Egypt to Reopen Historical Sites to Tourism Amid Rebuilding Industry

Egypt's tourism industry, heavily impacted by the anti-government protests that led to President Hosni Mubarak's ouster, is on the path to revival. The government announced plans to reopen historical sites, including the pyramids of Giza, on Sunday, as part of an effort to restore the country's rich cultural heritage. Meanwhile, archaeologists are rejoicing over the recovery of a rare statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten, father of King Tut, which was recovered by a 16-year-old anti-government protester. The statue, considered one of the few surviving depictions of Akhenaten, was returned to the Egyptian Museum after being found next to a garbage can.

Key Takeaways:

The Egyptian government aims to revive the country's tourism industry, which was severely impacted by the anti-government protests that led to President Mubarak's ouster.
Archaeologists have recovered a rare statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten, considered one of the few surviving depictions of the pharaoh, from a 16-year-old anti-government protester.
The statue was returned to the Egyptian Museum after being found next to a garbage can and will undergo restoration before being displayed.
Damage to Egypt's heritage was more extensive than initially thought, with reports of new break-ins at archaeological sites and the theft of a false door from the tomb of Hetep-Ka.
Many archaeological storehouses were targeted in break-ins, including ones in Saqqara, with officials struggling to determine what was missing.
The Ministry of Antiquities reported 18 missing artifacts, with three found on the museum grounds, possibly abandoned by looters.
Zahi Hawass, Minister for Antiquities, announced that all historical sites, including Pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic, and modern sites, will reopen to the public on Sunday.
The pyramids of Giza are already open, but most tourists fled Egypt earlier this month due to labor unrest and uncertainty over a military-supervised political transition.

Statistics:

18 artifacts were reported missing by the Ministry of Antiquities, with three found on the museum grounds.
The tomb of Hetep-Ka was broken into, with a false door stolen along with objects stored in the tomb.
A portion of a false door was looted from the tomb of Re-Hotep in Abusir.
16-year-old anti-government protester found the Pharaoh Akhenaten statue next to a garbage can.
The statue, 30 centimeters tall, will undergo restoration before being returned to its display case.

Sources:

Associated Press, "Egypt to reopen historic sites to tourists," no date
Albawaba.com, "Egypt to reopen historic sites to tourists," no date
Syndigate.info, "Egypt to reopen historic sites to tourists," no date