CategoriesBlog Sightseeing By Egyptian Adventure

The Red Pyramid of Dahshur

The Red Pyramid of Dahshur was the third one that King Snefru constructed after the Bent Pyramid and Meidum Pyramid. It is the highest pyramid in Dahshur.

King Snefru King Snefru founded the 4th dynasty, the Old Kingdom. Also, he is the father of King Khufu, who owns the Great Pyramid of Giza Plateau. His principal wife was Queen Hetepheres I, also King Khufu’s mother.

The construction of the Red Pyramid The establishment of this pyramid might have begun in the 13th year of King Sneferu’s reign and took ten years to be completed. The Red Pyramid is called red due to its construction using red stone.

The Red Pyramid is the first accurate or complete pyramid in ancient Egyptian history; after the failure in the construction of the Bent Pyramid and Meidum Pyramid to be complete pyramids, the ancient Egyptian engineers corrected their mistakes and became aware of the correct angle to reach the actual pyramid, what is 43 degrees.

It is thought that 43 degrees was the angle that the ancient Egyptian engineers used in building the top part of the Bent pyramid; also, it was approved by those engineers for building the later pyramids in the ancient Egyptian civilization.

The Red Pyramid is 341 feet tall, so it is considered the third-largest ancient Egyptian pyramid after the pyramids of Kings Khufu and Khafre at Giza Plateau.

The plan of this Red Pyramid’s entrance is on the northern side. This entrance leads to a passageway. Then there is a gallery leading into a chamber with a corbelled roof; Then there is another passage leading to a second chamber; this chamber houses another passageway leading to the third chamber, which is believed to be the burial chamber.

CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

The Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo

The Coptic Museum contains the most extensive collection of Coptic collections worldwide. It is located in the Coptic Cairo inside the Babylon Fortress and beside the hanging church, the Cave Church, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue.

The history of The Museum This museum was opened to the public in 1910 by the efforts of Marcus Simaika Pasha, who was interested in preserving Coptic heritage. He collected these collections by himself, buying the Coptic artifacts and architectural elements from older churches.

In 1939, the Service of Antiquities decided to transfer the Christian collection exhibited in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to be displayed in the Coptic Museum. Automatically, all discovered Christian artifacts are transferred to the Coptic Museum.

This museum consists of two buildings linked by a bridge. The first building was established by Marcus Simaika Pasha in 1910, while the second was added later in 1947.

It can be noticed that the facade of the Coptic Museum is identical to the facade of Al Aqmar Mosque in Moez St.

The museum collection: The museum building contains two floors housing various Coptic collections. These collections display Coptic history in Egypt, as Christianity was begun in Egypt by Saint Mark when he visited Alexandria in the 1st Century AD. These collections also show how the Christian community lived in Egypt.

The museum objects reflect the merger between Coptic art and other civilizations, such as ancient Egyptian art (as the collection of the Kom Abou Billou site), Greco-Roman art, Byzantine art, and Ottoman art.

The museum display is divided into:

  • The stones and frescoes section houses religious scenes and stone drawings from monasteries and churches. These scenes were drawn in tempura style.
  • The development of Coptic writing and manuscripts section exhibits bibles written on deerskin in the Coptic and Arabic languages from the 11th to the 13th Century.
  • Fabrics and textiles section: it contains monks’ clothes decorated with crosses and drawings of the Virgin and the Christ.
  • Icons section: this section has a vast collection of Coptic icons from different periods with different themes and decorations. Icon is a Greek word meaning a picture that may be a drawing of saints or other religious scenes.
  • Wooden works section: this section contains several wooden works, such as doors and chairs brought from churches.
  • Metal section: It displays a large number of gold Coptic coins.
  • Pottery and glass section: it displays a lot of pottery and glass objects reflecting the Coptic community and history in Egypt.

For a quick visit to the Coptic Museum, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities launched a virtual tour of the Coptic Museum. You will be able to check it via this link. The Coptic Museum virtual tour

CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

Kafr El Sheikh Museum in Kafr El Sheikh

Among the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities events for opening new museums in Egypt, the Ministry opened three museums in one day, on October 31, 2020. These museums are The Royal Carriages Museum, Kafr El Sheikh Museum, and Sharm El Sheikh Museum. It is located in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate.

