Panel with inscription Inv. No. 928 Ivory The Church of Anba Shenouda, 13th century A rare panel of a sanctuary door carved in fine relief with verses from a Psalm in Coptic: “I was glad when they said unto me,
The Citadel Of Saladin The Citadel Of Saladin was built by Saladin El Ayouby, towards the end of the 12th century. He was once a famous king and army leader, as well as the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty. The Citadel has
The city of Hurghada is another major tourist attraction in Egypt. Hurghada is located on the Red Sea coast, almost 550 km from Cairo. Egyptians once called it Ghardaka, from which the name of the city was derived. Hurghada attracts more than
Although the Greek historian Herodotus claims that only men could be priests in ancient Egypt, the Egyptian record argues otherwise. Women could be priests of the cult of their goddess from the Old Kingdom onward and were accorded the same respect as their male counterparts. Usually
Dating back to the New Kingdom, the 18th Dynasty, during the reign of Amenhotep III, The Colossi of Memnon is a mortuary temple located in Thebes. The mortuary temple of the pharaoh is guarded by two, 20-meter-high statues that were
Egyptian culture incorporated this concept of immortality quite nicely into their religious system through the Osiris myth. In fact, a minority of historians believe that Osiris was an actual real human being at one time in Egyptian history—perhaps an ancient ruler who experienced
THE COPTIC LANGUAGE The Coptic Language is the Egyptian Language in its last phase. It was written with the letters of the Coptic alphabet which is derived from Greek letters and Demotic Egyptian signs. It differs in some
THE COPTIC MONASTERIES TODAY The monastery is a school for spirituality. Many people visit the monastery to receive the blessings by attaining the liturgy in the monastery, or to visit the holy place and enjoy peace. Others stay for a
The Coptic Museum in Cairo is located inside the ruins of the Roman Fort of Babylon. The museum is in the Maser El Qadema neighborhood in central Cairo, an area which is full of Coptic Churches and chapels such as the
The Narmer Palette, an ancient Egyptiancermonial engraving, depicts the great king Narmer (c. 3150 BCE) conquering his enemies with the support and approval of his gods. This piece, dating from c. 3200-3000 BCE, was initially thought to be an accurate historical depiction of
Each home had its own altar which had to be kept clean and neat. People did not go to the temples in town to worship their gods but held private ceremonies and rituals in their houses. These altars would usually
Ptolemaic Egypt rapidly established itself as an economic powerhouse of the ancient world at the end of the 4th century BCE. The wealth of Egypt was owed in large part to the unrivalled fertility of the Nile, which served as the breadbasket of
Egyptians were very concerned about the fate of their souls after death, and built tombs, created grave goods and gave offerings to preserve the bodies and spirits of the dead. They believed humans possessed ka, or life-force, which left the
Material Objects & Cultures Material objects convey volumes about the people who possessed them. Cultures and societies in every generation are in part classified – either correctly or incorrectly – by the objects or symbols they select and how they
The Egyptian God Seth is also known as the god of chaos. According to popular Egyptian mythology it would certainly seem that he created plenty of mayhem. Scholars believe Seth’s cult was one of the oldest in Egypt. Some pharaohs honored
When a person died, they were brought to the embalmers who offered three types of service. According to Herodotus: “The best and most expensive kind is said to represent [Osiris], the next best is somewhat inferior and cheaper, while the third
The Exodus in ancient Egypt refers to a time when the Israelites were led out of Egypt by Moses. The Israelites had been in Egypt for hundreds of years, and eventually became so numerous that the Pharaoh decided he couldn’t
The First Plague Recent archaeological evidence has been unearthed, however, that lends validity to the account of the plagues in ancient Egypt, although they have been attributed to natural, environmental phenomena rather than to a deity. Due to the time frame of
The Giza Plateau Located on the Giza Plateau, the Great Sphinx of Giza is one of several monuments in the area, which includes the Giza Necropolis. The Giza Plateau is a sandy plateau in Giza, Egypt that overlooks the West bank
The Grand Egyptian Museum, one of the largest global museums and the largest of one civilization, which the whole world is waiting for its opening, due to the artifacts it contains, which number more than 50 thousand artifacts, including the
