Ancient Egypt

Cairo is a modern city built on the ruins of older settlements. It’s links with what’s termed ‘ancient Egypt’ are different than cities like Luxor and Aswan, which exist almost solely because of ancient ruins. Yet Cairo is indispensable on a journey to Egypt. It is not merely the capital, but dominates the country because of its huge population, cultural influence, and government jobs. For those interested in ancient Egypt, the museum and the pyramids of Giza are the main attractions, followed by its close proximity to Saqqara, Memphis and Dashur. My wife and I recently visited Cairo to see my parents, and, naturally, take some time to see many of its sites.

The core of Cairo has been continuously inhabited since at least Roman times. Memphis, the ancient capital, lies about 30km south, where the Nile used to branch off into the Delta (now located north of Cairo). Cairo has grown into a massive city and now covers the area including the ancient city of On (Heliopolis), Giza, the Roman fortress of Babylon (not to be confused with Mesopotamia’s Babylon), and the Arab army barracks that grew into the city of Fustat. It relatively recently gobbled up the islands of Zamalek and Rhoda, and sprawled outward into the desert. Medieval Islamic Cairo was located north of Fustat and 19th century central Cairo was built closer to the current course of the Nile, where Khedive Ismail made a city of wider promenades, European style buildings and large squares. This ‘downtown’ now forms the core of the city and is where tourists go to visit the Egyptian museum.

Islamic Cairo

Rachel and I took several days to visit different parts of Islamic Cairo, which is the part of the city built up from around 900 to 1500 A.D. The first day we went out I think we were so excited to be out of the house and seeing something new that we forgot to take the camera… thus, we’ve only low-quality cell phone pictures of that first day. We walked through parts of the City of the Dead, which is essentially a living cemetery. People live among tombs built for families over hundreds of years. Some of them are paid to take care of the tombs, others just use it because it’s cheap to live there. There are some fantastic Mosques (one of which, the Mosque of Qaitbey, is on the one-pound note) and within a few paces you can see the difference between Mamluk (intricate) and Ottoman (simple and sleek) styles. Tourists can walk around freely as long as they don’t act too conspicuously like taking photos of everything and acting like jack-asses.

A note about women travelers. At some tourist spots they can walk around freely in short sleeves and modest skirts, but in more traditional areas like Islamic Cairo it’s best to wear long-sleeved shirts and full length pants or skirts. A shawl is useful for covering hair when entering mosques. Some have shawls or other coverings they’ll give to female tourists when they enter. As always, the idiot tourists that wear hot-pants and small tank tops that either reveal flab or cleavage only embarrass themselves. The local Egyptians take great offense and you won’t be treated kindly.

Another great day was spent doing the walk from the Complex of al-Ghouri up Sharia Al-Muizz Li-Din Allah. The al-Ghouri Complex is fantastic, and has stunning views from the minaret of his mosque, as well as a madrassa and wikala (medieval inn or hostel). Walking up al-Muizz Street brings you alongside Khan al-Khalili, which is a great place to seek tourist trinkets, but which we went through on another day. Immediately after passing the Khan are the fantastic madrassas and mausoleums of Sultans Qalawun, an-Nasr Mohammed and Barquq, all of which display gorgeous architecture. The walk ends at the marvelous Mosque of al-Hakim and one of the old northern city gates (Bab el-Futuh).

Other days in Islamic Cairo were spent at the Mosque of Ibn-Tulun (something I failed to see on my first two trips to Cairo, but certainly worth a visit), the Tentmakers’ Market and Bab Zuweila (the old southern city gate), and the Mosques of Sultan Hassan (said to be one of the best in the world) and ar-Rifai by the Citadel (which we didn’t go into this time). As you can see, we spent a ton of time in the area, but it was spread out over about five days over three weeks. Anyone trying to see it all in one or two days is just going to get mosque tired, just as we got temple tired the last time we were in southern Egypt.

Coptic Cairo
Built on the old Roman Babylon , Coptic Cairo is fascinating for anyone interested in Christian history, or those of us who just like looking at church art and architecture. The Holy Family is said to have sojourned in Egypt, and there are tons of so-called relics and holy spots where they may or may not have stayed. The churches (Church of St. George, Church of St. Sergius, Church of St. Barbara, Hanging Church) plus the Convent of St. George, a Synagogue, the cemeteries, and the Coptic Museum are all worth visiting. I’d suggest doing the museum on a separate day if you’re really interested in the area and its history after seeing the main sites, which take about two hours. The museum is quite large and has a lot of explanation for each section and most articles, so it can take a while to get through. The cemetery is a must see, even if it seems a little creepy. The tombs are quite extraordinary compared with the simple graves we have in North America. It’s open to the public, and picture taking is allowed. All of Coptic Cairo is packed close together through winding lanes, and the people there are quite friendly and will direct you where you need to go.

