- Egypt is located in Northeast Africa and Southwest Asia, bordered by Libya, Sudan, Israel, and Gaza. It has a population of over 84 million people concentrated along the Nile River. - Egypt has one of the longest histories of any country, dating back to at least 3000 BC. Ancient Egyptian civilization constructed famous monuments like the Giza pyramids and Great Sphinx. Tourism related to Egypt's rich cultural heritage is now a major part of the economy. - Some of Egypt's most important historical sites discussed in the document include the Giza pyramids, Abu Simbel temples, Karnak temple complex, and Tutankhamun's tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings.

4. Egypt especially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a
transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa
and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the
Sinai Peninsula. Most of its territory of 1,010,000 square
kilometers (390,000 sq mi) lies within North Africa and is
bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. to the north, the Gaza
Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east,
the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south and Libya
to the west.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the
Middle East, and the 15th most populated in the world. The
great majority of its over 84 million people live near the banks
of the Nile River, an area of about 40,000 square kilometers
(15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large
regions of the Sahara Desert, which constitute most of Egypt's
territory, are sparsely inhabited

5. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most
spread across the densely populated centers of greater Cairo,
Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.
Egypt has one of the longest histories of any modern state,
having been continuously inhabited since the 10th millennium
BC. Its monuments, such as the Giza pyramid complex and its
Great Sphinx, were constructed by its ancient civilization, which
was one of the most advanced of its time. Its ancient ruins, such
as those of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings
outside Luxor, are a significant focus of archaeological study and
popular interest. Egypt's rich cultural legacy, as well as the
attraction of its Red Sea Riviera, have made tourism a vital part
of the economy, employing about 12% of the country's workforce.

6. The economy of Egypt is one of the most diversified
in the Middle East, with sectors such as tourism,
agriculture, industry and services at almost equal
production levels. Egypt is considered to be a middle
power, with significant cultural, political, and military
influence in North Africa, the Middle East and the
Muslim world.

9. There is evidence of rock carvings along the Nile terraces and in
desert oases. In the 10th millennium BC, a culture of hunter-
gatherers and fishers was replaced by a grain-grinding culture.
Climate changes and/or overgrazing around 8000 BC began to
desiccate the pastoral lands of Egypt, forming the Sahara. Early
tribal peoples migrated to the Nile River where they developed a
settled agricultural economy and more centralized society.
By about 6000 BC, a Neolithic culture rooted in the Nile Valley.
During the Neolithic era, several predynastic cultures developed
independently in Upper and Lower Egypt. The Badarian culture
and the successor Naqada series are generally regarded as
precursors to dynastic Egypt. The earliest known Lower Egyptian
site, Merimda, predates the Badarian by about seven hundred
years. Contemporaneous Lower Egyptian communities coexisted
with their southern counterparts for more than two thousand
years, remaining culturally distinct, but maintaining frequent
contact through trade. The earliest known evidence of Egyptian
hieroglyphic inscriptions appeared during the predynastic period

10. The Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza, built during the Old
Kingdom.
A unified kingdom was founded c. 3150 BC by King Menes,
leading to a series of dynasties that ruled Egypt for the next three
millennia. Egyptian culture flourished during this long period and
remained distinctively Egyptian in its religion, arts, language and
customs. The first two ruling dynasties of a unified Egypt set the
stage for the Old Kingdom period, c. 2700–2200 BC., which
constructed many pyramids, most notably the Third Dynasty
pyramid of Djoser and the Fourth Dynasty Giza Pyramids.
The First Intermediate Period ushered in a time of political
upheaval for about 150 years. Stronger Nile floods and
stabilization of government, however, brought back renewed
prosperity for the country in the Middle Kingdom c. 2040 BC,
reaching a peak during the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III. A
second period of disunity heralded the arrival of the first foreign
ruling dynasty in Egypt, that of the Semitic Hyksos. The Hyksos

11. The New Kingdom c. 1550–1070 BC began with the Eighteenth
Dynasty, marking the rise of Egypt as an international power that
expanded during its greatest extension to an empire as far south as
Tombos in Nubia, and included parts of the Levant in the east. This
period is noted for some of the most well known Pharaohs, including
Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti,
Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. The first historically attested expression
of monotheism came during this period as Atenism. Frequent contacts
with other nations brought new ideas to the New Kingdom. The country
was later invaded and conquered by Libyans, Nubians and Assyrians,
but native Egyptians eventually drove them out and regained control of
their country.
The Thirtieth Dynasty was the last native ruling dynasty during the
Pharaonic epoch. It fell to the Persians in 343 BC after the last native
Pharaoh, King Nectanebo II, was defeated in battle.
The Ptolemaic Kingdom was a powerful Hellenistic state, extending from
southern Syria in the east, to Cyrene to the west, and south to the
frontier with Nubia.

12. Alexandria became the capital city and a center of Greek culture
and trade. To gain recognition by the native Egyptian populace,
they named themselves as the successors to the Pharaohs. The
later Ptolemies took on Egyptian traditions, had themselves
portrayed on public monuments in Egyptian style and dress, and
participated in Egyptian religious life.
The last ruler from the Ptolemaic line was Cleopatra VII, who
committed suicide following the burial of her lover Mark Antony
who had died in her arms (from a self-inflicted stab wound), after
Octavian had captured Alexandria and her mercenary forces had
fled. The Ptolemies faced rebellions of native Egyptians often
caused by an unwanted regime and were involved in foreign and
civil wars that led to the decline of the kingdom and its annexation
by Rome. Nevertheless Hellenistic culture continued to thrive in
Egypt well after the Muslim conquest.