Ancient Egypt enjoyed a long and varied history. Knowledge of Egyptian chronology is necessary to understand the country’s history. Scholars divide the history of Egypt into periods and dynasties but these do not always reflect changes in royal lines. Sometimes,
THE HISTORY OF THE BABYLON FORTRESS In “A Guide to the Ancient Coptic Churches of Cairo”, O.H.E. KHS-Burmester records significant historical information about the fortress area. According to him, Ptolemy (121-151 A.D.), in his book “Geography”, mentions a town named
20th century CE – the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt was not a time of chaos and confusion, and the Hyksos did not conquer the whole of Egypt. Their influence extended only as far south as Abydos, and in the
Ancient Egyptians loved life, but their life expectancy reached only 40 years old at best. They wanted their lives to continue beyond death, and strongly believed in preservation of the body and providing the deceased with all of the essentials they
The Museum Of Islamic Art In Cairo The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo is considered to be one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. The museum hosts more than 104,000 displays reflecting the greatness of
The location of the Luxor Museum: You can find the Luxor Museum on the East Bank of the Nile in Luxor between Karnak Temple in the North and Luxor Temple in the South. The museum grounds are 55
The Malawi Monuments Museum houses a collection of artifacts from the nearby sites of Tuna al-Gebel and Hermopolis. Among the objects on display are a number of animal mummies and statues associated with the worship of the god Thoth.
The Middle Kingdom Time Period The Middle Kingdom lasted from 2055 B.C. to 1650 B.C. and included the 11th and 13th dynasty. First Pharaoh Mentuhotep II is credited with being the founder of the Middle Kingdom. He ruled from Thebes after defeating the 10th dynasty rulers
The Mosque Of Ahmed ibn Tulun The Founder Ahmad Ibn Tulun ( 263-265 A.H.) was born around 835 A.D. He was one of the Turkish commanders in Samarra, located in Iraq. He received his military and theological training in
The Mosque Of Al Hakim Egypt is particularly famous for the diversity and multitude of its Islamic monuments built through different eras. The building of Islamic monuments in Egypt began when the Moslems first opened Egypt in
The mosque of Al Refaie’ is considered one of the most remarkable Islamic structures in all of Cairo. The mosque is located in the Qala’a which is situated right in front of the citadel, just facing the great Mosque of Al Sultan Hassan.
The Mosque Of Amr Ibn El-Aas The Mosque of Amr Ibn El-Aas, constructed by Amr Ibn Al-As in 642 AD, is the first mosque built in both Egypt and Africa. Amr was an Arab general who fought against the
The Mosque of Mohamed Ali The Mohamed Ali Mosque, or the Alabaster Mosque, is one of Egypt’s most interesting mosques. It stands proudly on the highest point inside the Citadel of Saladin’s courtyard. The architect, Yousif Boushnaq, was a Turkish
A historical background The Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities is considered to be one of the oldest, most famous, and largest museums in the world. The Egyptian Museum has a long history that dates back to the year 1825 when Mohamed Ali Pasha,
The Museum Of Islamic Art In Cairo The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo is considered to be one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. The museum hosts more than 104,000 displays reflecting the greatness of
The Open Air Museum at Memphis is one of the truly “must see” sites in Egypt! The trip from Cairo is only 45 minutes, the museum is only 20 Km to the south, and the entrance fee is an affordable 80 LE.
The National Museum Of Alexandria is located in the Horeya Street and is the former the residence of a prominent timber trading businessman, Asa’ad Basily. He constructed his villa in the Italian style.and it stretches over an area of 3,480
The New Kingdom Time Period The New Kingdom lasted from about 1550 B.C. to 1070 B.C. and it included the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties. First Pharaoh The First Pharaoh of the New Kingdom and the 18th dynasty was Ahmose. He reigned from 1550-1525
The Nile River has certainly played a critical role in the history of ancient Egypt. Famous as the longest river in the world, the river got its name from the Greek word Neilos, which means valley. The Nile floods the lands
The area of Nubia is located between Aswan to the north and the city of Debba in Sudan to the south. It is strange that the name “Nubia” was never mentioned in the ancient Egyptian language and in fact it
