We started our tour on Wednesday afternoon ,crossing the lake to the shore where we could spot three sites. The first was the oldest among them as it dates back to the reign of both kings, Tutmoses lll and his son Amunhotep ll which is around 1400 BC. The temple of Amada was rescued by the French team once they had come up with a sophisticated plan to transfer the temple before the water to reach. First of all they built a track meanwhile , they had sawn the temple up from the base then managed to chain and left over a flat car in order to drag it across that track. They were able to bull it at least for 1.6 KM ,then it took the lake less than three month to cover the original site. Amada temple is an outstanding one with it's vivid colours and scenes as well as the amount of the Nubian graffiti which represent their tribes and soldiers on their way to fight the Roman garrisons northward. In addition to the interesting offering scenes.The second temple at Amada site was El Derr whi...

ships or the Nubian cruises sail between Aswan and Abu Simbel for 3 and 4 night journeys through Lake Nasser to discover the Legends of Nubia and the majestic temples and ruins of the region, a cruise holiday on Lake Nasser allow unforgettable experience of dining by candlelight on board the cruise mooring beside Abu Simbel temples the Egypt’s best treasure after the Great Pyramids of Giza . the names of these ships are: 1-M S Jaz Omar El Khayyam 2- MS Eugenie Lake Cruise 3- MS Kasr Ibrim Lake Cruise 4- MS Movenpick Prince Abbas 5- MS Nubian Sea Lake Cruise 6- MS Tania Lake Nasser Cruise 7- MS African Dreams Lake Cruise Sailing lake Nasser on board of one of these ships is the most enjoyable way to reach these temples . they are most famous cruise-ships in lake Nasser and among the best ones in Egypt. These massive cruise- ship has unique features as it has larger cabins than other lake cruisers and giant deluxe suites ,also an outstanding design allow all cabins to enjoy the view with...

As a tour guide since 1993 Among my best trips ever, within the Egyptian historical lands, was a trip to the Nubian Desert identified as The Golden Nile. It included all of the fantastic temples that Egypt built about three and half thousand years ago for the use of the ancient Egyptians and the Nubian tribes who were passing our borders .The nations so often called "Nubians " were bordering our southern provinces a lot of them were from north of Sudan or lower Nubia .The massive Egyptian desert between Egypt and Sudan had some famous routs of trade and the Nubians were dealers and suppliers of African goods and specially gold, therefore they had the title Nebu which means in the hieroglyphics the ones of gold. Lower Nubians and ancient Egyptians had always mutual relation in too many aspects including commerce and defense while middle and upper or southern Nubians in our intermediate periods started to be competitors. Generally the history of Nubia describes the Nubians to s...

No trip to Egypt is complete without at least one visit to a koshary restaurant. These Egyptian "fast food" restaurants offer only one thing: koshary (macaroni, lentils, rice, chick peas and fried onions smothered in spicy tomato sauce). El-Tahrir is considered one of the best. The marble floors here are kept immaculately clean and it is hassle-free. Simply order at your table and pay on the way out. Koshary comes in three sizes and each table provides two bottles - one contains hot chili sauce and the other is a garlic, lemon and spice mix. Soft drinks are available too. Abou Tarek is one of the most famous restaurants in Cairo, if not the whole of Egypt. It's not the sort of place you go to for a lingering, four course meal, because it really serves only one thing: koshary. Koshary is the best contender for Egypt's national dish, and it's certainly the food that Egyptians living abroad miss the most. Koshary is a carbohydrate bomb: a mixture of different types ...

An Egyptian-American expedition has found the burial chamber of a priest named Karakhamun (TT223). The tomb dates to Dynasty 25 (c. 755BC) and was uncovered during conservation and restoration work on the west bank of Luxor. Farouk Hosny, Minister of Culture, announced this discovery today and added that the restoration work of this tomb is part of a much larger initiative, known as the South Asasif Conservation Project (ACP). The el-Asasif area is a very important site, which contains nobles’ tombs from the New Kingdom as well as the 25-26th Dynasties. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that the team found the burial chamber of Karakhamun at the bottom of an 8m deep burial shaft. The chamber is in very good condition and contains beautifully painted scenes. The entrance to the chamber is decorated with an image of Karakhamun and the ceiling is decorated with several astrological scenes, including a depiction of the sky goddess Nut. The lea...

