In efforts to help promote tourism, North African country of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has installed a collection of replicas of the ancient Egyptian protection goddess Selket at the airports of seven touristic cities.
According to Ahram Online, Amr El-Kady, secretary-general of the Egyptian Tourist Authority said the replicas were produced by Konoz factory for replicas and three of them have been installed in the arrival halls in terminals 1, 2, and 3 of the Cairo International Airport, while the others are being put at Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, and Aswan airports.
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Each replica statue is three metres tall, made of gilded fiber glass, and fixed on a one-metre-tall black granite mount. On each is written “Welcome to Egypt,” and a description of the role Selket, the scorpion goddess of protection, has played in ancient times.
Selket was believed to have both positive and negative sides. Her role was recounted in several myths of ancient Egypt. One of her important duties was to guard the deceased king. Selket is often depicted with Neith, the goddess of war and weaving.
