World Heritage Sites in Egypt

Copyright © Egypt, Cradle of Civilization

After World War Ι the world was concerned with reconstruction, and the need for the preservation of cultural sites and the obligation towards the conservation of nature. This gave birth to the creation of an international movement then called the "Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage."

To stimulate international cooperation and help generate funds to protect "the world's superb natural and scenic areas and historic sites for the present and the future of the entire world citizenry" a 'World Heritage Trust' was put forth in 1965. The Convention was adopted by the UNESCO on 16 November 1972 reinforcing the importance for the need to preserve heritage balance between culture and nature.

The decision to build the Aswan High Dam raised concern for the loss of the treasures of the ancient Egyptian civilization, which would be lost to the flooding in the Nile Valley. On appeal from both Egypt and Sudan in 1959, the UNESCO launched a campaign to help save both Abu Simbel and Philae Temples, as they were dismantled and moved to higher, dry ground to be reassembled. This international campaign raised about US$80 million, half of which was donated by around 50 countries, showing solidarity in helping conserve exceptional cultural sites. Rescue campaigns that followed included Venice and its Lagoon (Italy), the Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro (Pakistan), and the restoration of the Borobodur Temple Compounds (Indonesia).

The officially listed World Heritage Site in Egypt are seven, of which 6 are cultural site and one is a natural, which is Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley) and was the latest to be added in 2005. It lies in Wadi El-Rayan Protected Area in the Fayoum Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt. Its desert floor is littered with fossil whale skeletons which have long been extinct.

Of the Cultural properties is Abu Mena in the Mariut Desert in Borg Al-Arab in Alexandria. It is an ancient holy city that includes a church, baptistery, public buildings, streets, monasteries, houses and workshops. It was built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, who died in A.D. 296.

In Quina there's the ancient city of Thebes with its Necropolis. It was the capital of Egypt during both the Middle and New Kingdoms, and the city of the god Amun. The property includes the temples and palaces at Karnak in Luxor and the necropolises of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

Historic or Islamic Cairo also became a World Heritage Site in 1979. Founded in the 10th century and by the 14th century it reached its golden age becoming the center for Islamic teaching and the Islamic world in general. Surrounded by urban Cairo the property is famous for its mosques, madrasas, hammams and fountains.

The site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Memphis and its Necropolis-The Pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur, was the capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, holding some amazing rock tombs, temples and pyramids.

Equally extraordinary are the properties in Aswan, with the colossal temple of Abu Simbel built by Ramses II and the beautifully serene Sanctuary of Isis at the Island of Philae which were threatened to drown by the Aswan Dam in the 60's and were the first rescue campaign launched by the UNESCO.

The St. Katherine Area was enlisted in 2002, and is considered sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Mount Horeb or better known as Gabal Musa is where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The Orthodox Christian Monastery St. Katherine was built in the 6th century and holds an amazing collection of Christian manuscripts and icons.

Although only seven sites are listed to this day, the tentative list for pending sites is very long, but include Alexandria (ancient remains and the new library), El-Gendi Fortress, built by Salah el-Din in south Sinai, the Protected ecosystems of Ras Mohammed in South Sinai and the Monasteries of the Arab Desert and Wadi Natrun.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem

Down The Nile Without a Paddle!

Copyright © Egypt, Cradle of Civilization

Just as Cleopatra sailed down the Nile in her luxurious royal barge, the bank along the river Nile probably looks the same for that many years. A timeless picturesque scene, life has not changed much over the years. Buffaloes and cows grazing, farmers working the land by hand, women washing cloths on the waters edge, children fishing or jumping into the water, waving and screaming at the passing boats. Egrets fly over the water surface alongside the boat and a kingfisher hovers, ready to dive down into the water to catch a fish. As an important migratory stopover between Africa and Europe, the banks of the Nile are the perfect place for bird-watching. Lining the banks are date palms, willows, acacias, mimosa and sycamore trees.


