Tourists stay away as Egypt reopens oldest pyramid
Egypt has finally reopened its oldest pyramid after 14 years of restoration work, but the timing could have been better.
![EGYPT-TOURISTS/ A guide sits on a stone as he looks at the Djoser's step pyramid in Saqqara, outside of Cairo March 5, 2011. Sites around the great pyramid at Giza, a Wonder of the Ancient World, the Sphinx and the cemetery at Sakkara have been nearly empty of tourists since a revolt started a month ago that ousted Hosni Mubarak and now Egypt wants visitors to return. REUTERS/Peter Andrews (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TRAVEL SOCIETY) - GM1E7351JOK01](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2020/03/RTR2JH09.jpg/RTR2JH09.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=YYfGcsqd)
No tourists are in sight near Giza's pyramids as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on the country’s tourism industry, casting a shadow over the reopening of Egypt’s oldest pyramid after the completion of a major restoration project.
Egypt has reopened its oldest pyramid, Djoser in Saqqara, south of Cairo, after a major restoration project that lasted 14 years. Djoser, a 4,700-year-old pyramid located in Memphis, the first Egyptian capital, is the oldest standing pyramid in Egypt. Its restoration cost 104 million Egyptian pounds (approximately $6.7 million), according to the Egyptian government.