Pathways Egypt

Egypt, it’s fair to say, is one of the most fascinating and surprising countries you can visit. Very often when one speaks of a holiday to a certain country, you can immediately divine from that information what they will do, where they will go and what they will see. In Egypt, things are not like that. There is the stunning historic backdrop of Luxor, to many people the jewel in the crown of Egypt with its temples and fascinating ancient artifacts – along with a museum of mummification. There is the combination of urban modernity with vibrant history that you will find in and around Cairo, too.

Then you have the seaside idyll of Sharm el-Sheikh. Although not possessed of as rich a history as Cairo, Alexandria or Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh has quickly become one of the places to go in Egypt. It may not have the Pyramids, nor the temples or old landmarks that are available in the other places, but it has such incredible natural beauty that any tourist will be captivated at first sight. This is not a case of modern architecture overcoming a bland history, this is a jewel that lay undiscovered for too long, used as a fishing port and naval harbor. Now, it is an essential part of any Egypt tour.

There is so much on offer in Egypt that it is hard to believe that the world ever fell out of love with it. Of course there was always interest in it from people with a firm interest in history, but for some time Egypt fell behind Rome and Greece in the eyes of lovers of Ancient History. The country of Egypt, and many of its towns and cities, owe their renaissance to Muhammad Ali, the modernizing influence who reawakened Alexandria and the country at large. That any modern day Egypt tour will take in so many sites is due in no small part to him

When planning a cheap Egypt tour, it is possible to buy an affordable package trip from any travel agent. Equally, however, you could arrange it yourself and pick the bits that sound best to you.

A commonly known fact is that the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only monument of the original Seven Wonders of the World still standing in the present day. While the superior construction and design of the Pyramid has helped it stand the test of time, one cannot help but poetically wonder if part of its survival can be attributed to its guardian.

The guardian of the great pyramid, and the other pyramids in the Giza complex, is known to all. The Great Sphinx of Giza is, and has always been, a huge tourist drawing point for those wishing to walk on the sands of ancient Egypt. The sphinx is one of the largest surviving monuments of the ancient world, though few are aware of its role within the Giza complex.

Sphinxes in general originate in ancient Egypt, though they appear throughout the classical world. The Egyptian sphinx usually shows the body of a lion a topped with the head of a female, though the Great Sphinx of Giza is somewhat unusual in that it shows the head of a male. The identity of the man the head of the Sphinx is modeled on is subject to much debate, though current Egyptologists now believe it to be the head of the pharaoh Khafra (reigned circa 2558 BC).

The Great Sphinx sits to the east of the Giza Pyramid Complex, facing outward with its back to the second-largest pyramid. As with most sphinxes, its role is that of guardianship over the dead. The pyramids are the tombs of pharaohs, and the Sphinx acts as their protector in the afterlife.

The builder of the Sphinx is unknown, though dating would place its construction around the pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty. Various pharaohs within this dynasty have been attributed with ordering the construction of the Sphinx, but no contemporary documents have been found to verify this. It is likely that this guardian of the fallen pharaohs was ordered and constructed by more than one of the Fourth Dynasty, with the original conception of the idea generally attributed to Djedefra, Khafra’s successor.

There is one thing modern Egyptologists can be sure of, however: whoever constructed the Great Sphinx, it remains one of the most visited attraction in Egypt today.

Egypt is a country with extremely strong links to its past, a place which has one of the longest histories of any in the world. Along with Roman and Greek ancient civilization, Egyptian cultural influence stretched far beyond the boundaries of the country. The legendary Egyptian civilization was responsible for many innovations and works of great craftsmanship relevant to art and historical craft. Among the innovations of Alexandrian craftsmen was the invention of Papyrus, which is recognized by us today as paper.

Of course, Egyptian craftsmanship is defined for many people by the burial processes and tombs of ancient Egypt, not least the legendary pyramids that include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to still be standing today. The Pyramids themselves were built to house the tombs of Egyptian nobles – specifically the Pharaohs and their consorts – and are immediately recognized by just about anyone who sees them. In actual fact, their structure is so recognizable that any three-dimensional triangular shape is now known as a “pyramid”.

The Great Pyramid was built for the fourth generation Pharaoh Khufu, who reigned from 2589-2566 BC and is, interestingly, the builder of the largest building of ancient times and simultaneously the subject of the smallest royal sculpture ever to be found – a statuette in ivory about three inches tall.

Along with the pyramids, other examples of classic Egyptian/Alexandrian craftsmanship are visible in the death masks and sarcophagi that were created for the Pharaohs. The most famous of these would obviously be the incredibly intricate mask created for perhaps the most famous Pharaoh of all time, Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered fully intact in 1922 by the archaeologist Howard Carter. Among the effects found in the tomb, the mask was seen as the one which truly stood out, and has come to represent ancient Egypt in a single image for many people. The importance placed on burial ceremony in Ancient Egypt was reflected very strongly in their traditions and now, millennia later, has come to symbolize an entire ancient civilization for a great many people.