Egypt

So when people think of Egypt they think of the pyramids, the nile, and maybe the Sphinx. But there is so much more to be seen within this country. Those are some places that need to be seen, but I want to show you some other hot spots (pun intended).

First, one thing that you need to put in perspective is the size of Egypt. In square miles, it is about the size of California and Texas put together. Granted most of this is dessert, this is still a size that most people don't expect.

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the biggest metropolis in all of Africa. This is the city where you will find everything that you would want to find in a city. However, this is the largest city in the Arabic World, so it is going to be a little different than say New York. It will not be uncommon to see people dressed in western wear as well as people wearing Arabic clothes. Cairo is located along the Nile in the northern part of Egypt, close to where the Nile splits and close to wear it floods every year. Cairo is also famous for the amount of mosques located there. Not only that, but many of them are lit up well at night and are great for pictures.

Ok, theres not much there besides Cairo and the places already listed, so I need to go back to those well known tourist spots. Let's start with the Pyramids; the three main ones (there are a total of about 67 around Egypt). The Pyramids are located right by Cairo in a slightly more deserty area. There are three different pyramids in this area on almost perfect square bases. There is the Great Pyramid (Khufu), Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren), and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure (Mykerinos). The faces of the different pyramids are all facing north; only a fraction of a degree seperates all three of them. They are also in the shape of the constellation Orion. The Great Pyramid is actually the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World, which says something about the construction.

The Pyramids were made as a place to bury the dead pharoahs. So when the pyramids were made, there was a plan with hallways and rooms to bury the deceased. Since they were buried, all of the pyramids in Egypt have been broken into and the gold buried with them has been stolen. There was one grave that had been kept in tact until the 1920's, and his name was Tutankhamun, aka Kind Tut. With him was buried many artifacts and gold, people are actually still excavating there and have found new things just a couple years ago.

Ok, that was enough history, near the Great Pyramid you will also find the Sphinx. The Sphinx is a gigantic mythical creature that resembles a lion with the head of a woman. Similar, smaller figures like this one have been found all throughout ancient Egypt. These were thought to be temple protectors.

Wow, so Egypt would be a really awesome place to go. But as you can see, history is a major aspect of this country. Understanding and appreciating the Egyptian culture will help you to enjoy the artifacts and monuments a little more.