Luxor Temple Founded perhaps as early as the reign of Ahmose, but begun certainly by the time of Hatshepsut, Luxor Temple was constructed primarily during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Ramesses II (all during the New Kingdom, ca. 1500-1200 BC). Other kings, including Tutankhamun, Horemheb, and Alexander the Great, also added decoration or minor structures to this...
A major restoration project of the site of Pompeys Pillar in Alexandria was recently completed by the Supreme Council of Antiquities. It is now an impressive open museum and one of the finest archaeological examples of the Greco-Roman Period in Egyptian history. Pompeys Pillar itself stands at the top of a hill in the oldest part of the city of Alexandria. Once the...
Gayer Anderson Museum | Ankh | The House of the Cretan Woman, Bayt al-Kritliyya is an example of upper class medieval Cairene tastes. The house is located in the southeast corner of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Sayeda Zainab and is now part of the Gayer Anderson House complex. The Gayer-Anderson House is actually made up of two 17th century houses stuck together. Gayer...
Philae Temple | Ankh | The original site of Philae lies underneath the waters of Lake Nasser; however, with the help of UNESCO, the entire temple was relocated to a new island, Agilkia, just south of Aswan. The earliest monuments on the island date are from the reign of Nectanebo I, while the largest structure on the island is the Temple of Isis, whose earliest...
Sehel Island | Ankh | The Island of Sehel is about 4km south of Aswan, in the Nile to the north of the old Aswan Dam. In ancient times travellers on their way to Nubia, or who had just returned from an expedition to the south, would make a pilgrimage to the sacred Sehel island and leave inscriptions recording their appeals or prayers of gratitude for help in safely...
The Ramesseum is the memorial temple of the great warrior king Ramesses II. One of the largest and best-preserved of these temples, this “Mansion of Millions of Years” contains the fallen colossus that inspired Percy Bysshe Shelleys poem, Ozymandias. Scenes from the king’s great Battle of Qadesh (in which only Ramesses II’s personal valor...
The Temple of Ptah is one of the most remarkable landmarks in ancient Egypt, dedicated to the god Ptah, the deity of craftsmen and creation. Located in the heart of Memphis, the temple served as a central religious and cultural hub, attracting pilgrims and rulers alike. Understanding the significance of the Temple not only unveils ancient Egyptian religious practices...
Tell El Amarna is the site of the short-lived city of Akhetaten (“Horizon of the Aten”), founded by the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten as his new capital. The city was central in the king’s vision to replace the traditional state religion, with Amu-Re as its chief god, by the cult of the Aten, the sun disc. At Tell El Amarna , Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti...
Abdeen Palace Museum | Ankh | Abdeen Palace Museum is a palace in central Cairo, Egypt. It was one of the palaces of the former Egyptian royal family, the descendants of Mohamed Ali. It was built by Khedive Ismail, though he never actually lived in it. Construction of Abdeen Palace started in 1863 and continued for 10 years but the palace was officially inaugurated...