The history of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate: Kafr El Sheikh Governorate played an essential role during the ancient Egyptian civilization, as Kafr El Sheikh Governorate houses Bhutto, the capital of Lower Egypt, before united ancient Egypt by King Menes or Narmer. After that, King Narmer started the 1st dynasty and created the first capital of united ancient Egypt, Memphis. This city is also known as Tell Al-Faraeen.

Kafr El Sheikh Museum The idea of establishing a museum in Kafr El Sheikh came back in 1993, and the project of constructing it began in 2002; this Museum displays the history of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate by exhibiting collections that have been discovered in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate at the Great Bhutto Cemetery and the temple area. These collections are classified into three halls.

The display in the Museum is divided into:

  • There is a conflict between the god Horus and the god Seth, as there is a unique statue for the Falcon of the god Horus. This statue matches the Edfu temple statue.
  • The history of Sakha city, where the Holy Family was hosted during their journey in Egypt.
  • The archaeological sites in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate have been preserved.
  • The history of science during different historical periods in medicine, veterinary, and pharmacy fields.
  • The Islamic and cultural heritage of Kafr Sheikh Governorate is considered the third heritage city in Egypt after Cairo and Rasheed. The Museum presents the heritage of Kafr Sheikh by displaying the Islamic heritage of Fuwah.
CategoriesBlog Sightseeing By Egyptian Adventure

Bab Zuweila – Islamic Cairo

Bab Zuweila is one of the most famous sights in Islamic Cairo and El Moez Street. This gate is associated with significant historical events.

The history of Bab Zuweila was constructed by Jawhar al Siqilli during his foundation of Cairo city in 358 AH/969 AD and renovated by the vizier Badr al‑Jamali in 480 AH/1092 AD.

It is one of the eight gates of Fatimid Cairo, located on the southern wall. It overlooks El Moez Street, leading to Bab al‑Futuh at its northern wall. Only three gates remain: Bab Zuweila, Bab al‑Futuh, and Bab al-Nasr.

This gate was associated with significant historical events, as it witnessed the end of Mamluk rule in Egypt. In 922 AH/1517 AD, Selim I, the Ottoman Sultan, hanged Tuman Bay, the last Mamluk Sultan.

The design of Bab Zuweila is a gate containing two round towers; each tower has rooms for guard soldiers. Between these towers is the entrance and the door made from tin and silver plated.

Those semicircular towers are with two twin minarets. These two minarets were added in 818 AH/1415 AD when the Mamluk Sultan al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh built his mosque next to Bab Zuweila. Sultan al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh added these minarets upon the towers to appear higher and reduce construction costs.

The construction of this mosque has a story. This place was originally a prison where Al-Mu’ayyad Shaykh was accused of falsehood in a murder case. During his imprisonment, he asked his god if he escaped this problem safely and became the ruler, he would transfer this prison to a mosque.

The name of Bab Zuweila This gate comes from a Zuwayla barbarian tribe, who came with Jawhar al‑Siqilli and stayed there; it is also known as Bawabbat al‑Mitwalli. Al‑Mitwalli is an Arabic word meaning the one in charge of, as the mitwalli al‑hesba or the official in charge of finances and tax collection was based in front of Bab Zuweila.

CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

The Mummification Museum

The Mummification Museum is located in the east of Luxor city, north of Luxor Temple. It was opened in 1997, and it is one of the most important museums in Egypt.

The Mummification Museum concept: The concept of the Mummification Museum mainly explains the mummification process and how the ancient Egyptians preserved their dead bodies for many years.

In ancient Egyptian beliefs, the god Anubis was the god responsible for the mummification of the dead. Also, in ancient Egyptian beliefs, they thought that they had to save the body by mummification in order for the soul to return to it again.