The river Nile, the source of all creation, life and beauty, is the life-line of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and the unending source of sustenance to its people. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that 'Egypt was the gift of the Nile.' Sailing by the serene beauty on a Nile cruise ship, with all the luxuries of royalty of a Pharaonic barge, is a once in a life time experience. With all the facilities of a land based hotel, Nile cruise ships are fully air-conditioned, with a small swimming pool, bars, restaurants, shops, private baths and TVs.

The large sliding window of the cabin room opens directly on to the waters of the river emphasizing the closeness of nature even further. I can never tire of gazing out at the life on the Nile as it drifts by, and the single-sailed feluccas, that remind me of giant butterflies. My personal favorite is the sun-deck, especially during the early hours of the cool morning breeze.


During the actual motion of the Nile cruise ship there is little sense of motion, so even within the smallest cabin room there is no danger of any seasickness. With an all inclusive package, you can enjoy three meals a day with all the transportation to the tours and temples. A typical cruise will include visits to the Luxor Museum, the magnificent Temple of Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon on Luxor. In Esna the Temple of Esna and at Edfu, there is the Temple of Horus. At Kom Ombo, there is the temple of Sobek, the crocodile god associated with fertility; it is directly on the edge of the Nile where crocodiles were fed red meat in ancient times.


At Aswan the sites to see include a visit to the Aswan High Dam, Lake Nasser, the Unfinished Obelisk. The Temple of Philae is on one of the most romantic and beautiful site on Earth. It had become the center point to the worship of the cult of the goddess Isis. Optional is a relaxing felucca trip to the Botanical Island and a visit to a Nubian village as you float past the Elephantine Island and the Agha Khan Mausoleum.

The cruises range from a quick, three-night cruise usually departing from Aswan to Luxor, to a moderate four-night cruise usually departing from Luxor to Aswan. The seven-night cruise either starts from Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor, this trip is for those who seek full relaxation.


Besides the day visits these cruise ships have active night life including cocktail parties, Nubian shows, belly dancers and whirling tanoura dancers, there is even a night where guests have a dress up parties putting on traditional Egyptian costumes. The meals onboard most Nile cruisers are usually buffet style and include a variety of international and local cuisine.


The best time to book your Nile cruise is between October and mid April, when the weather is cool and the locks along the Nile at Esna are all open. These locks will be closed around mid April because of the water levels. However there are cruise boats operating all year round, but due to the closed locks, cruise operators will arrange boats on either side of the locks, and a transfer must be made between boats. Although a visit to the Pyramids and the Sphinx maybe the pinnacle of your trip to Egypt, there is nothing like floating down the Nile on a cruise boat, truly an unforgettable and magical experience.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem

The Ben Ezra Synagogue

Copyright © Egypt, Cradle of Civilization

Maybe the oldest existing synagogue in Cairo, the Ben Ezra Synagogue or El-Geniza Synagogue was originally a church in the 8th century called El-Shamieen Church. It is located behind the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo. In 882 AD it had to be sold in order for the Copts to pay the annual taxes imposed on them by the Muslim rulers during the reign of Ahmed Ibn Tulun. The synagogue was purchased by Rabbie Abraham Ben Ezra of Jerusalem for 20,000 dinars.


The Synagogue is said to have been built over the location where the prophet Moses had been found as a baby. It also once had a copy of the Old Testament, which is said to have been hand written by the Prophet Ezra (Al-Azir) written on gazelle skin. But the Synagogue is most famous for the discovery of its Geniza (a hidden store room for sacred books and Torah scrolls).


This discovery came about during the reconstruction of the Synagogue during the 19th century, revealing thousands of original documents from the middle Ages, over 250,000 manuscripts. The documents were written mostly in Hebrew Arabic, which is Arabic written in Hebrew alphabet, and tells of life for Jews during those medieval times. Besides recounting of sectarian organizations and the relations between different Jewish sects, these scrolls also reconstruct the political, economic and social conditions of Jews in Egypt and the way they dealt with the Arab Muslim authorities during that period of history. These rare documents contain interpretations from the Old Testament and excerpts of linguistic research on Hebrew.


