Egypt once again demonstrated the ability to make a tourist attraction out of anything. As reported by the Egyptian publication Egypt Independent, Hurghada launched a new bike tour to the “ancient ghost town” located near Safaga.
True, the “ancient” city is no more than a hundred years old – the “ghost city” became a former mining settlement where phosphates were mined – the village of Umm al-Khuwayt. Moreover, the first mining village in Egypt was closed only at the beginning of the 2000s, the workers and residents left the village after the cessation of mining of phosphorite ore, the closure and liquidation of the enterprise.
However, there is everything here that attracts tourists – lovers of mountain safaris and “rides”. They are offered tours in tunnels, mines, and caves where phosphates were mined, climbing the minaret of an abandoned mosque, as well as watching sunsets and sunrises, studying the stars and planets at night, and at the same time a tourist tour of the “ghost city”.
“The history of Umm Al-Huwayt, which once ended with phosphate mining, the liquidation of the company, and the eviction of the workers, now takes on a new life thanks to safari tourism,” the Egyptian media added.