In addition, the ancient Egyptians mummified human bodies; they mummified the corpses of animals and birds, especially those belonging to the sacred ones. There are the Serapeum of the calf of the god Apis at Saqqara, the Catacombs of Ibis, and the baboons of the god Thoth in Tuna El-Gebel. There are mummies for dogs, cats, and crocodiles as well.

The museum collections are the mummification tools, some of Canopic jars, coffins, and amulets.

Some masterpieces of the museum:

  • The Mummy of Masaharti: he was the General of the Army and high priest of Amun at Thebes during his father’s reign, king Piedjem I, in the 21st dynasty. His mummy was discovered in the royal cache of Deir El Bahari in 1881.
  • Many statues of the ancient Egyptian gods as the god Anubis, the goddess Isis, the god Osiris, and the goddess Nephthys.

The Mummification process:

    The mummification process inside the mummification tent took almost 70 days.

  • Firstly, the organs of the corpse were extracted through a small incision in the left side of the body, and these organs were mummified and preserved in the Canopic jars.
  • Then, the body would be submerged in natron salt brought from Wadi El Natron to be dried for about 40 days.
  • Then, the body would be wrapped in bandages of linen.
  • Finally, the priests put magical amulets beside the body for protection in the coffin to move it to its tomb for burial.
CategoriesBlog Historical Sites By Egyptian Adventure

Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula

Saint Catherine’s Monastery is located on the slopes of Mount Sinai. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the whole world. This monastery was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2002.

The Saint Catherine’s Monastery It is famous Saint Catherine’s Monastery, but its original name was Sacred Monastery of the God Trodden; this monastery gets its name from Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was martyred in the early 4th century AD. They found her corpse on nearby Mount Saint Catherine, as it is said the angels transferred her body to this place.

The history of Saint Catherine’s Monastery

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I commanded to construct this monastery in 527 AD to house the monks of the Sinai Peninsula.

    The buildings of the monastery includes many buildings as:

  • The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior. This church houses nine other smaller churches. One of these nine churches is the Burning BushChurch, where the god spoke to the prophet Moses.

The Scripture mentioned that the god ordered the prophet Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt by speaking to him from this bush. The fire was set into this bush, although it was unaffected by the fire.

Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, established a church on the site of the Burning Bush in the 4th century AD. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt this small church and included it in the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior, the larger church.

The Church of the Burning Bush - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Church of the Burning Bush
  • The monks’ rooms.
  • The refectory.
  • The olive press.
  • Ossuaries.
  • The Fatimid Mosque dates back to the 12th century AD in 500 AH / 1106 AD during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah. This mosque was the fruit of the harmonious relationship between Muslims and Christians. This mosque became a stop for pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
The Fatimid Mosque - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Fatimid Mosque
  • The library of Saint Catherine’s Monastery houses rare books and 6,000 manuscripts, so it is considered one of the most important libraries attached to the monastery. The project of restoring the library in 2017 detected many manuscripts, among them a Greek medical manuscript dating back to the fifth century.
The library - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Library
CategoriesBlog Sightseeing By Egyptian Adventure

The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As

The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As is the first mosque established in Egypt and Africa. It is located close to the old Cairo in Fustat city.

Amr Ibn Al-As Amr Ibn Al-As was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab commanded him to enter Egypt in 641 AD / 20 AH. After he conquered Egypt and abolished Roman rule, Egypt became an Islamic district belonging to the caliphate in Medina.

Then, Amr Ibn Al-As established the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa, Fustat. In addition, a mosque holding his name (Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque).

The history of Fustat city: The researchers said that after the Arab conquest of Egypt, Amr Ibn Al-As ordered the Islamic army to set their tents north of Babylon Fort, but when Amr Ibn Al-As came to remove his tent to go ahead to Alexandria for pursuing the Romans, he found that there was a dove built its nest upon it. He refused to remove it and left his tent in that place.

After he won in Alexandria, Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab refused Alexandria as the capital of Egypt and ordered Amr Ibn Al-As to establish a new capital to be the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa. So he returned to his tent, where the Nile River and Babylon were fortified because it was a unique strategic location already fortified. He called this new capital Fustat, meaning leader’s tent in Arabic.

