EGYPTIAN TRAVEL ADVICE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

I felt that anyone planning a trip to Egypt might benefit from my experiences during up to October 2007, my last visit to Egypt.  I would not wish to offer an opinion about the situation in 2019 especially for those wanting to take extensive photography like myself. The last trip in 2007 was to Minya and Fayoum areas, so off the beaten track, less tourist friendly e.g. in quality of hotels in Minya and lacking in services such as postcards and stamps. Toilets on the trains (First Class) were a disgrace so be warned and a lot of rough road journeys including climbing to main rock cut tombs but the tomb paintings at Bani Hasan a wow although no photographs allowed.

I would suggest from my limited knowledge now that there is still an outright ban on all photography in the Museums (Cairo & Luxor) and maybe now for the Nubian in Aswan (no flash) and the new delightful Saqqara Museum at the new ticket office but be warned the lighting in it is extremely low so that it is even a struggle with ISO1600 settings on film or camera. This blanket ban also applies in the new small Museum at the Temple of Merneptah on the Luxor West Bank. Interior photography is now banned in the tombs of the West Bank in Luxor - Valley Tombs and Tombs of the Nobles, inside the Great Pyramid at Giza [not sure about the others but suspect also in place] and the Temple of Abu Simbel. If you want a pleasant, interesting sites for photography try the Temple of Seti 1or the Medinet Habu on the Luxor West bank. Plenty of reliefs, some coloured and stacks of natural light. Amarna Northern tombs allowed non-flash photography but Bani Hasan refused, as did Temple of Pitosiris at Tuna el-Gebal, where plenty of natural light and flash not needed. In the case at Temple of Ramasses 11 at Abydos - most coloured reliefs in bright sunlight and no restrictions.

I will express no opinion about these restrictions however as to the matter of flash photography I would advise anyone wanting to know the scientific basis for or against, to read Scientific Officer David Saunders's research at the National Portrait Gallery in London in their Technical Bulletin No 16 (1995). Some restrictions have been occasioned by bottlenecks with visitors insisting on being photographed in front of icons such as the Mask of Tutankhamun, so an understandable requirement when a whole tour group exercises this wish. The same bottlenecks occur in exterior situations such as the statue of Horus at Edfu. Most Egyptian colours are mineral based and can stand thousands of years of sunshine as at Abydos, Medinet Habu and Kom Ombo.

Restrictions on travel are increasingly practiced outwith the main sites - I was denied permission (through tour-guide and taxi drivers refusing to go to Qus, Qift & Nag' el-Madamud - an hour or so from Luxor and a trip to the Gebel el-Silsila Quarries from Aswan was also cancelled because I would have to pay for a Police Escort. I understand visits to Abydos are only in a Police Convoy but we were allowed two hours so much more relaxed. Costs for individuals at outlying sites are high as an individual is treated as a group, e.g. $800 per site charged by SCA, in addition to travel costs.

Light Shows were OK about using tripods and no extra was charged. I didn't avail myself of the facility at Luxor Temple but 30E£ extra is charged for use at night - it has a static light show until 9.00pm.

If you were cruising you had to expect major delays at Esna Lock for many years or so although probably not a problem in 2019 with the large cutbacks in cruiseboats and an additional loch in operation. 2007 was the busiest I had seen the Nile traffic in years so huge numbers at all main sites [2019 probably not so busy]. My first April trip - weather apparently unusually hot [40c] and the light often extremely poor - hazy, thin cloud cover and sandstorms. It rained in Cairo and a trip to Tanis in the Delta was muddy!

Noticed some digital material appearing e.g. batteries and a limited selection of storage cards. I took my own charger with two pin adapter and had no problems keeping my Fuji li-ion's in working order. The new Fuji S5 performed a treat throughout and used my laptop to archive to DVD's for 3000 images in 10 days.

No problems this trip with using a compact camera on the planes taking views out of the window and there are no such CAA regulations for ordinary cameras used on aircraft? However do not take photos inside the aircraft or of fellow passengers. One tip-if you like taking photos from the aircraft using a DSLR do not sit in front of a bulkhead as there is no where to place the camera during takeoff-you will probably be asked to place it in the overhead compartment.