THE NEW lighting system on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor is in operation, providing a dramatic view of the famous monuments in the area, Nevine El-Aref reports. The night landscape on the west bank has totally changed. Visitors to the historical Upper Egyptian city of Luxor have a view of Hatshepsut's Temple, the Valleys of the Kings and Queens and the Tombs of the Nobles as they enjoy an evening stroll along the Corniche on the east bank of the river. The lights were installed with a budget of LE56 millions provided by the Ministry of Culture, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Egypt's Sound and Light Organisation and the foremost French lighting company, Architecture Lumière, which was chosen from several international lighting organisations. The consortium has installed 922 lighting units in various locations on the mountains of the west bank, offering a new service to Luxor's visitors. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the SCA, said that the aim of the project was to preserve the tombs and temples on the west bank. The huge number of visitors who flock there will now be distributed throughout the day, from 7am to 8pm. This, Hawass said, would reduce the level of humidity inside the tombs which has a damaging effect on the mural paintings. "The new lighting system will also provide a beautiful and dramatic scene at night for pedestrians walking along the Nile Corniche on the east bank in Luxor," Hawass told Al-Ahram Weekly. Major-General Essam Abdel-Hadi, head of the Egypt Sound and Light Organisation, said that the 922 lighting units had been carefully installed with the use of GPS to suit the rocky area of Luxor's west bank. The lighting units can support high rates of temperature and aridity as well as being equipped to withstand erosion and corrosion. Sabri Abdel-Aziz, director of Pharaonic Antiquities at the SCA, said that the project included the lighting of significant mountains on the west bank at the Valley of the Kings; the Valley of the Queens; the Tombs of the Nobles; the northern side of Al-Qurna and the Temple of Hatshepsut. This is one of several development projects being achieved at Luxor's archaeological sites with a view to transforming the whole city into an open-air museum. The development projects are at archaeological sites on both the east and west banks of the Nile, with the total budget so far amounting to LE127 million. The projects include the restoration of Howard Carter's rest- house with a view to developing it as a museum; the first phase of the installation of a new lighting system in the Valley of the Kings; a new visitor centre at Deir Al-Bahari; and the restoration and reopening of the Youssef Abul-Haggag Mosque.
