Policeman using the phone at a security post next to the Abu Simbel temple in South Egypt

A view of a policeman at the Abu Simbel temple in the southern Egyptian region of Nubia. Egypt suffered from a terrorist problem a few years back that impacted its tourism industry since a few of the terror attacks were targeted at tourists (in fact, one of the major attacks at the Hatsheput temple near Luxor killed off more than 50+ tourists). As a result, there were a number of measures implemented to reduce the threat to tourists (in the case of Abu Simbel, this meant that tourists could not go off to Abu Simbel on their own; instead there were specified times when all the vehicles were bundled in a convoy.

The Mysteries of Abu Simbel: Ramesses II	View Larger Map

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A seemingly bored security guard at the Karnak temple in Luxor

Security in Egypt is a pretty big deal, ever since the terrorist attack on tourists from around a decade back which killed more than 50 tourists. That attack badly dented the tourism industry, and shocked the Egyptian Government into increasing the level of security available for tourists. In this photo, you can see a security guard at the huge Karnak temple in Luxor, looking very bored.
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Security guard at the security scanner at the hall leading to the Karnak temple

The role of security guards can be very boring, being present at monuments for regular work, and yet expected to remain at a high level of alert when something happens. This is a photo of a security guard next to the security scanner at the hall leading to the Karnak Temple. It is mandatory for all tourists to pass through this security process and undergo security checks before they can actually go to the Karnak temple.
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Security measures before we can proceed towards the Karnak temple complex

Before the recent turmoil that caused the departure of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt faced another potential risk, which was an economic risk. Egypt had turned the number of historic structures in the country to its advantage by setting a huge tourist industry, which gave a huge boost to the economy and also boosted employment. With terrorist attacks around a decade back, the security levels in the country for tourists were enhanced.
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A outpost of the Egyptian tourist police at the Panorama Point near the Great Pyramids

The tourist police can be found at all popular tourist locations in Egypt. Ever since some years back, there were attacks on tourists, there has been a huge push to ensure that tourists are secure and have a feeling of safety. As a result, you have armed police everywhere, and when tourists have to go to remote locations to see some monument, they are escorted by police.

Security Outpost, and tourists with a tripod at the Great Pyramid in Giza

A security outpost at the Panorama Point in Giza (the place is pretty crowded with tourists who want a Panoramic view of all 3 Pyramids); security is important in Egypt since there were some terrorist attacks on tourists in the past few years.