Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping and his accompanying delegation, who are currently on a visit to Egypt, toured several ancient sites in Luxor on Sunday.
Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziry welcomed the minister and his delegation.
The minister and his delegation inspected work by the Chinese mission at the Temple of Montu, five kilometres northeast of Karnak.
They also visited the Karnak and Luxor temples, where a ceremony was held in 2016 to mark the 60th anniversary of Egyptian-Chinese relations. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the ceremony.
During the tour, the minister and his delegation visited the Temple of Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC) in Deir el-Bahari, the Colossi of Memnon (two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III), the Valley of the Kings where they visited the tomb of King Tutankhamun (reigned c. 1334–1325 BC), and the Valley of the Queens where they visited the tomb of Queen Nefertari, the Great Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II.
During the tour, the Chinese minister was keen to take commemorative photos at the sites he visited.
Minister Hu Heping arrived in Cairo late Saturday and was received by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa.
The ministry recently announced that Chinese tourists will be able to obtain visas on arrival at ports and airports.
This is the first visit by a high-ranking Chinese official since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Chinese minister and his delegation will be attending a workshop organised by Egyptian and Chinese tour companies and hotels to look into ways to increase tourism exchange.
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