Today, Fustat is a part of the Old Cairo District, housing many archaeological sites such as the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the hanging church, and the Cave church, to name a few.

Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque: Amr Ibn Al-As Mosque, also known as the Old Mosque, is called in the Arabic language (al-‘Ateeq).

Some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) assisted in the foundation of this mosque, such as Al-Zubayr Ibn Al-‘Awam and Ubada Ibn Al-Samit. This mosque was built after a year of Arab conquest of Egypt, meaning in 21 AH.

Initially, the mosque was built with mud bricks, and palm tree trunks supported its roof. Addings continued in the mosque throughout history until it became what it is today.

CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

Egypt’s Capitals Museum (ECM)

Egypt’s Capitals Museum (ECM) is located in the City of Arts and Culture in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. This museum aims to save the Egyptian cultural and administrative heritage by displaying the essential capitals that played a significant role in Egyptian history.

The display of Egypt’s Capitals Museum: The museum concept exhibits the Egyptian capitals throughout history from Memphis to Cairo, as well as the ancient Egyptian beliefs and afterlife. The museum will display six of these capitals that have a significant role in Egyptian history and the reason for transferring from one to another. These capitals are:

Memphis

  • Memphis or Mit-Rahina now is located on the west bank of the Nile. The significance of Memphis starts with uniting the Upper and Lower Egypt by King Menes or Narmer. It was the capital of ancient Egypt from the 1st dynasty to the 8th dynasty, Although Memphis did not consider the official capital of ancient Egypt after the 8th dynasty, it had a religious and political role throughout ancient Egyptian history.

Thebes

  • Thebes or Luxor now is located in Upper Egypt. It is considered the world’s greatest open-air museum as it contains Luxor Temple, Karnak Complex, the Valley of the  Kings, the Valley of the  Queens, Colossi of Memnon, and Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahari, just to name a few.

This city was the capital of ancient Egypt twice:

  • The first time was during the 11th dynasty, the Middle Kingdom.
  • The second time was during the New kingdom.

After the New Kingdom, the importance of Thebes remained as a religious capital of ancient Egypt.

  • Tell el Amarna
    It is Akhetaten or Tell el Amarna located in Minya Governorate now. It was taken as a capital for ancient Egypt by King Amenhotep IV or Akhenaten during a part of the 18th dynasty, the New kingdom. The name of this city means Horizon of the Aten, the god that king Akhenaten chose to worship.

Alexandria

  • Alexandria city is located in the north of Egypt. Its history began with Alexander the Great, as he decided to build it to be the capital for his empire in 332 BC. Alexandria remained the capital during the Greco-Roman period. It has a unique history and houses several wonderful monuments dating back to different historical periods like the catacomb, Pompey’s Pillar, Citadel of Qaitbay, Montazah Palace, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Royal Jewelry Museum.

Islamic Cairo

  • The Islamic Cairo was the fourth Islamic capital for Egypt. After the conquering of The Fatimids to Egypt, the ruler Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah commanded Jawhar Al-Siqilli to construct this city in 969 AD to be the capital of Egypt. Firstly, its name was Al Mansoria, referring to Al-Mansour, the father of Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah. Then Al-Mu’izz named it Cairo or Alqahera, meaning omnipotent in the English language.

Khedival Cairo

  • It is also known as Paris of the East, as Khedive Ismail dreamed. It started almost 160 years ago. Now, the development of Khedival Cairo is one of the important projects of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
CategoriesBlog Sightseeing By Egyptian Adventure

Al Rifa’i Mosque – The Royal Mausoleum

Al Rifa’i Mosque is located on Salah Al‑Din Square, overlooking Salah El-Din Citadel. It is one of the royal mausoleums that do not back to ancient Egyptian civilization, but it belongs to members of the royal family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

The history of Al Rifa’i Mosque Ottoman queen Hoshiyar Hanim, the mother of Khedive Ismail, ordered to construct this building during the 19th century to be the mausoleum of the royal family.

