CAIRO: CityStars was the main attraction for most Cairenes who decided to stay in the city for the vacation of Eid El-Fitr. With the large number of visitors flooding the mall, security measures were stepped up during the three-day holiday. From Wednesday Oct. 1 through Friday Oct. 3 visitors were asked to show their national ID cards at the door and visitors under the age of 16 were not allowed in unaccompanied by an adult. "During Eid we have more visitors than usual. It is very crowded and this may increase the chances of theft, a security official at Stars Center told Daily News Egypt on condition of anonymity because he wasn't allowed to speak to the media. "Those under 16 years old cause a lot of problems so we decided to take this measure and not allow any of them in without an adult, he said. The official said that during the holidays none of the security officers are allowed to go on vacation and they work round the clock to ensure the safety and welfare of the visitors. The increased security measures to the popular destination however received mixed reactions for frequent visitors. Zeinab Sameh, a 25-year-old teacher's assistant, was pleased by the new measures taken to limit the number of visitors. "I'm glad they took this step to regulate the mall's visitors. Families frequent the mall so they have to ensure that it's a safe place for everyone, she said. However, the security measures taken inside have affected traffic outside with teenagers prevented from entering crowding the streets surrounding the mall. "There are all sorts of people going in and creating problems inside the mall, there are those in their 20s who keep bothering everyone, they should do something about them, not flex their muscles on those under 16, said Soraya Ahmed, a mother. CityStars, Cairo's largest shopping mall, is part of the mega project developed by the Saudi Golden Pyramids Plaza on a leasable area of 170,000 square meters. Over 200,000 visitors come into the complex every week and security measures are at the top of their agenda. Elhamy El-Kerdany, CityStars general manager for operations and tenant relations previously told the press that the mall is equipped with the latest security gear, including high-tech cameras on every corner. "Security officials at the monitoring room are always on the watch, in addition to policemen regularly patrolling the entire mall, he said. The mall is equipped with over 300 security cameras, spread over all floors, connected to 60 monitors in the control room.