Heliopolis
Built on top of the ancient city of On, Heliopolis takes its name from the Greek words ‘Sun City,’ since it was a place of worship for the sun. It was turned into a suburb for the wealthy over a hundred years ago. There are two or three main streets where the 1001 Arabian Nights style architecture is located, and one of them - Sharia al-Ahram - leads to the Presidential Residence (the Uruba Palace, formerly the Heliopolis Palace Hotel) on one end, and the grand Basilica on the other. Be careful taking pictures of the Mubarek’s residence. The soldiers, police and guards in Egypt will not let anyone take pictures of anything related to government: airports, bridges, Aswan High Dam, the Suez Canal, etc. One came across the street to holler at me. Non-uniformed, he said I couldn’t take pictures of ‘Mubarek,’ so I deleted it off my camera. They he saw a picture of the Basilica and he made the same gesture and speech. I told him to fuck off. All they want is bribes. He was going to get more guys to cross the street and harass us, but they were too lazy.

The Basilica gives you the feeling that you’ve again entered a different realm since it’s so unique, but a right turn leads to the Baron’s Palace, one of the most beautiful, odd buildings in the world. Built for Baron Empain in 1910, it was designed to look like a Hindu temple. To get there you have to cross a ridiculously busy divided road, which my sister refused to do. They drive fast in Cairo, so you have to cross without fear. After having it out with her, we all crossed safely. However, there’s a big fence around the palace these days. We still managed to get good pictures, but apparently there are no visitors allowed. (Back in 2002 there was no such fence or guards, so I walked right up to it. Laundry, perhaps from someone ‘guarding’ the palace, was hung in one of the balconies.) There are supposedly bats living inside and unstable areas, though it looks pretty solid from the outside.

Besides the street architecture, Basilica, and Baron’s Palace, Heliopolis is a decent place to stroll through the smaller streets and gaze at the homes of the wealthy. Those that aren’t completely blocked by 5m high hedges are quite something to behold. There’s an old movie theater from back in the pre-WWII days, the Normandy cinema, but unless you lived in Heliopolis at the time or are a cinema buff, it’s not worth spending any time on.

Zamalek

Not built-up until around the same time Heliopolis was redeveloped, Zamalek boasts Cairo’s opera house, the 185 meter-tall Cairo Tower for great views, and the Marriott Hotel. I’ve never been in to the opera house, but the tower deserves a visit. On a clear day, Cairo still has smog, but you should be able to see the pyramids of Giza to the southwest, the Citadel to the southeast-east, and downtown buildings like the Rameses Hilton, the Nile Hilton, the Egyptian Museum, etc, the Muqqatam Hills to the far east, and naturally, the Nile shimmering in the light. The Marriott is worth going to just to stroll in and order a drink on the patio. The building is beautiful, and so are most of the people there. Like many things in Egypt, it was built for Princess Eugénie of France, when she came to attend the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. A few days after Rachel and I saw most of Zamalek my parents brought us back to a leather shop just a short walk from the Marriott. Real leather jackets, belts and bags, made to order. Mmm, smelled good.

The Rest of Cairo
Being one of the most magnificent cities in the world, Cairo has many many more things to offer. For Rachel and I, hanging out with my family in Maadi Digla was a great way to relax, feel the warmth of the air and the Egyptian people, and spend quality time in a far-away world. The city is far to large to cover in one post, so I’ve ignored the obvious - the pyramids, the Citadel - and instead focused on what we saw that not everyone sees. Surely there are blogs that focus purely on Cairo, since there are literally hundreds of topics on which to write.

Feds

Mastabas were tombs built of mud-bricks. Early pharaohs and pre-dynastic rulers were buried beneath mastabas and later nobles built them for their own use in the Middle and New Kingdom periods.

Mastabas were rectangular and several meters high. Below them were a series of rooms, one of which contained a sarcophagus holding the deceased. Other rooms stored goods deemed necessary for the afterlife, such as food, wine, and tools.

Though mostly looking like rubble now, mastabas when completed would have looked quite majestic, yet simple in form. Time has not been kind to them, probably all of them were looted (and damaged) through the years, and some have even had bricks taken from them for other projects.

Today you can still see mastabas alongside the Great Pyramids of Giza. Unfortunately, they are not taken care of and many tourists climb on them, damaging the 4,600 year-old mud-bricks. Its one thing to climb on stone (I’d love to someday climb the Great Pyramids), but mud-brick is different.

Unlike the massive pyramid projects, mastabas could have been built relatively quickly and cheaply. Still, they were grand monuments to be sure. They were also the pre-cursors of the pyramids. The Step Pyramid of Saqqara was simply a progression of several mastabas built on top of each other. That later nobles could have built such funerary dwellings for themselves says much about the later strength of the nobles classes (and that pharaohs had moved on to other types of tombs for the afterlife).

Feds

The most beautiful city I’ve been to in Egypt is Aswan.

Without a doubt.

Aswan is cleaner, less noisy and, despite the heat, a comfortable small city. It has fantastic ancient Egyptian sites to go visit, such as Philae, The Unfinished Obelisk, The Tombs of the Nobles, and is also the launching pad for the convoys that go to Abu Simbel. Aswan also has the wonderful Nubian Museum, the Mausoleum of Aga Khan and beautiful new coptic church.

Aswan has several major hotels, but both times I’ve been there I stayed in a relatively cheap hostel, which you can easily find. The trip into town from the airport will cost you about 50 L.E., and is one of the few things you really can’t bargain on. Once there, spend some time in the city itself. There are really only 2 streets in Aswan, El Corniche (the street along the Nile that has the same name in just about every city in Egypt) and a street one block West whose name I can’t remember, but is one long market street that the local authorities have been cleaning and sprucing up. The market is full of stores with exotic spices (like indigo so blue it looks otherworldly, cinnamon, anise and others), galabeas (full length gown worn by many Egyptian men and women), blankets with beautiful designs, scarves, miniature ancient Egyptian statues, and dozens of other goods. Walk up and down the street a few times or stop off at one of the corner shops to smoke a sheesha and watch the colorful people and goods pass by.

Look out for the guys along the Corniche offering felucca rides - they’re very good talkers these fellows. Be nice but firm if you want to say no. Be nice but firm if you want a ride but want a good price. Be nice but firm if you want a ride but during your stay in Aswan. They’re very convincing and will try to box you in to hiring them… and they will remember you the next time you see them. Just be honest or you’ll fall under the cross-examination. And have fun.

Aswan has a wonderful mix of Northern Africans and Nubians, a black Africa group of people, many of which had to move into cities like Aswan after their villages and towns succumed to the flooding of Lake Nasser. On the far side the Nile, just below and South of the Tombs of the Nobles is a Nubian village - you can tell by the happy pastel colors they use to decorate their house. When my wife and I tried to visit the village a guard took us through (apparently we couldn’t wander around on our own - for our own safety?) and then took us to a home. After giving us the tour he stopped us in a room where all the women of the household laid out the goods they were making - apparently the tour was going to cost us a little. 20 L.E. for a simple bracelet later we were on our way, a little pissed off, a little glad to pay for the tour anyway.

I won’t go into detail about all the wonderful sites in and around Aswan, but please follow the links there are to relevant posts on the sites themselves. That way I can be much more thorough. If you’d like to know more about Aswan or nearby sites, please leave a comment.

Some other pictures of Aswan:

Feds

Get yourself to Abu Simbel!

If you find your tour doesn’t go there, switch. If you’re doing Egypt on your own, get to Aswan and check at any of the hostels or hotels for tours there. You don’t really want any of the other extras (Aswan High Dam, The Unfinished Obelisk and others) since it’s a long trip already. Once you book you’ll find out it’s an early trip: you get picked up in a bus or mini-van at about 4:30 in the morning, drive to the outskirts of Aswan and wait until the convoy is ready.

Yes, I wrote convoy. Police escort included - we’re going through territory that has a few rough spots. You’ll be glad you left early when you’re there. Towards the end of the 2 hours or so they give you to wander around it starts to get pretty hot… it’s pretty darn close to the border with Sudan. I’ve been there twice, once in July when a fellow traveler’s thermometer on his watch read 48 degrees Centigrade, and once in January, when it still got pretty warm, even if in the rest of Egypt we needed light jackets - maybe 25-30 degrees.

