Ancient Egypt

Pharaoh Tutankhamun

Ancient Egypt was one of the world's first known and longest living civilizations. Some of its most iconic monuments and the Pyramids of Giza, are 4,500 years old. Egyptian culture has thrived as part of the Ancient Greece|Hellenistic Empire and the Roman Empire and the Islamic Ottoman Empire and the British Empire and present-day Egypt. While Egypt has since changed its dominant religion twice (first to Christianity then to Islam) and its language once (to Arabic), Ancient Egyptian legacy still plays a major role in the self image of the nation, as does the Nile, about which the oldest poems and songs still known to man were written.

Introduction

The banks of the Nile River have been inhabited since time immemorial. Written records started to appear around 3000 BC, with the Early Dynastic Period and one of the world's first known monarchies. Ancient Egyptian history is divided between the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) and the Middle Kingdom (2134–1690 BC) and the New Kingdom (1549–1069 BC), each of them surviving five hundred years, still preceding any known civilizations in mainland Europe. To give an idea of the timespans involved: the pyramids were older to Julius Caesar than he is to us and he was still dealing with an independent Egyptian state claiming — despite its Greek descendant rulers — to be the same state that built the pyramids.

Egypt spent some time gradually developing as a civilization, but was one of the main civilizations in the world by the time the pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom. While Egypt went through periods of ups and downs, it was not until later in its history that Egypt began to build an empire and come in conflict with the Hittites.

It was around 1300 BC that Egypt was at its height and reached far along the Nile and extended north to the land of the Hittites, however over the next few hundred years Egypt declined (coincidentally, around the same time that Palestine became one of the dominant groups in this area) and from about 500 BC onwards the Egyptians were under the control of various other empires. Around 30 BC, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.

Destinations

• Abu Simbel

The original location of Abu Simbel was put in danger when it was decided that a reservoir would be created over this historic site. Therefore, Abu Simbel was actually moved to a new location so it would not be lost in the depths of the lake. It is now one of Ancient Egypt’s great tourism attractions.

• Abusir

• Abydos

• Alexandria

Thit is where the Greeks built a giant lighthouse that is now one of the seven wonders of the world, however the lighthouse no longer stands.

• Dendera

• Fayum Nearby Meidum is the site of one of the oldest pyramids, of the step type, built by the ancient Egyptians.

• Giza Famous for its pyramids and actually surprisingly close to the urban sprawl of modern Cairo. The highest of the pyramids is one of the seven wonders of the world.

• Luxor

• Memphis (Egypt) | Memphis

• Aswan

• Saqqara

• Valley of the Kings

Perhaps the most legendary of all the sites related to Ancient Egypt; this valley is where the great Egyptian pharaohs were buried.