support to Egypt in a way that contributes to achieving Egypt’s efforts and endeavors to preserve its cultural heritage and ancient antiquities..

She pointed out that the USAID provides many resources to restore and rehabilitate Egyptian archaeological sites to enhance the cultural heritage and diversity of Egypt, explaining that Egypt was the first country to sign a bilateral cultural agreement with the United States of America in 2016, noting that today the American investments in historic Cairo are celebrated in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, noting that through this cooperation, the investment portfolio in developing archaeological sites in Egypt has been developed to enhance cultural tourism, preserve Egyptian antiquities, reuse them and rehabilitate them, stressing that this partnership and cooperation has achieved great success as 40 tons of dirt were removed from the Selahdar area and the surrounding area was rehabilitated through the restoration efforts that were carried out to be ready to receive tourists and visitors, noting that the majority of workers in this project were women.

She added that historic Cairo is a sector that expresses Egyptian tourism investments and the development work that has been done will contribute to making Egypt a competitive country in cultural tourism. She explained that the restoration of this site, which will become the heart of community, tourism and cultural development, will attract investments and investors, as well as restore Egyptian skills, handicrafts, entrepreneurship and new pioneers who enhance the tourism and cultural experience..

She also expressed her aspiration to see this region regain its splendor once again, and pointed out that Egypt and the United States of America are strategic partners who are keen to invest in both countries, whether in the past, present or future..

She pointed out that the US government has provided $140 million to preserve Egyptian antiquities, which confirms that preserving cultural heritage and archaeological sites is a responsibility we share together..

She concluded her speech by thanking all those who contributed to this project and its success, including partners from the Egyptian government, private sector entities, implementing partners, integrated management, civil society organizations, and members of the local community, and their efforts in establishing a model of sustainable development..

The Director General of the United States Agency for International Development expressed his happiness with the cooperation that has been ongoing with Egypt since 1995, noting that millions of dollars have been pumped into investment in the cultural tourism sector in Egypt, and cooperation in the restoration and development of many archaeological sites in Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and other archaeological sites across the country, stressing
On their continuous efforts through the Integrated Cultural Tourism Management Project IMCT To develop the archaeological sites and experience them, Dr. extended his thanks to the attendees for their keenness to participate today in this celebration, which confirms the partnership that existed in the past and which will be completed in the future..

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, pointed out that the Integrated Management Project for Cultural Tourism (IMCT) It is a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development within the framework of the agreement between the governments of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America regarding sustainable investment in tourism in Egypt (SITE), which is implemented by the Foundation. FHI 360 In cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noting that the project aims to keep pace with current global trends towards activating experimental and authentic tourism for the visitor, with a focus on historic Cairo and Luxor, and also establishes a sustainable approach to cultural tourism management and places Egypt in a strategic position for years to come..

The project was implemented in two phases. The first phase included the sites of Mustafa Sinan’s fountain, Hassan Agha Koklian’s fountain, Ruqayya Dodo’s fountain and book, and Faraj bin Barquq’s corner and fountain..

The second stage included the Manjak al-Salhadar Gate, the Taqi al-Din al-Bistami Tekke, the Prince Sheikh’s Fountain, and the Mu’ayyad Sheikh Hospital. .