What is Egypt like in 2012 after the revolution, well to be honest not much different here in Luxor. The temples and tombs are still here, the tourists still come although numbers are down. The sun still shines. The redevelopment of Luxor centre has almost come to a close as most things are finished and those that haven’t money is needed in other areas. The new cornice is a pleasant place and as it matures it will get more character.

The plaza in front of Luxor temple has successfully held a number of events like Egypt Moving Forward and the Conference Centre had a great celebration of the anniversary of the revolution. The changes as a result of the revolution are minimal, people do seem to have to the courage to demonstrate but the many of the changes they demand are beyond the gift of the government, council and employers because of the state of the economy. As tourism recovers these will be achievable but Egypt’s revolution will not happen overnight. It will take time but the signs are promising.

Here on the West Bank a new dewatering project has started protecting the temples for the rising ground water.