The original building has long collapsed, but with the renovations it was accurately and ardently reconstructed mirroring the original, the present day temple dates back from 1892. The Ben Ezra Synagogue was built in basilica-style with two floors one for men and the upper one for women. The main floor is divided into three parts by steel bars, and in the center is an octagonal marble bima (platform for Torah reading). The walls, ceiling and columns are decorated with geometric and floral patterns in the Turkish style.


The Jewish heritage library in the Synagogue was inaugurated on November 25, 1997. The Jewish community is almost extinct dwindling from a strong 80,000 in 1922 to just 250 people, who are all very old. Functions and services are still held in Synagogues but are protected by government police. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is open daily for touristic visits, but be prepared to pass through security to get in.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem

The Bride of the Nile

Copyright © Egypt, Cradle of Civilization

A long long time ago, some three or four thousand years before our epoch, around the same time every year, the rise in the water on earth was herald by a sign in the heavens. The brightest of all the fixed stars appears at dawn in the east just before sunrise about the time of the summer solstice, indicating the beginning of the sacred Egyptian year. The brilliant star of Sirius or as the Egyptians called it Sothis, marked the time of the inundation of the Nile. Sothis was deemed by the Egyptians as the star of Isis, the goddess of life and love. They called it so because it was believed that as Isis came to mourn her departed husband, Osiris, to wake him up from the dead; her tears caused the rise in the levels of the Nile water.


The flooding of the Nile was the most important event in the lives of the Egyptians. It was a matter of their very existence and welfare. For a year with little or no flood meant famine in the Kingdom, but too large a flood would mean a disaster for it would over flow into the villages destroying them. A flood had to be just right to determine a good season. The Egyptian flood cycle starts during the second week of August and is divided into 3 stages. The time of the Nile flood, Akhet (the inundation) was the first season of the year. The sowing time Peret marked the time when crops grew in the fields and was considered the Egyptian Autumn from October to mid-February. The last and third season, the time of harvest Shemu, ran from mid-February until the end of May and was the spring season of the Egyptian calendar. This cycle was so predictable that the ancient Egyptians based their calendar on it.



As the Nile flow from the south to the north, the flood brought the silt-laden waters into Egypt, and as the water receded later the silt would stay behind, fertilizing the land. The flood was seen as the yearly coming of the god Hapi, bringing fertility to the land. . He was worshipped even above Ra as he brought the fertile inundation; he was a very important deity to any one living in the Nile valley. He was depicted as a blue or green bearded man with female breasts, indicating his powers of nourishment. At the time of the inundation the Egyptians would throw offerings, amulets and other sacrifices into the Nile at certain places, sacred to Hapi.



Today's celebration takes on a different meaning and form. Yes it is still celebrated at the same time of the year but there is no longer flooding of the Nile, which stopped when the Aswan High Dam was built to regulate the flow of water year round. Now this time of the year is called "Wafaa el-neel Festival" or literally "Fidelity of the Nile". It was said that the Pharaohs sacrificed a beautiful virgin girl to the river in return for a good harvest. The ancient legend has survived into an ongoing tradition where a wooden doll dressed as a bride is thrown into the Nile instead.


The modern-day celebration is now more contemporary with art competitions for children, poetry reading, concerts and scientific discussions. This year there festival will include flower parades and a Pharaonic procession portraying the ancient legend of the Nile Festival. The events included aqua sports like rowing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming. The celebrations well accommodate floating hotels, restaurants and other places over looking the Nile. This year's concept is to promote the awareness to protect this vital source of life and a main attraction to Egypt's ecotourism.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem

The Giza Necropolis

Copyright © Egypt, Cradle of Civilization

"With each new dawn I see the sun god rise from the far bank of the Nile. His first ray is for my face which is turned towards him and for 5,000 years I have seen all the suns man can remember come up in the sky..."

