Egypt has long been an influential travel destination, drawing visitors from varying cultural backgrounds. The nation is best-known for its centuries-old pyramids, Nile cruises and the Dukkah dip of nuts, seeds and spices.
There are so many fascinating facts about Egypt that might surprise you! Here are just a few: 1. Cats were beloved pets in Egyptian society.
1. It’s the largest country in Africa
Egypt, situated in North Africa, is the largest African nation by land mass and population. Additionally, this ancient civilization dates back millennia!
The River Nile flows across three countries in Africa – Egypt (of course! ), Sudan and Ethiopia. For ancient Egyptians it was an invaluable source of food, transportation and building materials.
Egypt’s ancient civilization is famed for its accomplishments in agriculture, engineering, shipbuilding, art, science and technology. Their advanced irrigation systems enabled them to maximize crop yields. Furthermore, they developed early papermaking using papyrus (a type of plant reed), metalworking techniques and glassblowing. Furthermore, they created a 65-day calendar and mummified their dead as preservation for afterlife.
Ancient Egyptians enjoyed numerous forms of entertainment, including board games. A popular pastime among them was Senet, an ancient 3500 B.C. game played on a long board painted with 30 squares where pieces would move according to dice or throwing sticks rolled from dice or throwing sticks rolled by players; paintings depict Queen Nefertari playing Senet while Pharaohs such as Tutankhamen even kept game boards in their tombs for safekeeping!
Seychelles is one of Africa’s most prosperous island nations despite being only small in size, boasting a GDP per capita over $100,000 and being home to over 100 exotic beaches. Additionally, its beautiful natural scenery and rich culture draw tourists in. Comprised of more than 100 coral atolls scattered across the Indian Ocean, Seychelles boasts luxurious resorts as well as its wide array of wildlife!
2. It’s the home to the world’s largest dam
Egypt has long been known for its beauty and wonder, yet in the last century alone has also seen one of the largest, most important, and contentious dam projects on the globe being constructed there.
Built at the border between Egypt and Sudan, Aswan High Dam captures floodwater during rainy seasons and releases it during droughts to regulate Nile River flows, providing vital food supplies to 97 million people across 10 African nations. Furthermore, this enormous dam generates incredible amounts of electricity – its 12 generators alone produce enough power each year to power one million color television sets!
However, building the dam wasn’t without its challenges. Notably, it caused 9000 Egyptian peasants to relocate their homes, as well as depriving the area of rich silt that normally fertilizes land during annual floods – leading to severe agricultural crisis and chemical fertilizer pollution in some regions. Furthermore, its reservoir has led to rising salinity levels.
Although not without its flaws, Egypt’s Aswan Dam has proven invaluable to its people. Lake Nasser it created is now a beloved tourist destination where boat tours and fishing excursions take place year-round. Additionally, visitors take guided tours around its impressive structure itself!
Egypt’s dam is an essential contributor to their economy and culture; shaping national identity in ways both positive and negative. Thus making it an exciting site of exploration! Visiting it makes for an enjoyable and educational experience!
3. Cleopatra was a Greek Macedonian
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of Egypt and one of its most celebrated queens. Her life story has inspired artists, writers, and filmmakers alike – but not without controversy; one major point of contention being her ethnicity.
Many people believe Cleopatra was black, but it turns out she wasn’t. Instead, Cleopatra was descended from the Ptolemies dynasty which took power after Alexander the Great’s death and strictly maintained their Greek identity while resisting intermarriage with local Egyptian populations; they even founded Alexandria as a Greek center of learning! With such strictness on maintaining Greek identity as their central principle they even created Alexandria a Greek center of learning! So it should come as no surprise that Cleopatra would predominantly Macedonian Greek with touches of Persian and Syriac
She was one of only a few Ptolemaic pharaohs who knew both Greek and Egyptian. Additionally, she held close relations to Egypt and its ancient customs; being the first member of her family to learn this ancient tongue. Additionally, during an acute food shortage around 334 BC she received grain shipments from an area Greek port near Cyrene in Greece – making her unique among her peers in terms of both knowledge and influence.
Though Cleopatra likely never cared about her race, it’s quite fascinating that we still discuss it 2000 years later. Perhaps now is the time to move past these discussions and focus more on Cleopatra’s achievements; she certainly led an extraordinary life worth talking about!
4. Cats were adored in Egypt
When we think of cats, our immediate association might be with internet videos and memes or the Egyptian city of Cairo with its cat cafes. But if we dig deeper we find that Ancient Egyptians were also quite fond of cats – so much so that they portrayed them in art pieces, mummified them, and worshipped gods that featured feline traits!
Egyptians found it common to keep several cats as household protectors, from rats and mice that threatened food supplies to scorpions and snakes that could kill family members. Harming cats was considered illegal under Egyptian law; even royals often had them mummified, buried alongside their remains or offered as votive offerings to Bastet as gifts of love and devotion.
Egypt began celebrating cats roughly 5000 years ago with Mafdet as its founder goddess and later with Gods Sekhmet and Bastet donning cat heads – Sekhmet being depicted as a fierce daughter of Ra while Bastet had one with antlers instead.
As Egyptians venerated cats more, Egyptians began creating cat mummies as gifts for Bastet or as offerings for good health and prosperity. Additionally, animal mummies taught children the importance of respecting and caring for all forms of life; today however they are being rediscover by researchers due to their ancient Egyptian significance.
5. Mummies were placed in big tombs
Egypt had many pyramid tombs for wealthy or royal people who passed on, as Egyptians believed their soul (ka) needed everything they enjoyed in life in order to survive in the afterlife. Because these pyramids often stood tall and showy, and included mortuary temples with burial chambers for placing the body inside; often with various goods surrounding its entrance so as to discourage tomb robbers.
Mummies were often covered in gold masks based on those worn by King Tutankhamun himself; one such example is his gold mask from Tutankhamen, though many features of his face do not correspond.
Mummies were often given false beards to represent gods with facial hair – this practice symbolized power and status for Egyptians who believed this practice signalled power and status; one notable case includes DAM herself who included her braided false beard!
Egyptian mummies were often quite unhealthy. Research has revealed that many were overweight and even balding! Queen Hatshepsut, in particular, was a particularly large woman who also suffered from diabetes.
Contrary to popular belief, pyramids were not constructed by slave laborers alone. Instead, Ancient Egyptians consisted of both skilled artisans and paid laborers who took great pride in their work; some even gave their crews humorous names – much like modern construction workers!