Tourists have traveled to Egypt's ancient pyramids and historic monuments for centuries.

But tourism has dropped rapidly in recent years, as violent conflicts following the 2011 revolution have been particularly successful in scaring off travelers.

According to a recent Reuters article, 9.9 million tourists visited Egypt in 2014, compared to 14.7 million people in 2010. The country's tourism minister recently said that he expects that number to be around 10 million again this year.

"From January until the end of August the rise was very little, barely 5%," he told Reuters.

In 2014, photographer Ben Terzza left Wales with his partner to live in Egypt for several months. A teaching job had been offered to his partner, so Terzza decided to tag along.

Terzza and his partner eventually made a trip to the capital city of Cairo. What they found there was a disappointing surprise. Cairo felt desolate and was visibly empty, which Terzza captured in a selection of his photos below.