Umm Kolthoum Museum devoted to the famous Egyptian singer Umm Kolthoum is located Al Manyal, Cairo. The Museum was not in Umm Kolthoum’s home since her villa has been torn down and replaced with a hotel and apartment complex. Umm Kolthoum museum is housed in the Manasterly, a 150-year-old palace overlooking the Nile river in Cairo, on the island of Manyal. Umm...
Tourist Attractions In Aswan | Ankh | Aswan, Egypt’s sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town, has a distinctively African atmosphere. Small enough to walk’ around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Corniche watching the sailboats etch the...
Kitchener’s Island | Ankh | Kitchener’s Island is one of two major islands on the Nile in vicinity of Aswan, the other one being Elephantine. It is officially known as Island of Plants, but the most common name refers to Consul general Kitchener, who was given this island in 1890, and established a botanical garden here through the early 20th century. The...
Abu Simbel temples lies far to the south of the ancient borders of Egypt, in the land of Nubia. Two magnificent rock-cut temples were built here by the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Ramesses II (ca. 1304-1237 BC). The larger of the two, the Great Temple, was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ptah, Re-Horakhty, and the deified Ramesses II, while the Small Temple was assigned to the...
Abydos was Revered in ancient times as the burial place and cult center of Osiris, the king of the underworld, Abydos (ancient Abedju) was an important pilgrimage destination and necropolis from the Predynastic era into Christian times (ca. 4000 BC-AD 641). The area of Umm el-Qa’ab (Arabic for “Mother of pots”), located far out in the low desert, contains the tombs...
Pyramid of Djoser | Ankh | The most prominent monument at Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, first king of the 3rd Dynasty (ca. 2650-2575 BC). This structure, believed to have been designed by a high official named Imhotep is the first pyramid and the earliest example of large-scale stone construction in Egypt. The Step Pyramid of Djoser stands at the heart of a...
Akhmim | Ankh | The town of Akhmim stands on the ruins of the ancient town of Ipu, dedicated to the fertility god Min. This town was the capital of the 9th Upper Egyptian nome, and was occupied from prehistoric times through to the end of pharaonic history. It was once home to an immense temple complex dediated to Min, supposedly larger than the complex of Amun at...
Cairo Citadel | Ankh | Cairo Citadel , or The Citadel of the Mountain (Qal‘at al-Jabal) in Cairo is one of the major works of military architecture of the middle ages. Situated on a spur that was artificially cut out of the Muqattam Hills, the Citadel dominates the city of Cairo and turns its back to the rocky hills and the desert behind. Cairo Citadel History The...
Abusir pyramids | Ankh | Abusir is located in the desert west of Cairo, between Giza and Saqqara. The site is dominated by the remains of seven pyramid complexes, five of which can be deated securely to the 5th Dynasty (2504-2347 B.C.): those of Sahure, Niuserre, Neferirkare, Neferefre, and Queen Khentakawes II. A number of papyrus archives have been found in...