Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (and big, big thanks) | Jane Akshar

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (and big, big thanks) | Jane Akshar

Happy Christmas from Jane, Mahmoud and all at Flats in Luxor.
This year has been hugely challenging for us, at times I didn’t think we would make it through the year. Our tourism business has reduced to almost zero. We have reduced costs where we could but have managed to keep 3 members of staff; Little Mohamed, Hajaj and Mohamed at Goubli. All our other people we had to let go. By moving in members of the family we cover Goubli and the Village at night and Mahmoud’s father looks after Gezera. However other costs we have had to pay like water, electricity, internet and phone, hugely challenging at times. The article in Take a Break paid a big electricity bill, thank God. Book sales totalled nearly £800 for the year, that was a huge help so please continue to share about my books.
But the biggest help has been generous friends who sent us money, we literally could not have lived without this. My insulin costs are enormous by Egyptian standards and no way would we have been able to cover them with these generous gifts. We thank you all so much.
On a personal front my beautiful daughter has married her Syrian cousin and moved to Damascus. A serious worrying situation but she is as happy as a sand boy and enjoying her new family.
We hope and pray that 2014 is a better year for us and all in Egypt, please do encourage your friends to visit the country. Everyone who has come has had a wonderful time, no problems or worries and of course, please encourage them to stay with us.

My daughter Amira in Damascus

I have been told off for not sharing the startling news of my daughter's marriage and move to Damascus, Syria. Early readers of this blog will remember we both used to write a blog, mine was Luxor News and hers was about life in Egypt for her. She lived in Egypt aged 11-16 and then back in the UK 16-22 and now she has moved to Syria and got married to her cousin. Isn't she beautiful.
 
My daughter Amira in Damascus | Jane Akshar

Valley of the Kings is open

To confirm all the archaeological sites reopened after one day. I actually spoke to someone who was at the Valley of Kings today and had a very enjoyable visit.

Eid Mubarak from Luxor News

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut safe despite nearby fire - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut safe despite nearby fire - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online: Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim told Ahram Online that the temple is safe and no damaged occurred. "Thank God that the shop was located one kilometre away from the temple and the fire did not reach its walls," he said.

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Heritage-not-for-rent - Al-Ahram Weekly

Heritage-not-for-rent - Al-Ahram Weekly: Mohamed Ibrahim, state minister of antiquities, explains to Nevine El-Aref why he resigned from the Kandil government and addresses the accusations levelled against him

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Ramadan Kareem

Why not learn more about Islam and read the Koran during the holy month of Ramadan. You can get a version that divides the book into 30 parts called Jus. Read one every day. Find out what Islam teaches versus what is culture and tradition. The Penguin edition is a good translation. BTW do you know the only woman mentioned by name in the Koran?

A return to Egypt: not if but when « 101 Holidays blog

A return to Egypt: not if but when « 101 Holidays blog: ......Without the crowds you will have an amazing experience

Even last month, before the latest turmoil, the huge slump in tourist numbers meant that our small group often had ancient temples entirely to ourselves. At the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where in the past you might have queued for 45 minutes for a glimpse of Tutankhamun’s treasures, we had time to linger over them, untroubled by other tourists.

Fine, you may be thinking. But Egypt will always be there. I can go in five years, 10 years time. In fact, a spectacular new Grand Egyptian Museum costing $815 million is planned to open near the Pyramids at Giza in 2015. It will have a whole building dedicated to the treasures of Tutankhamun. Let’s wait until then.

True. And yet … Egypt needs tourists before then. Not just to bolster the country’s national deficit, but simply to ensure the tens of thousands of hotel staff, drivers, guides, boatmen and market traders can earn enough to feed their families this week and next.

And if you go before the crowds return – before the coach loads of Russians and Chinese descend – you will be welcomed with open arms and warm smiles......

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Luxor celebrates/demonstrates in support of the new government

Pro new government march at Luxor today.

Message from Mansour Boraik - ex director

Mansour Boraik just phoned me and asked me to publish on his behalf.

During the last meeting of the Anglo/Egyptian centre he saw the jealousy in people’s eyes as he gave his presentation without notes (but he did not care) they are not honest about the archaeological sites.  

Only Luxor has been run smoothly through this critical time, there have been no encroachments. The decision to remove him was done to cause trouble for Egypt so Luxor would suffer during this turmoil. It was a conspiracy from senior members of the SCA, he knows exactly who they are.

He never respected the Minister and avoided his invitations to head the faculty of the South Valley and when the Minister came to Luxor and had meetings in coffee shops. 

The decision to remove him was taken at 2:30 Thursday, the dying moments of the administration, why at this time, at this moment. You cannot work with a naked back, there are over 400 directors in the SCA why only Mansour is attacked because only Mansour is famous for what he does. He has tried to excavate and publish. He apologises for any mistake he made which was from his heart. The people that have attacked him will go to the recycle bin of history

 It is a stupid game and he is pleased to spend time with his family and to prepare to defend his PhD in August. He has had a lot of stress since the revolution trying to defend the monuments with the help of the people. This is a critical time for the monuments of Luxor.

God bless Egypt

God bless Egyptian Heritage

I wished him the very best for the future#

Edited 8/7/13
Mansour thanks you all for your best wishes and phones calls but feels his problems are small and insignificant compared to what is happening in Egypt.

