Egypt is an irresistibly captivating land of sand dunes, pyramids and mummies – as well as being home to mythology and ancient civilizations.
Ancient Egyptian culture viewed death as just the start of another life cycle; thus they mummified their bodies, often including animal spirits (hawks, lions or baboons) to accompany them into the afterlife.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
As one of the last Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Giza’s Great Pyramid stands as an internationally acclaimed archaeological site. Although scientists have discovered many rooms and chambers within it, many enigmas still surround its construction; such as how Egyptians constructed such an immense monument?
The Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu during his fourth dynasty reign as symbol of Egypt and is considered its iconic monument. Consisting of over 2.3 million blocks of limestone, scientists remain uncertain how Egyptian workers were able to move them and place them so precisely – theories suggest using wet sand as a lubricant while ramps may have also helped.
Another baffling aspect of the pyramid are two shafts which extend from its King’s Chamber and lead out of it underground to the exterior of it, nearly 90 feet below. At first, scientists believed that these shafts allowed certain stars to be seen from the chamber, but this theory has since been disproved and experts now think these shafts serve to guide pharaoh’s soul towards heaven.
Though some historians speculate that slaves built the pyramid, its construction remains unknown. It is thought that close advisers of Pharaoh coordinated work crews and resources; likely the vizier had this responsibility as well as being instrumental in choosing its location and selecting builders to complete it.
The High Literacy Rate in Egypt
Egypt has long been known for its culture and learning; from its vast pyramids to its ancient writing system. Yet despite these achievements, there remain challenges related to literacy within Egypt today.
Egypt has taken steps to address illiteracy by investing in programs designed to teach people to read and write, including setting an aim of eliminating alphabetic illiteracy by 2022. Furthermore, more schools have been built in rural and Upper Egypt villages where rates of illiteracy are particularly high.
Although Egypt is still struggling with illiteracy, significant progress is being made thanks to factors like increased funding and reforms to its educational system.
These reforms have created a more structured and effective education system, increasing access to education for both women and children alike. Furthermore, these measures have helped remove some of the obstacles that had limited literacy efforts in the past such as lack of resources or funding constraints.
One of the primary obstacles to literacy in Egypt is poverty. Many low-income families cannot afford to send their children to school and must instead rely on farming activities for subsistence – leaving them unable to learn the necessary skills that would enable them to support themselves financially in future years. Furthermore, an illiterate person cannot access information and take advantage of opportunities presented in modern economies.
Numerous programs have been implemented to combat illiteracy, such as community literacy centers and digital literacy programs. These initiatives have helped reduce illiteracy rates while improving Egyptians’ quality of life; increasing literacy rates will encourage citizens to become active participants in society and further social development.
The Pyramids of Giza Take Years to Build
One of the most remarkable aspects of the pyramids is how long it took for their construction. At 481 feet high and comprising more than 2.3 million massive stones weighing from 3-9 tons each, Egypt managed to construct this impressive structure without resorting to modern tools or technology – this feat being accomplished without ramps or pulleys, in an age when people hadn’t yet even discovered iron!
According to historians, ancient Egyptians likely employed teams of builders when creating pyramids. Each worker would be assigned specific tasks during construction – for instance one might have been responsible for transporting large blocks of stone while another worked to assemble them – though due to such highly skilled work taking decades for completion.
Giza’s oldest three pyramids date back to the reigns of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure kings, though each pyramid was constructed using different techniques; nonetheless they all share similar features such as large bases with gradually sloping sides that gradually increased height – used mostly as royal tombs but also seen as pathways leading toward heaven.
Pyramids were constructed using geometry and mathematical formulae. Their exact placement on a compass was determined using geometry, while Egyptian pharaohs were interred within their inner cores while workers, officials, slaves and officials were interred nearby in flat-topped funerary structures known as mastabas. Giza Plateau boasts other grand structures as well, including the Great Sphinx which features both human features with its body being an enormous statue lion with human faces atop it!
The Land of Three Deserts
Egypt, home of ancient civilization and one of the world’s most historic countries, lies at the crossroads of Africa and Asia and remains an intriguing place today. Egypt remains an indispensable trade partner to numerous other nations around the globe as well.
The Nile River provides food, water, and transportation for Egyptians, while also serving as home to thousands of species of fish, birds and mammals. By day it offers beautiful landscape views; by night it provides the perfect way to witness stargazing without light pollution from cities.
Egyptian hieroglyphs are an intricate language consisting of over 700 symbols representing words, phrases and ideas that were once used by ancient Egyptians to document history and communicate among themselves. Additionally, this method helped record history as well as create calendars spanning 365 days!
Estimates suggest that Egypt’s first civilisation began approximately 8,000 years ago when hunters and fishermen settled along the Nile. Over time, these people developed agriculture and built villages; then developed more organised societies under strong leaders known as pharaohs; these powerful rulers also constructed impressive monuments including Giza Pyramids.
One of the most intriguing facts about Egypt is that it boasts three deserts – Western Desert, Eastern Desert and Great Sand Sea (part of Sahara) – each boasting their own ecosystem of Oasises, mountains and sand dunes. White Desert National Park stands out as particularly striking desert with incredible natural phenomena you won’t find elsewhere – also making for the ideal opportunity to witness Egypt’s night sky without light pollution!
The World’s Largest Dam
Egypt is one of the world’s most incredible nations, boasting amazing ancient monuments and scorching deserts alike. Stretching across two continents — Africa and Asia — its long history dates back thousands of years; plus it boasts the world’s largest dam! It makes Egypt truly remarkable!
The Aswan High Dam impounds the Nile River to form Lake Nasser. Aswan High is one of six largest dams worldwide in terms of storage capacity; designed by Institute Hydroproject of Russia with engineering from Egypt as construction began between 1960-1968 and boasts 12 generators producing 2.1 gigawatts of electricity!
Before the last Ice Age, much of Egypt was an expansive grassland where prehistoric Egyptian ancestors hunted and gathered food, while over time it gradually turned to desert. The Nile River provided water for farming as well as transportation and construction purposes; its annual inundation was known for leaving behind rich silt to nourish crops while ancient Egyptians believed the floods were caused by tears of Isis goddess of mercy.
Though it might be hard to believe today, ancient Egypt was actually quite progressive society. Women could marry and divorce as they pleased and run businesses independently of men. Prenuptial agreements also provided protection from divorce in terms of wealth/property division. Workers organized labor strikes for better working conditions while fighting back against their pharaoh for his rightful place as god in society – they weren’t afraid of standing up against what they believed in or standing against what their king believed was best!