The Egyptian authorities have issued long-awaited and formulated instructions, consisting of six points, that you can not take photos in public places while in the country of the pyramids, the expat said in her blog. Violation is not only a “showdown” with an angry Egyptian but also a fine and other harsher punitive measures.
Officials keep a close eye on photos taken by foreigners, even when they are on the territory of an Arab state. Although filming in public places with regular phones in Egypt has generally remained free and does not require permits, officials have put forward certain restrictions that tourists must adhere to. Read more in the article “Photographing children and slums: Egypt introduces new rules for tourists.”
Let’s list what can’t be photographed and what equipment is prohibited to use:
- minors;
- adults without their consent;
- flash photography is prohibited in museums;
- any commercial filming, including shooting for the media, as required obtaining permission;
- professional photo equipment cannot be used without special permission;
- no images defaming Egypt may be taken or distributed.
The wording of the last point is very vague. The local government can “fit” a large number of objects under these frameworks.
Here is an excerpt from the thoughts of the author, who lives in Egypt: “In the land of the pyramids and the eternal sun, there are many objects that are considered police or military, and you can’t tell by their appearance. More than once there were cases when people came to some neutral (at first glance) place, but it turned out that it was not possible to shoot there. True, if the place is publicly accessible (and not surrounded by barbed wire), then usually this is first reported politely. If you immediately apologize and stop, most likely there will be no consequences. But if you start to “pump your rights”, then it is quite possible to find yourself in the local kalaboosh (police department).
Well, what if, for example, you take a picture of some old dilapidated building – can it “disgrace the honor of the country”? Theoretically, maybe this is a stone in the garden of officials – especially if you put it on the network with the signature that these same officials are bad people who do not monitor the state of architectural monuments.”
In addition, the expat said that she had to hear about real cases when some foreign bloggers living in Egypt were called to an explanatory “conversation” at the police station and clarified about what can be written and what cannot. “And some were even strongly recommended to leave the city and look for happiness, and now materials for publications, somewhere else,” the expatriate warned.