Friday March 29th, 2024
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Egypt's Iconic Heritage Sites Turn Off Their Lights for Earth Hour

This Saturday, Egypt will be participating in Earth Hour, the global initiative to raise awareness about energy consumption and encourage conservation.

Staff Writer

Egypt's renowned historical sites and touristic attractions' lights will be off for an hour on March 25th to commemorate Earth Hour, which is a global initiative to encourage individuals, communities, and governments to renew their commitment to the planet by conserving energy. The decision was taken by Egypt's Cabinet on Thuesday, according to the government's State Information System website.

The Pyramids of Giza, Cairo Tower, and Alexandria's Qaitbay Citadel are some of the major historical sites included in the initiative, while the recently opened National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation in Fustat will be hosting an event celebrating the occasion.

The Earth Hour initiative, organised by international NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), was famously launched in 2007 with an event in Sydney, after which, it grew to include more than 7,000 cities and towns worldwide. Egypt has been participating in the initiative since 2009.

In addition to turning off the lights in 1,200 iconic sites around the world, environmental legislation in countries like Russia, city-wide light and fuel conservation, as well as crowdfunding for WWF climate-focused projects, Earth Hour has been increasing global activism for environmental sustainability since 2008. 

Photo: Moe Sherif