Egypt "The Cradle of Civilization"

Location Details

Egypt is a transcontinental country that is in the northeastern corner of Africa and the southwestern corner of Asia. Egypt's border countries are Israel, Libya, and Sudan. Egypt's major waterways consists of the Nile River, Lake Nasser, and the Alexandria-Cairo waterway. You can enjoy warm summers and cool nights in Egypt. You can even visit Egypt's capital Cairo.

Egypt night and day close to waterways.

Historical Information

Before you visit Egypt's one of a kind attractions, you should know a little back round information. The Old Kingdom came first. The first Egyptian king was King Menes. King Menes lived a short time before 3100 BC. During the Old Kingdom pharaohs ordered the building of some of the first pyramids. However the Old Kingdom shortly ended when Egypt fell into war and disorder in 2181 BC. As they fell into war the kingdom was divided into a lower (southern) Egypt and a upper (northern) Egypt.

Pyramids in the Old Kingdom

After war was settled, there came the Middle Kingdom. The middle Kingdom lasted until 1650 BC. The Middle Kingdom was a period filled with art and literature developments. It was then that pyramids were being built more extravagantly.

Famous art and literature of the time.

The Middle Kingdom was followed by a brief Intermediate period. It was then that native Egyptians drove Hyskos (the people who in Old Kingdom through war captured lower Egypt) out of lower Egypt and took it back. After that the Egyptian kingdom was once again whole.

Egyptians going to war with weapons and their God of War Montu with the mask of death.

Shortly following that was the New Kingdom. From 1550-1070 BC Egypt was rich and powerful once more. This era is when new temples were being built and pharaohs were now being buried in the Valley of the Kings. At the end of the New Kingdom Egypt would never recover its former glory.

Egyptian culture

Before you visit Egypt here are some quick facts. The official languages of Egypt are Arabic and modern standard Arabic. Egypt's official currency is the Egyptian pound. So 1 US dollar is approximately 19 Egyptian pounds. Egypt was one of the first countries to develop writing, agriculture, organized religion, and central government. Egypt has a population of over 92 million. Next the majority of Egypt practices the Islam religion. The final thing about Egypt is it is a unitary state. That means it is governed by a single power. The central government is supreme.

Egyptian Flag

attractions

Cairo

One of the more modern attractions is the city itself. Cairo is Egypt's capital. You can see the modern inner-workings of the city.

giza Pyramid

The great pyramid of Giza is the only one of the ancient seven wonders still around today. It tool 2.3 million limestone blocks to build this massive pyramid. It weighs over 5.9 million tons. It is 481 feet tall. This pyramid was complete around 2500 BC. It is a wonder it's still around today.

pyramid complex

This archaeological site is the Pyramid complex. The Pyramid complex rests on the Giza plateau. It is full of ancient monuments, including several homes, cemeteries, and villages.

valley of the kings

Go see the Valley of the Kings. This is where for nearly 500 years, (between the 11th and 16th centuries) pharaohs and powerful nobles were buried. Tombs were constructed here. If you were important but did not be important enough to be buried with kings, you were buried here.

great sphinx of giza

The great Sphinx of Giza was a huge statue of the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion. The Sphinx was 240 feet long and 66 feet high. This statue represents the deities of Egypt. The Sphinx however dose not have it's nose because it was destroyed in the 15th century. The Sphinx was created shortly before 2500 BC. It was made close to the building of Giza's pyramid.

Nile river

One of the reasons people settled in Egypt was because of the Nile river. The river has been used as a means of transportation, water, and resources. Visit the banks of the Nile and feel yourself transported to a time long ago.

Created by Jennifer Swedlund

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