Egypt - The Land of the Pharaohs

Egypt – the world of the pharaohs – officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa. It is a transcontinental country as its majority occupies part of Africa and another part in Asia. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Egypt is an awesome blend of modern and ancient, today modern buildings, hotels, restaurants, highways and subway system. In the same time, the ruins of the ancient county still exist, ancient pharaonic ruins, mosques as well as churches.

Herodotus, the famous Greek traveler called Egypt "the Gift of the Nile" and, in fact, this great civilization would not have existed without the Nile River. The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations.

Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and its famous monuments, including the Giza pyramids and its Great Sphinx. The amazing city, Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings.

Not only the magnificent building achievements that pharaohs established, but also they established the empire of ancient Egypt was the most powerful world empire. The pharaohs conducted military campaigns that extended its borders and brought a great so wealth to the country. It was also the first state to institute an administrative system with a capital as its political and religious center.

At the beginning, Egypt was divided into two parts, Upper Egypt (referring to the South) and Lower Egypt (which is the North). Each part was completely separated from the other, has its own ruler and its own Capital.

Around approximately 3200 B.C. a series of great changes took place in Egypt as the two parts of Egypt were unified together for the first time to be one kingdom on the hands of the famous king, Menes, who unified Egypt and started the dynastic era which is divided into 30 Dynasties. The last Pharaonic dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who were later attacked by the Greeks and then the Romans.

When the Arabs entered to Egypt in 641 A.D., they introduced Islam and the Arabic language. Then the Ottomans seized control of the country, consequently, Egypt became a part of the Ottoman Empire. After that, the British succeeded in invading Egypt in 1914. Finally Egypt gained independence in 1922.

Today Egypt is an open air museum, with ancient monuments scattered along the east and west banks of the Nile, from the north till the south, it is one of the most famous countries for its ancient civilization and its magnificent monuments, including the great pyramids of Giza and the mighty Sphinx, the spectacular temples, the beautifully colored tombs and other numerous artifacts.