CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak on Monday declared Luxor a governorate, making it the 29th in Egypt, the official news agency reported.

Mubarak, who is due to issue a presidential decree later for the governorate, called for studying the possibility of including Essna and Armant to the new governorate.

The president was inaugurating El Tood Village near Luxor when he made the announcement, MENA reported.

This is Mubarak’s third visit to Luxor since the announcement of a LE 2.2-billion grand development plan to turn it into an open museum, the agency said. – Daily News Egypt