Luxor archaeologists strike to reinstate sacked Luxor director - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online

Luxor archaeologists strike to reinstate sacked Luxor director - Ancient Egypt - Heritage - Ahram Online: - Sent using Google Toolbar

Bring back Mansour

Luxor is open! Message from Mansour Boraik - Head of Upper Egypt Luxor Antiquities

Mansour confirmed that all historical sites in the Luxor area are open for business.

He also wanted to express his thanks to the people of Luxor who have protected the sites during the recent troubles and made sure that they were safe.

If you come to Luxor you can be sure of a big welcome at the sites and he hopes you visit.

Happy Independence Day to all my US readers from Egypt

Welcome to the newly arrived tourists.

Just picked up 5 newly arrived tourists to add to the 7 I have staying. Thank God for independent travellers who know and love Luxor. On the way to the airport it was a normal Luxor day, no problems, no issues. The baggage and taxi guys were all excited about the prospect of the army taking over and the mood was excited and happy. They could not understand why the tourists were not coming.

We saw horses on their way to the last day of the moulid.

Amazing!

Amazing!
The biggest political demonstration in the world ever
Amazing!
A baby is born in Tahrir Sq and named Tamarod (rebel)
Amazing!
Luxor MP Dr-AbdulMawgoud Dardery thinks it can be ignored
Amazing!
Tamarod said it had collected more than 22 million signatures - more than a quarter of Egypt's population - in support.
Amazing!
Muslims and Christians, men and women united

BREAKING: Egypt's Morsi appoints 17 new governors, including Luxor Alex, Port Said - Egypt - Ahram Online

Luxor gets yet another new governor argggggggghhhhhhh
BREAKING: Egypt's Morsi appoints 17 new governors, including Alex, Port Said - Egypt - Ahram Online: ors for the Alexandria, Port Said, Ismailia and Luxor governorates.

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Mark Jones: Come to Egypt – you'll have the place practically to yourself - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent

Mark Jones: Come to Egypt – you'll have the place practically to yourself - News & Advice - Travel - The Independent:

I especially liked the end of the article although all of it is true

................................The official slogan of the Egyptian Tourist Board is "Egypt: where it all begins". Instead, they should lift one which the Australians ditched a few years back: "Where the bloody hell are you?"

I'll tell you where the bloody hell I am. I'm sitting on the balcony of the Hilton Luxor hotel. It's pleasantly hot outside and I'm looking through the palm trees over the Nile towards the Valley of the Kings. I was over there yesterday morning. I spent 10 minutes alone with Tutankhamun in the tomb excavated by Howard Carter in 1922. This wasn't a VIP visit. There was just hardly anyone there.

It was the same in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. You could gaze into the young Pharaoh's gold death mask for as long as you liked. In normal times, you'd queue 40 minutes just to get into the museum and a further to get anywhere near Tutankhamun.

The Hilton is running at 15 per cent occupancy, which is about average for Luxor just now – "now" being right at the end of high season. It's a lovely property, just refurbished. Or rather, refurbished just before the revolution of 2011, and that's the crucial point. Tourism ground to a halt then and it's barely shifted since. Plans for a new Four Seasons in Luxor are on hold. The historic Winter Palace hotel, managed by Sofitel but owned by the government, awaits a badly needed restoration. The east bank of the Nile is clogged with mothballed cruise ships.

Then, in February this year, the hot-air balloon disaster happened. The world's focus was once again on Luxor, and once again for the wrong reasons.

So where the bloody hell are you? At home, not putting Egypt on your travel list. At home, worrying about the images from Tahrir Square.

I can't blame you. All I can say is that I haven't had a moment's concern for my safety – and that includes a couple of hours hanging out in Tahrir. As for the hassle? Well, the trinket and postcard sellers are desperate – you can hardly blame them – but they do take "no" for an answer. You'll get more grief in India, believe me.

They need your help and your pounds. But don't visit for their sake: do it for your own. You'll never get a better chance to see these temples, treasures and burial chambers with so much time and space to contemplate them properly.

There's a useful travelling principle here. As the BBC foreign correspondent, John Simpson, wrote recently in High Life magazine: "If I can, I always go somewhere which has just suffered a political upheaval, because security is always hugely reinforced, prices are rock-bottom, there are no other tourists and everyone's delighted to see you."

Following Simpson's Law, I've already been to Tunis and Greece. Apart from the rock-bottom prices, every word is true.

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Egypt official crime report blames Luxor balloon crash on human error - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Egypt official crime report blames Luxor balloon crash on human error - Xinhua | English.news.cn: Luxor's First Prosecutor, Mohamed Fahmi, said the final report by the Criminal Evidence Laboratory on this accident concluded that fire broke out in the balloon crash was caused by gas leak from one of the pipes that was installed by an unspecialized worker.

"Pilot and the maintenance engineer did not make necessary technical checks before taking off," Fahmi told Xinhua, adding that the result supports the prosecutor's decision to detain the pilot and the alternate airport director over charges of negligence and lack of precaution.

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Graffiti cleanup at Luxor | Video | Reuters.com

Good news, the graffiti has been removed!

Graffiti cleanup at Luxor | Video | Reuters.com: - Sent using Google Toolbar

BBC News - China parents apologise after teen's Egypt graffiti exposed

BBC News - China parents apologise after teen's Egypt graffiti exposed: "We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China," Mr Ding's mother told local newspaper Modern Express on Saturday.

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