What makes Egypt such a wonderful place to visit is its uniqueness. This means that there are many things you can learn, see and experience in this country that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Being one of the earliest civilizations on earth and a very superior and far-advanced race at that, Egypt has wonderful structures, inventions and customs that still affect our modern day lives. In this Travel Guide Egypt, we are going to give you an overview about these things so that you may get to know of their relevance. This makes your travel to Egypt doubly fun as you try to discover and look out for the things that we have included in this section. It can be something that you should not forget to buy for yourself or for people back home, or a dish that you should try at least once before you leave Egypt, or a place or two that you must absolutely visit. Egypt is also known for its many inventions that are still useful today. There are also some interesting trivia that will add to your knowledge about this fascinating, mysterious and exotic North African country.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

Perhaps one of the most famous landmarks and yet stands out the most in Egypt is the attraction known as the Pyramids of Giza. Hailed as one of the oldest structures ever built by man, it is an architectural marvel that still stands to this very day. Out of the three pyramids located in Giza, namely the Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops, the Pyramid of Khafre and Pyramid of Menkaure, the pyramid built by Pharaoh Khufu is the largest. It was constructed circa 2550 BC at Giza as a burial tomb for the Pharaoh and his queen. It took 20 years to finish, employing more than 100,000 workers and using 2.3 million blocks of limestone. With its original height of 481 feet or 147 meters, it was the world’s tallest man-made structure and remained so for more than 3,800 years. The Great Pyramid, shaped as a true pyramid, is the only one that had remained intact and is the oldest in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also the only pyramid existing in Egypt that has descending and ascending passages. Surrounding the Great Pyramid and around the Giza complex are smaller pyramids for the Pharaoh’s wives and Egyptian nobles.

Currently three chambers inside the Great Pyramid are known. The first and lowest chamber is unfinished. The second one belongs to the Queen and the top most one is for the King. This marvelous engineering and architectural feat is almost constructed to precision, with an average error of only a few millimeters. The base of the Great Pyramid only has a few seconds arc error around the corners to make an almost perfect square, while the sides of the pyramid are aligned to the four cardinal compass points. Most of the limestones used are from nearby quarries and transported to the site by boats on the Nile River while the largest limestoneblocks, including the one found at the King’s Chamber came from Aswan. Aswan is 500 miles away from Giza and the largest blocks weighed from 25 up to 80 tons. That’s about 25,000 to 80,000 kilos per block. It is estimated that the total amount of materials used for the Great Pyramid’s construction is equivalent to 500,000 tons of mortar, 5.5 million tons of limestone and 8,000 tons of granite. And yet each piece fits perfectly and despite the sheer weight the whole structure did not collapse on itself. A large portion of the Great Pyramid is still unexplored and those sections that have been explored still have functions that are yet to be revealed, just like the secret doors that open to yet other doors, shafts, crystals, implements and smaller chambers with still unknown purposes.

Food Items Unique to Egypt

No nation in the world exists without having a few unique things about them such as their dietary habits and the food that they eat. In Egypt, there are very many unique dishes in which some are served on a daily basis while others are served during certain celebrations. For instance, one of the exotic dishes in Egypt is known as the Feseekh, which is very traditional. It is only served during the spring celebration known as Sham El-Nessim festival, a festival that can be traced back to the times of the Pharaohs. A very tricky dish made from gray mullet, it can be poisonous if it is prepared the wrong way. The process includes drying the fish in the sun and then salting it before storing the fish in thick glass jars with tight lids. Only a fasakhani can prepare the feseekh.

The Mulukhiya, a dish made from the leaves of corchorus and jute were once banned by Fatimid Caliph Al Hakim Bi-Amr Allah in the 10th century. The plants grow in north and east Africa. The leaves are cooked with meat stock (beef, rabbit or chicken), garlic and coriander. It can be served with bread or rice. Fish and shrimp broth are used in coastal areas. Fatta on the other hand is served during Muslim and Christian holidays, as well as during the first time a woman gives birth. It is a fattening dish that is mostly eaten before Eid Al-Fitr or during the 50 days before Easter. It is made with rice and fried bread topped with meat soup in garlic and vinegar base. Over it will be deep-fried poached eggs and chunks of stewed beef.

Another dish that dates back to the Pharaohs during the 12th dynasty is Ful Medames. It is a staple food in Egypt, made from fava beans, garlic, lemon juice and oil and cooked in a pot buried in hot sand or coals. It can be spread over Egyptian bread bun or served with tomato sauce, pastrami, boiled or fried eggs, butter and tahini.

Kushari is the national dish in Egypt and a good source of carbohydrates. It can be a filling lunch dish, cooked with pasta and tomato sauce, with lentils, garlic, chickpeas, caramelized onions and rice.

Before you leave Egypt be sure to taste other unique Egyptian food like the sesame-paste based halawa, which comes in blocks, bars and spreads. In some versions, pine nuts, almonds and pistachios are added. It is a favorite snack food in Egypt although it can be eaten for breakfast as well as dinner. It is heat-tolerant and does not need refrigeration. Try eating Egyptian flat bread topped with dukkah or use it as a raw vegetable dip. Dukkah is made from pounded nuts, herbs and spices including coriander, cumin, mint, sesame and salt.

