Ancient sites and sand
Mastabas Early kings of Egypt were not buried in pyramids, instead they were buried in smaller buildings called Mastabas. The word means ‘bench’. Mastabas are mutli-roomed tombs that are built above-ground. THey can be very elaborate and contain many storage rooms and passageways. Mastabas are usually rectangular, with a flat roof and slightly sloping walls. […]
Read MoreDavid Roberts Perhaps one fo the first things that drew me to Egypt was a book of the fabulous paintings/lithographs of the Scottish artist David Roberts (1796-1864). He was the first British artist to sketch the monument, and did so during a two and a half month journey along the Nile. He travelled over 800 […]
Read MoreMummification Mummifcation is the act of embalming and wrapping a body for burial. It was practiced by the the Egyptians throughout most of their history. It was performed for everyone, although those with more money obviously got a better job, with the pharaoh receiving the most complex ritual. FOr a pharaoh, it would take 70 […]
Read MoreOases Something like 90% of the population of Egypt lives within a few miles of the Nile. The river provides rich farmland and other resources. Most of the country is inhospitable desert, with only a few areas in the desert fit for habitation. Egypt has several major oases. Fayoum The enormous lake Qaoun is here, […]
Read MorePyramid History While pyramids exist all over the world, the spectular monuments in Egypt capture the imagination and represent the whole of Egyptian history. Pyarmids evolved throughout the course of Egyptian history from small mound-like mastabas that morphs into the stepped pyramid in the third Dynasty adn then to various forms of the true pyarmid […]
Read MoreWhen I told a friend of mine that we were traveling to Egypt, one of the first things he said was , “You’d better get used to being ignored or treated like a second class citizen.” Much has been made of the differences in the way women are treated in Muslim countries
Read MoreBooks Books Books!! My favorite part of trip planning is the unrestrained book-buying! Oh, I’m sure that some people buy one or two guidebooks and think that is enough. This definitely does not describe me! Our trip to Scotland resulted in something like five feet of books — from the travel guides to the history […]
Read MoreSo, what does dressing conservatively mean? I’ve read tons of posts on travel newsgroups and travel sites that “I wear shorts everywhere, no one says anything”, or that bathing topless is fine in Hurghada or Sharm-el-Sheik. Tourists probably get a pass on some things, but why worry.
Read MoreOne of the things that we heard a lot about before leaving was “everyone asks for money!” Some people’s travelogues and forum postings seemed angry and frustrated at this custom, and many felt “screwed” by everyone that they met. A few even said it “ruined their trip”. Get a grip. Yes, baksheesh is expected — […]
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