Hollywood in Egypt

American actor Sean Penn was in Egypt this week, spending three days soaking up the culture in the capital, Cairo.

Sean visited the city's must-see sites including The Egyptian Museum, the famous Pyramids in Giza and the El-Sultan Hassan Mosque. He also joined the hustle and bustle of Tahrir Square on Friday as locals and tourists basked in the October sunshine.

The US star was given a warm welcome by H.E. the Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry El-Nour, who invited him, and was accompanied by actor Khaled El-Nabawy during his stay.

Affirming that Egypt is one of the safest destinations, Penn called on people from around the world and specially Americans to visit Egypt, which he described as having unique touristic and archaeological value.

The 50-year-old Penn was born in Saint Monaco in California and comes from a family of artists. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award as best actor and won twice, for the film "Mystic River" and for his role in the film "Milk".

In addition to his contributions as an actor and a producer, Penn is also known for his social activism.  Penn played a role in the relief operation sent after the Haiti earthquake and intervened for the release of Americans arrested in Iran and accused of espionage.