The Sphinx' first words as it stand guarding the Pyramids of Giza. The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, located only a few kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called this place imentet, "The West" or kher neter, "The Necropolis". The Great Pyramid of Giza, the relics of a vanished culture, is the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Pyramids of Giza are generally thought of by foreigners as lying in a remote, desert location, even though they are located in what is now part of the most populous city not only in Egypt but in Africa. In fact, urban development reaches right up to the perimeter of the antiquities site. The ancient sites in the Memphis area, including those at Giza, together with those at Saqqara, Dahshur, Abu Ruwaysh, and Abusir, were collectively declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The opening lines to the Sound and Light Show instantly capture the audience, and why shouldn't they? With the backdrop being the Sphinx and the Pyramids beautifully lite, in the pitch dark, easily make one feel that they have actually been transported back into time.

"You have come tonight to the most fabulous and celebrated place in the world. Here on the plateau of Giza stands forever the mightiest of human achievements. No traveler, emperor, merchant or poet has trodden on these sands and not gasped in awe. The curtain of night is about to rise and disclose the stage on which the drama of a civilization took place. Those involved have been present since the dawn of history, pitched stubbornly against sand and wind, and the voice of the desert has crossed the centuries."

The Pyramids of Giza were built over the span of three generations - by the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops), his second reigning son Khafre (Chephren, Kephren), and Menkaure. But it was Khufu who placed Giza forever at the heart of funerary devotion, a city of the dead that dwarfed the cities of the living nearby. Dominating the sandy plateau his pyramid built around 2530 B.C, is the largest of all the pyramids in Egypt.


On its southwest diagonal is the pyramid of his son Khafre. Although it is smaller, they appear from afar to be of the same size, this illusion is due to its steeper angle, and as it is built on higher ground it infact appears taller. The notion that this was done on purpose to out-do his father's pyramid is obvious!

Further along the southwest diagonal is the smallest of the three great pyramids, that of Khafre's son, Menkaure. It is also the most unusual. As it is not entirely limestone the uppermost portions are made of brick. It is also not along the diagonal line that runs through the Great Pyramid and the Second Pyramid, but instead is nearly a hundred meters to the southeast. This error, if an error at all, is of a magnitude not in keeping with the mathematical skill known to have been possessed by the ancient Egyptians.


In the last few years there has been a theory that the three large Pyramids of Giza are actually meant to be in an alignment representing the three "belt" stars in the Orion constellation: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. This theory is rejected by the majority of Egyptologists, but none the less a point to consider. And while the center of the pyramid does not line up with its larger counterparts, the southeast sides of all three pyramids are in alignment. The sides of all three of the Giza Pyramids were astronomically oriented to be north-south and east-west within a small fraction of a degree.

But who really built the Pyramids? The worker's cemeteries were discovered in 1990 by archaeologists Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner. Contrary to some popular belief, the pyramid builders were not slaves or foreigners. Skeletons excavated from the site show that they were Egyptians who lived in villages developed and overseen by the pharaoh's supervisors. The most possible assumption the Pyramids were built by tens of thousands of skilled and unskilled laborers who camped near the pyramids and worked for a salary or as a form of paying taxes until the construction was completed.

But graffiti from inside the Giza monuments themselves have long suggested something very different. They were not the Jews as been said, nor were they people from a lost civilization. And they were certainly not from out of space. They were Egyptian and their skeletons were buried on the plateau, and were examined by scholars, doctors and the race of all the people found completely supports that they were Egyptian.

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded. The workmen who were involved in building the Great Pyramid were divided into gangs, groups, four groups, and each group had a name, and each group had an overseer. Undeniable evidence to this is graffiti found in places that were not meant to show such as the inscription above Khufu's burial chamber. The workmen who were involved in building the Great Pyramid wrote the names of the gangs, names like "Friends of Khufu". Plus there was solid evidence from the facilities that the workers were well fed, with a lot of bakeries found and left over bones of fish and cattle. Building the pyramid was a national project of Egypt because everyone had to participate in building it.

After 5000 years this place of ancient worship still stands with all its glory and awe. Defying the elements of nature and time, to this day they still keep from us many secrets. And as the saying goes, "Man fears Time, but Time fears the Pyramids."

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem