History of the tourist guide in Egypt

Abstract EN

Egypt is a very well-known tourist destination starting from the Graeco-Roman period till nowadays.

The Tourist guide is the most influential person the visitor will meet in his journey.

The researcher tries here to trace back this profession in Egypt starting from the ancient times and spot the light on its development throughout the ages.

During the ancient times, it seems that the role of the guide was played by the priests precisely inside the temples (religious and therapeutic tourism), while the bilingual persons used to guide the tourists in the archaeological sites.

The travelers' writings that dates to the medieval period have no reference to the tourist guides.

It was not until the seventeenth century that the tourist guide started to appear in the travelers' writings.

During the reign of Mohamed Ali and his successors, the dragomans used to accompany the tourists in their travels, till they were replaced later by professional tour guides.

The research also referred to the effort made by the state to organize this job through issuing regulations and establishing an academic study to enhance the skills of the tourist guides.