We have put together some ideas on what to experience either before you leave or while you visit this beautiful and enchanting country. From literature to cuisine, accommodations to historical attractions, or simply souvenirs, you will find it here. Simply click on a tab above to read more about the topic.
Temple of Luxor
Many festivals were celebrated in Thebes. The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important one, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, it appears that the temple's purpose was for a suitable setting for the rituals of the festival. The festival itself was to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office. During the 18th Dynasty the festival lasted eleven days, but had grown to twenty-seven days by the reign of Ramesses III in the 20th Dynasty. At that time the festival included the distribution of over 11,000 loaves of bread, 85 cakes and 385 jars of beer. The procession of images of the current royal family began at Karnak and ended at the temple of Luxor.
By the late 18th Dynasty the journey was being made by barge, on the Nile River. Each god or goddess was carried in a separate barge that was towed by smaller boats. Large crowds consisting of soldiers, dancers, musicians and high ranking officials accompanied the barge by walking along the banks of the river. During the festival the people were allowed to ask favors of the statues of the kings or to the images of the gods that were on the barges. Once at the temple, the king and his priests entered the back chambers. There, the king and his ka (the divine essence of each king, created at his birth) were merged, the king being transformed into a divine being. The crowd outside, anxiously awaiting the transformed king, would cheer wildly at his re-emergence. This solidified the ritual and made the king a god. The festival was the backbone of the pharaoh's government. In this way could a usurper or one not of the same bloodline become ruler over Egypt.
Many festivals were celebrated in Thebes. The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important one, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, it appears that the temple's purpose was for a suitable setting for the rituals of the festival. The festival itself was to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office. During the 18th Dynasty the festival lasted eleven days, but had grown to twenty-seven days by the reign of Ramesses III in the 20th Dynasty. At that time the festival included the distribution of over 11,000 loaves of bread, 85 cakes and 385 jars of beer. The procession of images of the current royal family began at Karnak and ended at the temple of Luxor.
By the late 18th Dynasty the journey was being made by barge, on the Nile River. Each god or goddess was carried in a separate barge that was towed by smaller boats. Large crowds consisting of soldiers, dancers, musicians and high ranking officials accompanied the barge by walking along the banks of the river. During the festival the people were allowed to ask favors of the statues of the kings or to the images of the gods that were on the barges. Once at the temple, the king and his priests entered the back chambers. There, the king and his ka (the divine essence of each king, created at his birth) were merged, the king being transformed into a divine being. The crowd outside, anxiously awaiting the transformed king, would cheer wildly at his re-emergence. This solidified the ritual and made the king a god. The festival was the backbone of the pharaoh's government. In this way could a usurper or one not of the same bloodline become ruler over Egypt.
The Golden Tulip Flamenco Hotel in Cairo is set in the heart of the Residential and diplomatic sector of Zamalek Island in the city of Cairo, overlooking the Nile River. Just a ride by taxi will bring you to the world renowned Pyramids of Giza and Sakkara, the Sphinx and many other historical sites and museums such as: The Coptic Museum, The Egyptian Museum, The Citadel, the Kan El Khalili market etc.
The Egyptian kitchen is renowned for its tasty dishes to which millions of visitors to Egypt have gained an appeal. A large number of elegant restaurants in major cities offer delicious oriental selections such as Kefta, Kebab, Mulukhia, Tahina Salad, Hamam Mahshi (Grilled Pigeon), Baba Ghanough, Mixed Green Salad, Vine Leaves, Foul and Ta'meya and Kusheri.
The most interesting shopping area for tourists in Cairo is the old bazaar, Khan-el Khalili, specialising in reproductions of antiquities. Jewellery, spices, copper utensils and Coptic cloth are some of the special items.
Mahmoud Taymour
A pioneer of Modern Arabic Novel
Mahmoud Taymour is a leading pioneer of modern novel in Egypt and the Arab world. He made significant contributions to the literary realm, as well as the theater, short story, travel literature and linguistic research. Many of his writings were translated into several European languages including French Italian and German.
He was born on June 16, 1859 to an aristocratic family interested in literature and learning. His grandfather, Ismail Pasha Taymour, was a man of letters and an enthusiastic collector of books.
His aunt, Aisha Al Taymouriya, was an established poetess, with several poems published in Arabic, Turkish and Persian. His father, Ahmed Pasha Taymour was a great scholar, well-versed in literature, linguistics and Arabic history. His library, which he bequeathed for public use, contained a collection of rare Arabic masterpieces.
The great writer Taha Hussein was quoted as saying to Mahmoud Tamyour "If they told you that you are an Egyptian writer, they are disparaging you, if they said that you are an Arab man of letters this due to your abridgement, you are only given your due in full when it is said that you are a universal writer." The Russian c Karachi branded Taymour as Tolstoy of the East. The Hungarian thinker Abdel-Kaim Germanwi described him as Maupassant of the Arab.
A pioneer of Modern Arabic Novel
Mahmoud Taymour is a leading pioneer of modern novel in Egypt and the Arab world. He made significant contributions to the literary realm, as well as the theater, short story, travel literature and linguistic research. Many of his writings were translated into several European languages including French Italian and German.
He was born on June 16, 1859 to an aristocratic family interested in literature and learning. His grandfather, Ismail Pasha Taymour, was a man of letters and an enthusiastic collector of books.
His aunt, Aisha Al Taymouriya, was an established poetess, with several poems published in Arabic, Turkish and Persian. His father, Ahmed Pasha Taymour was a great scholar, well-versed in literature, linguistics and Arabic history. His library, which he bequeathed for public use, contained a collection of rare Arabic masterpieces.
The great writer Taha Hussein was quoted as saying to Mahmoud Tamyour "If they told you that you are an Egyptian writer, they are disparaging you, if they said that you are an Arab man of letters this due to your abridgement, you are only given your due in full when it is said that you are a universal writer." The Russian c Karachi branded Taymour as Tolstoy of the East. The Hungarian thinker Abdel-Kaim Germanwi described him as Maupassant of the Arab.