About two hours after the convoy starts you arrive at the site and then have to deal with a ridiculously unprepared ticket selling system (I say ridiculous since the convoys go there everyday and they should have worked out a better way to do it, you’ll see what I mean), but then…

You walk around the corner of an artificial rock hill and, Wow! Abu Simbel, one of the most massive monuments ever built, carved into the rock about 3,300 years ago, during the reign of Ramses II. It faces towards the Nile, warning those from the south who dare to enter Egypt by boat, and reminding all of Egypt’s power at the time. It’s four colossal statues of a seated Ramses II carved into the rock, with smaller statues of his wives reaching up to his knees. Look out for the small statue of Horus in the front at the bottom. To the right there is a smaller set of carvings dedicated to Ramses II’s favorite wife, Nefertari - still a massive undertaking, and beautiful work.

Take your pictures, walk around, and that should be enough, but there’s two more even more fascinating things about Abu Simbel. First, is that the inside of the rock is carved out as well, and a pillared hall inside is dominated by reliefs that are lit up, showing Ramses making offerings to the gods, and an exquisite scene of Ramses on his war chariot, leading the charge before the town of Kadesh, Syria, where the Egyptian army fought a famous battle against the Hittites of Asia Minor for influence in Palestine-Syria. Ramses claims victory in the monument, but the battle is historically viewed as a draw. The reliefs are some of the most beautiful in all Egypt, and the store rooms along the side of the main pillored hall have gorgeous paintings, mostly having to do with Ramses worshiping the various gods of the New Kingdom. Nefertari’s smaller monument also has an inner hall with scenes of Ramses’ greatness, but also with pillars dipicting the god Hathor in her human form.

The second wonder of Abu Simbel is that it was moved 45 years ago. A monumental task almost as great as the original construction, the UN helped raise money and deployed the crews that cut, moved and re-assembled the entire complex to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, created in the early 1960s as a bi-product of the Aswan High Dam. There is a small museum near the entrance to the site that shows the entire process (well worth the look).

Go to Abu Simbel, no matter if you only have 7 days in Egypt, this is half of one of them for sure. And for for the love of all things precious, don’t scrap the reliefs with your day-pack as you walk past - these are ancient!

Feds

Djoser, (sometimes referred to as Zoser or Netjerikhet Djoser) was the king responsible for the huge funerary complex that included the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, built around 2660 BC (that’s 4667 years ago!)

Djoser reined in the 3rd Dynasty, and either founded it or was its second pharaoh (Egypt’s lists of kings often conflict with each other and archaeological evidence). Regardless, not much is known about Djoser, except that the Step Pyramid was built during his reign. Since this was the first such monumental building in Egypt, it must have been either a time of great prosperity or a time of massive unemployment and the building project was undertaken in a ‘New Deal’ type arrangement. Likely it was a time of wealth and stability, for the skilled architects, surveyors, craftsmen and quarrymen needed to construct such a feat must have been considerable. Previously, pharaohs had mastaba tombs built of mud-brick, much simpler structures that were smaller and easier to build.

In Djoser’s time we also know that expeditions were sent to Sinai in order to secure mines for extracting turquoise. Copper was already mined in Sinai, so the area was important for the Egyptian economy. (Copper was used for weapons and tools, while turquoise was used for jewelry). The Bedouin of Sinai often alternated between outright hostility and alliances with Egypt, so expeditions and mining settlements required military presence.

Djoser was remembered in later dynasties as a great leader and other pharaohs sought to be identified or compared with him. Djoser will forever be connected with the high priest and vizier who became his chief architect, Imhotep, who was later deified. It was Imhotep who designed and oversaw the construction of the Step Pyramid.

Feds

In Egyptian mythology, Geb was the son of Shu and Tefnut, and the brother and husband of Nut. Geb’s importance springs from being the father of four of Egypt’s key gods: Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys.

Geb was God of the Earth, and his wife, Nut, the God of the Sky. They were often depicted with Geb lying on his side, Nut arching over him and their father, Shu, holding Nut up. It was said that barley grew out of Geb’s ribs (possibly the symbolism is that as rows were made for planting in Egypt’s black soil, they looked like the ribs of Geb as he lay on his side). Geb’s pose, with a knee pointed in the air and resting on one elbow, was meant to symbolize the hills and valleys of the land. He was depicted with green or dark skin and even sometimes with leaves growing from his body, representing vegetation and the fertility of the earth. Geb was Egypt’s ‘Father Earth’.

At Heliopolis (his cult center), Geb and Nut created a great egg, from which the sun god came. Geb played an important role in the creation of the cosmos and the world. Geb also participated in the afterlife, often appearing as a witness to the judgment of the deceased. He served as an escort to those who were deemed able to go to heaven, and gave them meat and fruit.

