World’s tallest man meets shortest woman in Egypt

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The world's tallest man, Sultan Kosen, and the shortest woman, Jyoti Amge, visited Egypt's Giza Pyramids last Friday as part of a campaign which aims to revive the country's struggling tourism industry.

Kosen and Amge were invited by the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board. For both of them, it was their first visit to the North African country.

The 35-year old Kosen, who is of Kurdish origin, stands 2.51 meters. He is considered the first person in more than a decade to officially measure more than 8 feet and is one of only 10 confirmed cases in history, according to the Guinness World Records.

Amge, a 24-year-old actress who starred in the American television series "American Horror Story," is just 62.7 centimeters.

Kosen's extreme height is due to a condition known as pituitary gigantism, where the brain produces abnormally large amounts of growth hormone. Jyoti, from the Indian city of Nagpur, has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia.

They were expected to visit other famous tourists sites around the country during their stay, the tourism ministry said.

Their trip follows a string of visits by celebrities, including Hollywood actor Will Smith and reality star Kourtney Kardashian last year, as well as Argentinean football player Lionel Messi.

Egypt's tourism sector has suffered many setbacks since the country’s political turmoil in 2011 but still remains a vital source of foreign currency. The number of tourists visiting Egypt slumped to 9.8 million in 2011 from more than 14.7 million in 2010.

The campaign that brought Kosen and Amge to the Pyramids was organized in cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and the Guinness Book of World Records.