Exactly at 8:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) on Saturday, lights shining around the Pyramids in Giza plateau in the western suburb of Cairo were switched off for the global initiative "Earth Hour" to highlight the threat of climate change.

All of a sudden, the colorful lights projected on the giant Pyramids and Sphinx disappeared and the famed historic landmark buildings in Egypt dimmed in the night. "We are all ready to take part in this event tonight," said a staff member of the company organizing the sound and light show at the Pyramids and Sphinx.

"A few days ago we have received the notification to participate in the event," Maged el-Deeb, general manager for marketing of the Misr Sound and Light Company, told Xinhua.

The event lasted for 60 minutes to 9:30 p.m., said el-Deeb in front of the Sphinx, adding it is a pleasure to be part of the global event.
Besides the Pyramids and Sphinx, the sound and light shows in the southern Egyptian tourism cities of Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel also stopped for one hour, said el-Deeb.

"The lights in the historic temples of Karnak in Luxor and Filain Aswan were also cut at this moment," said el-Deeb.  At the foot of the Pyramids, a group of tourists were waiting silently for the reopening of the light and sound show.

Nabil, a tourist guide, said they knew about the "Earth Hour" initiative and were glad to experience this moment.  An Italian tourist, who gave his name as Christin, said in the darkness that they were participating in the event in a special way.  "We are here to experience the event and contribute to the initiative in a special way," said Christin.

At the same time, some of the lights in Cairo streets were also turned off to mark the global energy-saving initiative.
Earlier on Saturday, Egyptian departments concerned already made the announcement to participate in the global energy-saving initiative "Earth Hour" on Saturday evening.

All Egyptian governorates would switch off the lights between 8:30 and 9.30 p.m. on Saturday evening, said the report.
The lights of some landmark buildings in Egypt, including the Great Pyramids, Cairo Tower and Bibliotheca Alexandria, were also switched off during the period.

Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis said on Friday the electricity sector will take part in the global campaign.
Earth Hour, organized by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) since 2007, aims to raise awareness of global warming and climate change.
Earth Hour first started in Sydney in 2007, with just 2.2 million Sydneysiders taking part.

The event has now become a global event, with almost 4,000 cities and towns around the world, and about 1 billion people expected to take part this year.

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