Geb’s nickname, “the great cackler”, arose from his association with geese. In fact, his cackles were so great they caused earthquakes. Odd to think that when something as destructive as an earthquake was said to come from laughter.

Geb is usually seen wearing an atef crown or with a goose on his head. He was associated with kingship; when he died, Osiris took the throne of Egypt, and later pharaohs claimed to be his descendant.

Feds

Though I’m sure few people bother to see it, the Nubian Museum in Aswan is a must not miss.

Most people who travel to Egypt learn that there is a group of people called Nubians who lived in what is now northern Sudan southern Egypt, and parts of Ethiopia - the upper parts of the Nile. Much of the area where they lived was flooded by lake Nasser, after the building of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. But aside from those facts, not many people come away from Egypt with any sense of who they were and how Nubians actually contributed substantially to ancient Egypt.

Fortunately, since 1997 there is now a first-class state of the art museum dedicated to Nubians, their history, way of life, relationship with ancient Egyptians, and documenting how the dam changed their lives.

When I say state of the art, I mean it. After suffering through several days at the Egyptian museum in Cairo, the Nubian Museum - while not on par with the Louvre or British Museum - is surprisingly good. Displays of artifacts thousands of years old are temperature and humidity controlled (and you can actually believe it, unlike at some facilities in Cairo) and well labeled and explained in English and Arabic. (I’m not sure but I’d wager French would be soon to follow as French, historically, is important in Egyptology).

Egyptian society was more complex than our two-dimensional view of pharaohs and slaves, and one of the ways we can see the complexity is in its relationship with Nubia: one of trade, war, conquest, plunder, peace, cultural assimilation and influence. Indeed, in the current nation-state of Egypt, the government’s relationship with its Nubian citizens is often complex as well.

Another myth of Egypt, that its civilization began in 3000 B.C., is flatly rejected upon a trip back through old Nubia. Though the northern and southern kingdoms of ancient Egypt were united slightly before that time, some of the aritfacts in the museum date from well before the 4th millenium B.C. and point to a cultural development that stretched back much earlier. Pottery is the main source, with its various design styles and animal drawings, providing us with images of a cultural group that, while not yet on par with the high civilization of the Old Kingdom, was much more developed than modern Western people usually give it credit for or know about.

To get a glimpse of it all in an entertaining way (yes, even museums can be entertaining - there is a model of a Nubian house, huge statues, etc.), check out the Nubian Museum. It’s just South down the Corniche from the Cataract Hotels, a 3 minute walk from the large white Coptic Christian church. Admission is about 20 L.E., but remember they take a rather long siesta from 1:00-5:00 (open from 9am-9/10pm). If you happen to forget, walk back to the church and wander around - the local minister/abbot/pastor? is quite happy to talk about it with visitors.

Feds

What’s your first memory involving Egypt? When did you first hear about it and what did you think?

I can’t remember my first thoughts of Egypt as clearly as I would wish, but they certainly involved ancient Egypt and the pyramids, as they’re the most renown imagine (with the sphinx in front of course). Though Sadat was making peace with Israel and then was assassinated when I was just a toddler, those events didn’t register until years after. Later on, my mother went to Israel on an archaeological dig and managed to get 3 days away to go to Cairo. She brought me back some money (25 piastres) and pictures, but that was when I was already 10 or 11. I did read a story about a young boy in Egypt when i was about 8, probably the first book I read outside of class, but I can’t remember its name. I know that it talked about this boy’s place in a country of pharaohs and builders. It contained pictures of green reeds, dust-colored pyramids and people with gold bracelets.

Around the same time our family started to order National Geographic magazines, so we would have started to receive pictures and descriptions of royal tombs, worker villages and all the amazing discoveries still being found and excavated. I’ve always loved pouring over maps and did so with the pull-outs National Geographic provided, learning the names of Memphis, Thebes, Abu Simbel, Tanis and Menya far before I ever would have encountered them otherwise.

By the time i was in grade 8 I had a fantasy of climbing the Great Pyramid of Cheops/Khufu, and sitting up there for a night. I don’t know why, it just seemed like a good thing to do, to accomplish, and a hell of a place to meditate.

Those are my earlier memories, long before I had the chance to travel there. What were your first memories?

Feds

Few tales have been told and re-told as many times as the death of Osiris at the hands of his brother, Seth, and eventual revenge taken by his son, Horus. The names may change, but how many times has this saga been reenacted throughout the history of monarchies of all the countries of the world: the regecide, the usurper, the rightful claimant. Let’s look at the legend of Osiris’ death.

