Modern Egypt
Egypt encouraging graduates to turn the desert green
Egypt has, for the last two decades, been encouraging university graduates to leave the city and grow food on dry, uncultivated land. It all began, 20 years ago, in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. A national newspaper announced that the government was trying to solve the unemployment problem for young graduates – and there were several options. One... »
Egypt completes desert canal project
Image via Wikipedia An ambitious $100 million canal project to bring water from the Nile river to the Toshka desert 225 km south of Aswan in Egypt to convert arid regions into farmland and boost animal production has been completed. The Sheikh Zayed Canal project, funded by the Abu Dhabi government, is part of a bigger... »
Egyptian woman flag bearer at Youth Olympics
When Jihan El Midany leads the Egyptian delegation into Saturday’s opening ceremony of the inaugural Youth Olympics, it will be a historic moment for her country. The 18-year-old pentathlete will become the first woman from Egypt to serve as a flag bearer at an Olympic event. And if she wins a medal as expected in... »
Chinese ‘gold’ rush in Egypt
In Egypt, “Chinese gold”– an affordable imitation of the precious metal– has swamped the jewelry market, granting the poor a little taste of luxury. The current price of one gram of 24 carat gold in Egypt stands at 218 Egyptian pounds (38 dollars), while the Chinese version — a mixture of aluminium, iron and other... »
Heliopolis City of the Sun Under Destruction
Image via Wikipedia When Heliopolis was planned in 1905, the suburb was zoned with designated areas for villas, others for apartment buildings and others for entertainment and commercial use. Restrictive zoning and adherence to certain architectural styles is what gave Heliopolis its special character that is worth celebrating 100 years later. Heliopolis was laid out for... »
Whale of a dilemma at Egypt’s Customs
One of the most exceptional fossil finds at Wadi Hitan is the only complete specimen from the species Basilosaurus Isis, a 37 million-year-old whale unearthed by a team led by Prof Philip Gingerich of the University of Michigan in the United States. For the past two years Prof Gingerich and his team have been painstakingly... »
Egypt’s school teachers form second independent union
The new syndicate’s founders claim to have attracted 5000 of Egypt’s roughly one million teachers. The by-laws of the new syndicate demand a minimum wage of LE1200, the improvement of working conditions in public schools and the amendment of Egypt’s education law. The establishment of the new union represents the latest episode of a teachers’... »
Egypt’s new Antiquities Law seems to be working
Under the new Antiquities Law 3/2010, passed in mid-February, the SCA set up the Archaeological Collection Administration (ACA) as part of its professional echelon. The new body aims at inspecting the authenticity of all unregistered antiquities that are in the possession of members of the Egyptian public, and ensuring that they are properly documented. The... »
Firms bid to build Grand Egyptian Museum
Forty companies are vying to build the final phase of Egypt’s new $550 million museum which will showcase the largest collection of pharaonic treasures in the world. These firms submitted pre-bid documents for the main construction phase of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will span 117 acres overlooking the great pyramids of Giza and will... »
Tax revenues jump 6 pct as Egypt economy grows
Egypt’s tax revenue rose 6 percent in the fiscal year to June 30 after an unexpected surge in economic activity. Egypt’s economy, which withstood the worst of the global economic crisis that began in mid-2008, was buoyed last year by resurgent tourism and Suez Canal receipts, along with resilient construction and gas exports. Tax revenue in... »
