"An Egyptian-French project to develop the Karnak Temple area in Luxor aims at protecting the priceless monuments", said Zahi Hawwas, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The project will include specific lanes for tourists to head off any damage to the monuments, Hawwas told reporters after a meeting of an Egyptian-French committee implementing the project.

He added that bazaars, parking lots and cafeterias will be built a distance form the temple to serve tourists without affecting the temple. Hawwas said part of the 50 million-pound budget will be paid in compensation for affected families.

Hawwas further said that an Egyptian-French expedition will embark on excavation of a port on the River Nile near Karnak. He told reporters during a tour of the upper Egyptian city of Luxor that ancient Egyptians used the quay to transfer stones from one place to another.

The Karnak Temple is a vast open-air museum and the largest ancient religious site in the world. It consists of four main parts; the Precinct of Amon-Re, the Precinct of Montu, the Precinct of Mut and the Temple of Amenhotep IV.