Part I: Osiris Betrayed

Osiris was the leader of the Gods on Earth, and, by some accounts, an actual king of Egypt at one time who taught the Egyptians the skills of civilization. His brother Seth was jealous of him and lured him into a trap, shutting him in a tamarisk tree trunk and throwing it into the Nile. Seth claimed Osiris’ throne and ruled with an iron fist, upsetting the balance as messured by Ma’at, Goddess of Truth, Balance and Order. Seth was evil and cruel and Egypt suffered under his rule.

Having killed Osiris, no other god dared challenge Seth, except Isis, Osiris’ wife. Isis searched high and low for Osiris’ body and finally found him still in the coffin either perched in a tree beside the Nile, or having floated all the way to Byblos (in modern Lebanon), where the king had used it as a pillar of his palace. Isis took the body back to Egypt and desperately sought a way to restore Osiris’ spirit to his body.

Thoth and Anubis came to help Isis, but before they could revive Osiris, Seth set upon him, cut his body up into 14 pieces and scattered them over all of Egypt. Isis and Osiris’ sister Nephthys found all the the pieces except for the penis, and brought them to Anubis and Thoth, who sewed the pieces together and embalmed them. Isis and Nephthys beat their wings so as to allow Osiris to inhale and his spirit returned to his body. A clay model of a penis was somehow attached and Isis was impregnated.

Though life was restored to Osiris, Maat ruled that he could not remain in the land of the living. He had to go down to the land of the dead, where Anubis stepped aside and allowed Osiris to become the Lord of the Underworld and Judge of the Dead.

Part II: Osiris Avenged

Isis bore Horus and had him raised on an island far away from Seth’s reach (Elephantine?) Though Seth sent serpents to kill Horus, he survived and grew powerful. Finally, having come of age Horus challenged Seth. The two fought for days, and in the end Horus was victorious. Horus did not kill Seth while he had the chance, but allowed him live. A council of gods debated who should rule, Seth maintaining his claim. One proposed solution was a division of Egypt, giving Seth the South and Horus the North. In the end, division was deemed unacceptable, and Seth’s usurpation of Osiris’ throne was rejected.  Horus was made leader of the gods on Earth and Seth was sent into darkness.

Osiris remained in the Underworld and many tombs depict him judging those who had died, either allowing them enter paradise, or sentencing them to be eaten by Ammit. Throughout the history of ancient Egypt, Osiris was at the center of all worship, never losing his importance. His main places of worship were at Abydos and Philae, though he was not merely a local god.  His story and the myths surrounding him deal with the beginnings of Egyptian civilization, the creation of a unified country, the battle of good versus evil, the afterlife, mummification, judgment, and the Egyptian preoccupation with preparing for death.

Feds

Welcome. Despite not knowing much about theme editing, plug-ins and the like, I’m going to start putting out content… I can’t wait to get going on this blog about ancient Egypt.

Why ancient Egypt? Well, for one, there’s not a lot of websites out there with useful information, news and debate about one of the most interesting civilizations to have ever flourished. As I write posts, I will learn more and more about something that’s fascinated me since I was a child. I’ve been to Egypt twice and my parents now live in Cairo, so there’s a lot of reasons, personally, to publish this blog.

So what are we going to discuss? Everything possible about the ancient Egyptians, their lives, surroundings, achievements, beliefs, their rise and ultimate demise. I’m certainly not going to go chronologically, but the tags will allow us to search through topics and dynasties. Most of the posts will naturally focus on the periods from the Old Kingdom until the end of the New Kingdom, but with three exceptions.

The period before the start of the Old Kingdom, from 6000BC to the unification of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms is of crucial importance and is almost without exception never mentioned or treated to all of a paragraph in books about ancient Egypt. Yet this was the period of foundation, cultural awakening and immense technical innovation, without which there never would have been the great dynasties of Egypt we know more about.

The second exception will be posts about the Persian, Greek and Roman empires that included Egypt within their realms, particularly since the former two adopted Egyptian customs and beliefs so thoroughly.

The third exception will be the Arab caliphates and current Egyptian society where they display echoes of ancient Egypt. Visiting Egypt now is far different than it was in Herodotus’ day and I’ll post ideas about how to best see Egypt, where to go and what to experience whether you’re interested in ancient Egypt or not.

I think that’s all that needs to be written now. We’ll move on to posts about Anubis, Karnak, Ramses II, Memphis, Imhotep and Giza.

Once again, welcome. Your comments and suggestions are always encouraged.

Feds