The month of fasting known to the Muslim world is coming to an end. With less than 24 hours to go we eagerly wait for the sun to set and for the four days of festivities of Eid El Fitr to begin Ramadan, is a month where Muslims world-wide fast from sunrise to sunset, (are not allowed to consume any kind of food or beverage during sunlight hours), this strict act of discipline is to remind them of their blessings, to relate to those less fortunate of themselves, as well as time for reflecting on one’s acts and behavior for the past year. This month is special and sacred to Muslims because they are able to ask for forgiveness and erase their sins for the past year. Hence, the celebration of being ‘purified’. How is Eid El Fitr (or the small Eid) celebrated? Days before the end of the fasting month, families go out and buy Eid clothes, to wear on the first day of the feast. For Non Muslim’s the best way to interpret the act is as new clothes that you receive for Christmas or wearing your ...

The month of fasting known to the Muslim world is coming to an end. With less than 24 hours to go we eagerly wait for the sun to set and for the four days of festivities of Eid El Fitr to begin Ramadan, is a month where Muslims world-wide fast from sunrise to sunset, (are not allowed to consume any kind of food or beverage during sunlight hours), this strict act of discipline is to remind them of their blessings, to relate to those less fortunate of themselves, as well as time for reflecting on one’s acts and behavior for the past year. This month is special and sacred to Muslims because they are able to ask for forgiveness and erase their sins for the past year. Hence, the celebration of being ‘purified’. How is Eid El Fitr (or the small Eid) celebrated? Days before the end of the fasting month, families go out and buy Eid clothes, to wear on the first day of the feast. For Non Muslim’s the best way to interpret the act is as new clothes that you receive for Christmas or wearing your...

The Valley Of The Queens The Valley of the Queens, in Arabic Wadi al-Malakat, in ancient times was called Ta Set Neferu, a phrase that can mean The Place of Beauty and also The Place of Royal Children and Wives. It was used in the New Kingdom as a burial place for several royal wives, princesses, and princes. It is a lovely place, this small, Ushaped wadi, curving south and west. Rugged limestone cliffs jut upward, their strata turning and twisting in dramatic contrast to the horizontal beds of other Theban hills. There is a small cave at the base of these cliffs and when it rained, water would pour into it and then flow through the valley. (The watercourse follows the left side of the modern road and footpath.) Some Egyptologists believe it was this feature that caused the valley to be selected for royal burials: the cave represented the womb of Hathor, the celestial cow, and water meant fertility. Burial here would by a physical symbol of rebirth in the afterlife.The valley’s floor ...

the advent of Islam early in the seventh century A.D. ushered in a new era and Al-Fustat, the first Islamic capital of Egypt marked a definite turning point. The Islamic intellectual revival, particularly in the natural sciences and philosphy, was accompanied by new styles in architecture which still developed under the various dynasties that ruled Islamic Egypt- the Omayyads, the Tpulounids, the Fatimids, the Ayyoubids, the Mamelukes, and finally the Ottomans. # Mosques # Islamic Buildings # Islamic Monuments Mosques: Mosque of Amr Ibn al-Aas: Founded by Amr Inb al-Aas in 642(21H), north of the site of thre Roman Fortress of Babylon, it is considered to be the earliest mosque in Egypt. Simple in design, its present plan consists of an open sahn ( court ) surrounded by four riwags, the largest being the Qiblah riwag with marble pillars. Al-Aqmar Mosque: Built in 519 H. (1125 AD) by the Al-AMer Bi-Ankham Allah, this mosque is in Al-Muezz Li-Din Allah Street. It is one of the rare Fati...

The world of Cleopatra, which has been lost to the sea and sand for nearly 2,000 years, surfaces in this new exhibition, Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt, making its world premiere at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Organized by National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), the exhibition features never before seen artifacts, and takes visitors inside the present-day search for Cleopatra, which extends from the sands of Egypt to the depths of the Bay of Aboukir near Alexandria. The Exhibition Galleries Introduction Theater A four-minute movie opens the exhibition. Visitors are introduced to the parallel stories of Dr. Zahi Hawass and Franck Goddio, who are leading searches for Cleopatra VII from the sands of Egypt to the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. As soon as the movie ends, visitors encounter a statue of a Ptolemai...