Cairo Museum + cameras

[ImpMan71]

Hi,
Can anyone let me know what the procedure is as regarding handing your camera over is concerned in Cairo Museum. I know they don't allow any photography & I'm a bit paranoid about having to hand my camera over - is it safe?
Can you get away with just handing the body in & keeping your lenses on you?
Thanks for any advice,
Colin

 

[oftheherd]

In case Raid misses this thread, you might want to PM him. He has been to Cairo and may know.

 

[rxmd]

Last time I went there was no problem whatsoever depositing stuff at the museum. Actually there wasn't a problem taking pictures either, I openly took a Nikon FA inside took shots of things like the masque of Tutankhamun. Admittedly it's been a while (1999, to be precise).

I see no point in giving away the body and keeping the lenses. Are you afraid of museum staff stealing your lenses? You can bet that ́in the museum they have more valuable stuff than your lenses that they handle day by day.

 

[fixbones]

I was there 2 years ago. Great museum with great treasures!!.

Very messy crowded and poorly coordinated. I left my camera in our tour bus and had my iPhone with me. Sneaked a few pictures here and there.

My advice is to keep your camera somewhere rather than handling it over at the storage. With the amount of traffic that passes through there..... things can easily get lost.

 

[dexdog]

I was there in January 2010, and staff at the entrance asked me if I had a camera, and asked to check my friends handbag (We had left our cameras at the hotel because the guide advised us to do so). Later on as I was walking around, I saw several people with cameras taking pictures openly, including one woman with a Pentax SLR. There are "no photography" signs all over the place, but enforcement seems to be spotty.

I had no problems with turning my camera over to security at Valley of the Kings, Luxor Museum or at the entrances to the various pyramids in Saqqara. Staff people were professional and polite, and provided receipts.

 

[ImpMan71]

It's a bit of a 50/50 split at the moment then 😉
I just figured if only the body were to dissapear it would be less of a disaster!

 

[raid]

In case Raid misses this thread, you might want to PM him. He has been to Cairo and may know.

I skipped the museum in my last two one month long visits. When you are from an ancient culture, and you have visited Babylon and Hatra and Ur and other places where civilization started, then a visit to museum becomes less interesting.