Egyptian Travel Blog

Ancient Egyptians were great lovers of plentiful food and drink. Tomb and temple reliefs show offering tables piled high with food, and tomb scenes depict stages of food preparation. Feasting and picnicking was an intrinsic part of ancient (and modern) Egyptian culture, and great varieties of foodstuffs were used as picnic fodder. Picnics were sometimes held on boats on the river, which you can do aboard a felucca.

Two ancient Egyptian staples were bread and beer, augmented by vegetables such as onions, squashes, cucumbers, and lettuce. Garlic and legumes, such as mulukhaia (lentils) and chickpeas, made up a large part of the diet of rich and poor alike. Cheese and yogurt were also eaten. Wealthier people, of course, were able to afford more varied diets.

The Egyptians ate domesticated animals, fished, and hunted animals and birds. The main domesticates were sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs. The hunted animals, which were often captured live and fattened up before slaughter, were antelopes, gazelles, and, particularly in the Old Kingdom, hyenas. Geese, ducks, pigeons, and other fowl were hunted or bred, and fish were caught from the Nile. Mullet roe was processed and eaten with pleasure; in fact, this roe, known as Egyptian...

Tags: ancient egypt, die, live

On first impression, there is hardly a superlative too vast to capture the epic scale of this city of 12 million-or 14, or 16; no one really knows for sure-that sprawls in all directions. The traffic, the people, the chaotic rhythm of Cairo will all reinforce this impression, threatening to overwhelm you. In many ways Cairo is the proverbial overgrown village, full of little districts and communities that feel much smaller and more intimate than the city of which they're part.

Like so much else in Egypt, Cairo's charm is a product of its history, its network of districts and communities the physical remains of a thousand years of being conquered and reconquered by different groups. The city didn't really begin, as you might expect, with the pharaohs; they quartered themselves in nearby Memphis and Heliopolis, areas only recently overtaken by Cairo's outward urban spread. The Pyramids at Giza, on the west bank of the Nile, mislead the eye in search of Cairo's origins because this has always been an east-bank city, albeit one that moved west as siltation caused the Nile itself to move west. It's only in the past 40 years that the city has moved faster than...

Of all the cultural mysteries passed down from the ancient world, none beguiles us more than that of the Great Pyramid of Ancient Egypt. Dr Aidan Dodson charts their golden age and illustrates the significance of these 'magical machines' to the ordinary Egyptian.

Egyptian world of the dead:
For ancient Egyptians, it was of key importance that when someone died their physical body should continue to exist on earth, so they could progress properly through the afterlife. Consequently, providing proper eternal accommodation for their body after they had died was very important to them. The afterlife they wanted to attain was thought of as a bigger and better version of the earthly Egypt - and in it they were to live close to their family and friends.

There was one exception to this rather homely vision of the next world. This was for the king, already a divine being on earth, who would complete his apotheosis on death. According to the earliest set of texts dealing with the next world, the Pyramid Texts, which were inscribed inside the royal tombs of 2500-2300 BC, the king would dwell with his fellow gods in the entourage of the sun-god, Re. He would...

Tags: the great pyramid gateway to eternity

The recent robotic explorations of the 'air-shafts' in the Great Pyramid have demonstrated that there are still many mysteries surrounding the ancient monument. Ian Shaw discusses the debate around the building of the great structure and investigates the methods used in its construction.

Great debate:
Since at least the time of the ancient Greeks, there has been considerable debate about exactly how the Egyptians constructed King Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza.

Few texts concerning Egyptian engineering methods have survived the centuries, and in recent years experimental archaeology has been the main means for discovering the methods used for building the structure. Despite this, there are still many questions concerning the quarrying, dressing and transportation of the stone building blocks, let alone the methods by which they were placed meticulously in position. And there are further questions still about how the gigantic edifice was erected on a totally horizontal base, and aligned precisely with the stars.

Levelling:
Between 1880 and 1882, Flinders Petrie, the first truly scientific archaeologist to work in Egypt, undertook some careful survey work on the Giza plateau. This was the site of the pyramid complexes of the rulers Khufu, Khafra and ë - all of whom lived...

Tags: building the great pyramid

Fringe beliefs:
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for King Khufu (known to the Greeks as Cheops) some four and a half thousand years ago. It is a structure of such awe-inspiring dimensions that many people across the centuries have found it hard to credit its creation to human beings. And even harder to realise that these human beings had not fully mastered the use of, say, the simple rope pulley, let alone explosives, mechanical diggers, power drills, cranes and helicopters.

