Abdallah Mahfouz Proposes Renting Out Egypt’s Historical Sites to International Clients to Jumpstart Economy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Abdallah Mahfouz proposes renting out Egypt’s historical sites to help jumpstart the country’s economy. Is that smart? Russia Today reports, renting out these landmarks, including the Giza Pyramids, the Abu Simbel Temple and the Luxor temples, to international clients could bring in up to $150 billion over five years, according to a proposal from the Egypt’s antiquities ministry.

“Cry dear Sphinx, people want to rent you out and maybe later cut you into pieces and sell you! Shame on those who want to rent you. You are the symbol of dignity, power and Egypt’s ancient civilization,” Egyptology professor Ahmed Saeed of Cairo University wrote on his Facebook page, according to Ahramonline. The country’s antiquities ministry has reportedly rejected the controversial plan, which became the talk of the town and gave rise to various rumors. The Gulf state of Qatar reportedly expressed interest in renting Egypt’s landmarks for five years for $200 billion, according to Al Arabiya. Source

Can you put a cost on such historical sites and is it a smart move? Sounds like they will be sacrificing their true identity for material gain. Egypt’s economy has been weakened by a whole host of forces, but are they willing to sacrifice what their ancestors built? No amount of money can ever put a value on the historical significance of what the early Egyptians accomplished.