Another dish that is unique in Egypt is the Gibna Domiati which is a soft, white cheese made with milk from the buffalo. It is common cheese in Egypt that is best eaten after it has been aged from one to three years. It is commonly used in several dishes such as mesh and sambousak. For something sweet, order a serving of konafah. Its origin is unknown but it had been recorded in medieval cookbooks in Egypt, Turkey and Levant. It involves drying very thin strands of fresh and soft pastry dough on a hot plate. Once the noodles are rigid they are mixed with oil or butter and filled with a mixture of whipped cream and/or nuts. It will then be baked and drizzled with fruit syrup before being served.

Egyptian Inventions

If you did not know before, Egyptians are quite the revolutionaries. Ancient Egyptian society was responsible for many things that we use today. The people back then had a lot of inventions and used many things that modern people still use in our time. For example, did you know that a lot of the household objects that you use in your home were invented and/or used by the ancient Egyptians? The people back then were credited for inventing the comb, scissors, the toothpaste and even the toothbrush! They were also using deodorants back then, too. Other than these household objects, Egypt’s ancient society was also responsible for creating the 365-day calendar as well as forging glass. In terms of sophistication, know that the earliest wine cellars were discovered by archaeologists in this country as well. A precursor of the modern-day condom was used in ancient Egypt around 1000 BC. The sheath was made of linen. Women in high-society then were using an ancient version of the high heels. In 4000 BC, the Egyptians invented paper by pounding reed stalks until they become flat and pliant. And pretty soon they invented the writing instrument for the papyrus. They also invented the shadoof, a hand-operated balance and counterbalance tool to draw water from the Nile River using buckets.

They were also the first to use an ox-driven plow and invented intriguing wooden locks and keys. The water clock and the sun clock were also inventions of ancient Egyptians. The water clock was one of the first clocks used during those times. It consisted of suspended tapering stone pots with a small hole. The vessel is filled with water and the liquid drops from the small hole at a constant rate, enabling the Egyptians to time themselves. The sun clock uses the obelisk.The Egyptians divided the day into morning, afternoon and evening. They also discovered the longest year and shortest year. One of the greatest Egyptian inventions was medicine. They were very good with human anatomy and were cognizant of internal organs. There were records to prove that they were able to relate the pulse to the heart and were capable of doing surgery and treating bone dislocation. Another invention that is still in use today is eye makeup. They believed that wearing eye makeup helped them ward off the Evil Eye, and eye makeup became a mandatory accessory during ancient Egypt.

There are so many things that ancient Egyptians discovered and invented, which are still helping mankind today. They were credited for the invention of the cartouche, irrigation systems, flat-roofed homes, courts and justice system, number system and fractions and several gods and goddesses. Of course the mummification system is part of the list of their famous inventions. They were also the inventors of the written language. The ancient Egyptians recorded everything using hieroglyphics or words in pictures and dedicated scribes were employed for the task. However, it takes too much time to create hieroglyphics and the Demotic script was invented around the 25th dynasty or about 760 BC. Archeologists were able to read the Demotic script but they were not able to decipher the hieroglyphics that they found. Their dilemma continued until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, which was named after the place where it was found.

The Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 by French soldiers who were rebuilding an Egyptian fort. The stone fragment was etched with three scripts. The first was in hieroglyphics, the language for religious documents and important events. The second was written in Demotic script, which at that time was used commonly and the third was written in Greek, the prevailing language used by the ancient Egyptian rulers. It was estimated that the Rosetta Stone was written around 196 BC. All three scripts were texts describing the good deeds of the Pharaoh and were written in such manner so that government officials, rulers and priests would be able to read and understand them. But it was only in 1822 when Jean-François Champollion was able to finally decipher the hieroglyphics and the connection to the Demotic script.

Mummification

While it is considered to be gruesome, mummification is one of the great things about Egypt and several mummies are still on display in certain museums. Egyptians were credited for inventing this preservation technique, in which corpses would relatively remain intact for hundreds of years. The body is first purified with palm wine and washed with water taken from the Nile River.
A small slit on the side is done to remove all the internal organs except the heart. For the Egyptians, the heart is the center of intelligence and feelings of the human being and they believe that even the dead would need their heart in the afterlife. Interestingly, the brain is removed by a long hook inserted in the nostril. The hook is used to smash the brain and taken out in parts.

Natron is used to dry out the internal organs as well as the body inside and out. It will take about 40 days for the body to completely dry. Then it will be washed and oiled before the dried out internal organs will be wrapped in linen and returned inside the body. Sawdust, bits of linen and other dry materials will be used to fill the cavities so the body will retain its shape. Another application of oils will be done before the body is wrapped in linen.

Interesting Facts

As one of the earliest civilizations, there are plenty of things that make Egypt unique and very interesting. While it may be hard to fathom all the secrets of Egypt, there are some facts that can make you smile, or nod your head in agreement and keep you in awe or laugh out loud because some things may sound ludicrous but true. For example, a Pharaoh is never seen without a headdress called “nemes” simply because he does not want his hair to be seen. It was said that Pepi II hated flies landing on him and kept naked slaves whose bodies were smeared with honey near him. An early form of antibiotics was used in ancient Egypt. They used moldy bread for the treatment of infections. Due to the heat in Egypt, children until their early teens go around naked. The females only wore dresses and men wore skirts when they become adults. Likewise, the males shaved their heads leaving only a bunch of plaited hair until they turned 12 years of age. This was to protect them from fleas and lice. The rich ones on the other hand wore wigs.

Aside from the pyramids, Egypt is known for the Sphinx. However, nobody knows who destroyed its nose and when the vandalism was done. The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built in 2600 BC. Originally, it was surrounded by a concrete wall that was 34 feet tall. Interestingly, there were 15 doors around the wall but only one door could be opened