The mosque was constructed in two phases, During the first phase, the architect Hussein Pasha Fahmi was responsible for establishing this building, as he imported materials from Europe for building as Italian marble. In Addition, he used cement in the building, which is considered the first Islamic monument built by cement.

Unfortunately, after the death of Hussein Pasha Fahmi, the construction in the building was stopped. The work was resumed in 1905 when the Khedive Abbas II ordered to complete the construction of this building.

The mosque is named with Al Rifa’i Mosque on the name of Imam Ahmad al‑Rifa’i, who founded the Rifa’i tariqa (Sufi path). Although Imam Ahmad al‑Rifa’i was not buried in this mosque, Sufi celebrate annually in the mosque commemorating his birth.

The design of the mosque:

    The mosque is divided into two parts:

  • The first part is the mosque as a home for the local traditional Sufi path, as well as it is a section dedicated to pray.
  • The second part is dedicated for bury members of the royal family of Muhammad Ali Pasha, as Khedive Ismail, his mother Hoshiyar Hanim, Kings Fuad I, King Faruq, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Reza Shah of Iran was buried in Al Rifa’i Mosque, but after World War II, his corpse was transferred to Iran. In addition, three dedicated shrines for Al Rifa’I, Ali Abi-Shubbak, and Yahya al-Ansari.
Hoshiyar Hanim Tomb - Egypt Vacation Tours
Hoshiyar Hanim Tomb
CategoriesBlog Museums By Egyptian Adventure

Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria

Royal Jewelry Museum reflects how rich the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha and their extravagant living. This family ruled Egypt for 150 years, from 1805 to the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, from Muhammad Ali Pasha until Faruq I.

The history of Royal Jewelry Museum This building was the former palace owned by Princess Fatma El Zahraa, the granddaughter of the brother of Khedive Ismail and one of the descendants of Mohamed Ali Pasha. It was built in 1919 at 27 Ahmed Yahya Basha Street – Zezenia – Alexandria Governorate.

The palace is turned to be a museum in 1986. It is divided into ten halls displaying more than 11 thousand precious objects like gifts, pieces of jewelry owned by the royal family.

Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
Royal Jewelry Museum

The design of this building The design of the building merges between the European and Islamic styles. Also, it distinguishes by the oil paintings, gilded and hand-painted ceilings, and glass panels drawn with scenes of Greek mythology that decorate many rooms of the palace.

The painted ceilings - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The painted ceilings

The collection of the museum The museum displays possessions owned by members of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

The masterpieces in the museum

    • A diamond and emerald inlaid collar belongs to Mohamed Ali Pasha. This collar consists of 16 decorative motives, eight having the inscription “Mohammed Ali” while eight in the shape of a gold flower with diamonds.
A collar of Mohamed Ali Pasha - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
A collar of Mohamed Ali Pasha
    • A gold chessboard and the chess consisting of 32 pieces inlaid with 425 stones from diamonds and decorated with colored enamel. This collection belongs to King Farouk.
The golden chess of King Farouk - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The golden chess of King Farouk
    • A gold binocular encrusted with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
    • A collection of pocket watches belonging to members of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Dazzling pieces of jewelry were designed and made especially by the greatest designers in Europe for the queens and princesses of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

    • A platinum tiara fixed with over 2.000 diamonds and white pearls belonging to Princess Shivakiar, wife of King Fuad I.
A tiara of Princess Shivakiar - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
A tiara of Princess Shivakiar
    • A platinum crown of Queen Farida, the wife of King Farouk, is inlaid with white and yellow diamonds.
The crown of Queen Farida - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The crown of Queen Farida
  • A brooch of princess Fawzia, the daughter of Fouad I and sister of King Farouk, from diamonds and gold.

Mohamed Ali family built a lot of palaces in Egypt:

  • Some of it used as the headquarters of rule as Al Gawhara Palace in Citadel of Saladin, Abdeen Palace, and Ras Al-Teen Palace.
  • Some were used for housing for the family members as Muhammad Ali Palace in Manial and Montazah Palace.