Quite apart from its sheer size (until the construction of the Eiffel Tower at the end of the 19th century, it was by far the tallest building in the world), the Great Pyramid is also an astonishing feat of geometrical accuracy. And there is evidence to suggest that its builders had a remarkably precise knowledge of astronomy, too.

Today, thanks to the labours of generations of scholars, we have constructed a pretty clear account of how this remarkable work was achieved. Archaeologists have traced the technical development of the pyramid form from earlier types of Egyptian tombs; uncovered the quarries from which its stones were cut and hauled; located the remains of the barracks complex in which the...

Tags: a short history of pyramidology

There has long been a fascination in Britain with the world of ancient Egypt. What is it about this mysterious civilisation that so catches the imagination?

A popular subject:
Five thousand years ago the chain of independent city-states lining the River Nile united to form one long, thin country ruled by one king, or pharaoh. Almost instantly a highly distinctive culture developed. For almost 30 centuries Egypt remained the foremost nation in the Mediterranean world. Then, in 332 BC, the arrival of Alexander the Great heralded the end of the Egyptian way of life.

The unique culture was quickly buried beneath successive layers of Greek, Roman and Arabic tradition, and all knowledge of Egypt's glorious past was lost. Only the decaying stone monuments, their hieroglyphic texts now unreadable, survived as silent witnesses to a long lost civilisation.

Some 2,000 years on, however, the ancient hieroglyphs have been decoded and Egyptology - the study of ancient Egypt - is booming. At a time when Latin and ancient Greek are rapidly vanishing from the school curriculum, more and more people are choosing to read hieroglyphs in their spare time. And the Egyptian galleries of our museums are packed with visitors, while the...

Tags: ancient egypt and the modern world

Enjoying Egypt depends on choosing the best options for you and your group in regards to your transportation and accommodations. There are only a few ways to travel in Egypt.

• Cruise       

Nearly all tour groups use the Nile River and offer cruises from Luxor to Aswan. People fly into Luxor, Board the cruise boats, and use it as their base. Because of the amenities onboard, like dining facilities, swimming pool, shows, programs, and accommodations; few tourists find there selves mingling with the Egyptian people or exploring the local shops and restaurants. Visitors are transported via tour buses to and from archaeological sites.

• Train

To transverse the entire country via the Nile, the Egyptian train is for the most independent traveler. The cars are divided into first, second, and third class. First class and second class are reserved for tourists only. The differences between the two are the cleanliness and cost. On all tourists cars, armed train marshals are visually present and are always roaming through out the cars. When the train pulls into a stop, the security personnel monitors the boarding platform until departure time.

• Taxi   

In the local areas including Cairo, taxis are the only mode...

Tags: egypt, family, fun, group, travel

There is something very special about Egypt. When you get there head straight for Cairo and see the Pyramids and the Sphinx; cruise the Nile and enjoy. Egypt is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean Sea; on the east by Israel and the Red Sea; on the south by Sudan and on the west by Libya. Cairo is the largest city and the capital of Egypt one of the most modern in Africa. When people think about Egypt they often think of Sahara desert and the pyramids, but actually Egypt is so rich with other treasures and wonders from various civilizations that it can be considered one of the largest outdoor museums in the world.

What to do when you travel to Egypt

Egypt is the land of the Pharaohs with a myriad of ancient sites and wonderful holiday experiences: the Giza Pyramids outside Cairo, the Valley of the Kings and Queens in Luxor, the everlasting beauty of the Aswan, the mighty temple of Abu Simbel Karnak Temples, the Hatshepsut Temple, the Edfu Temple,the Kom Ombe Temple, the Philae Temple, the High Dam- there is no doubt that visitors can have the best holiday in Egypt they will...

Tags: cairo, egypt, family, fun, travel

We arrived in Cairo yesterday where we proceeded to sleep the whole afternoon - defeating the purpose of arriving early before the tour begins. Since I was up for 48 hours prior to departure packing and re-packing--- the 12 hours flight from JFK to Cairo was a breeze. I slept 2 hours of the 12, only to wake up for meals.

We arrived in Cairo and welcomed the dry warm breeze as we exited the plane and boarded the transit bus. If only we knew how harsh Egyptian "winter/spring" was - we wouldn't have "welcomed" such breeze.

Our hotel is located inside of Cairo - a cross the street from the nile The drive from the airport to the hotel introduced us to the sand, sun, and what do you know --- we can see the desert just off the highway! And people thought one had to drive out of town to see it.

Tags: cairo egypt, family fun, shoping

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