18. Egypt lies primarily between latitudes 22° and 32°N, and
longitudes 25° and 35°E. At 1,001,450 square kilometers
(386,660 sq mi), it is the world's 30th-largest country.
Nevertheless, due to the aridity of Egypt's climate,
population centers are concentrated along the narrow Nile
Valley and Delta, meaning that about 99% of the population
uses only about 5.5% of the total land area. 98% of
Egyptians live on 3% of the territory.
Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, the Sudan to the
south, and the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. Egypt's
important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic
position: a transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge
(the Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, traversed by
a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) that connects the
Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean by way of the Red
Sea.

19. Apart from the Nile Valley, the majority of Egypt's landscape
is desert, with a few oases scattered about. Winds create
prolific sand dunes that peak at more than 100 feet (30 m)
high. Egypt includes parts of the Sahara Desert and of the
Libyan Desert. These deserts protected the Kingdom of the
Pharaohs from western threats and were referred to as the "red
land" in ancient Egypt.
Towns and cities include Alexandria, the second largest city;
Aswan; Asyut; Cairo, the modern Egyptian capital and
largest city; El-Mahalla El-Kubra; Giza, the site of the
Pyramid of Khufu; Hurghada; Luxor; Kom Ombo; Port
Safaga; Port Said; Sharm el Sheikh; Suez, where the south end
of the Suez Canal is located; Zagazig; and Al-Mina. Oases
include Bahariya, el Dakhla, Farafra, el Kharga and Siwa.
Protectorates include Ras Mohamed National Park, Zaranik
Protectorate and Siwa.

23. NAME RANK POPULATION
Cairo 1 8,105,071
Alexandria 2 4,388,219
Giza 3 3,348,401
Shubra El-Kheima 4 1,072,951
Port Said 5 607,353
Suez 6 547,352
Luxor 7 487,896
Mansoura 8 480,494
El-Mahalla El-Kubra 9 458,297
Tanta 10 437,793

24. Asyut 11 403,202
Ismailia 12 352,411
Faiyum 13 338,959
Zagazig 14 314,331
Damietta 15 299,296
Aswan 16 281,891
Minya 17 253,767
Damanhour 18 252,017
Beni Suef 19 223,789
Hurghada 20 223,124

26. Tourism is one of the most important sectors in Egypt's
economy. More than 12.8 million tourists visited Egypt
in 2008, providing revenues of nearly $11 billion. The
tourism sector employs about 12% of Egypt's workforce.
Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou told industry
professionals and reporters that tourism generated
some $9.4 billion in 2012, a slight increase over the $9
billion seen in 2011.

27. There are several pyramids in Giza (which is 20 km
southwest of Cairo), but the three most famous are the
Great Pyramid of khufu and the pyramids of Khafre and
Menkaure. According to archaeologists, the pyramids
were built as tombs for the pharaohs. Among the seven
wonders of antiquity, they are the only ones left
standing.
Giza Pyramids

28. After the Great Sphinx, Abu Simbel is probably the most iconic
carved monument in the country and as things to see in Egypt is
concerned, you have to visit in person to appreciate it. The twin
temples in Nubia, in the south of the country and close to the
border with Sudan, have been attracting visitors since the 1800s
when the forgotten temples were rediscovered after being buried
in the sand for hundreds of years.
The temples were built for Ramesses II taking 20 years to
complete. Today they remain some of the most breathtaking
examples of Ancient Egyptian artistry and culture

29. Karnak was the Mecca of Ancient Egyptian religion with
temples dedicated to the great deities worshipped by the
Egyptians. The site is huge and has far too much to be
explored, even fleetingly in a single day. For those
travellers short on time, the Great Temple of Amun is the
highlight of Karnak, and a must-see historical site that
should be at the top of your things to see in Egypt list.

30. We end our tour of the things to see in Egypt that are not the
pyramids back in Cairo, at a rather unassuming but special
museum called the Gayer-Anderson Museum. It’s one of the best
examples of 17th century architecture in Cairo and the building is
filled with an array of carpets and other treasures of its former
resident. The building supposedly is built on top of the former
“Hill of Thanksgiving,” where Noah’s ark came to rest after the
flood and legend also says Moses spoke to God on this
spot. The house is said to be protected by a shaykh who is
buried underneath it. And don’t miss the fantastic views of Islamic
Cairo from the rooftop!
Gayer-Anderson
Museum

31. Transport in Egypt is centered in Cairo and largely follows the
pattern of settlement along the Nile. The main line of the
nation's 40,800-kilometer (25,400 mi) railway network runs
from Alexandria to Aswan and is operated by Egyptian
National Railways. The badly maintained vehicle road network
has expanded rapidly to over 21,000 miles, covering the Nile
Valley and Nile Delta, the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts,
the Sinai, and the Western oases.
The Cairo Metro in Egypt is the first of only two full-fledged
metro systems in Africa and the Arab World. The system
consists of three operational lines.

33. Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th
dynasty (ruled ca. 1332 BC – 1323 BC in the conventional
chronology), during the period of Egyptian history
known as the New Kingdom. He is popularly referred to
as King Tut. His original name, Tutankhaten, means
"Living Image of Aten", while Tutankhamun means "Living
Image of Amun". In hieroglyphs, the name Tutankhamun
was typically written Amen-tut-ankh, because of a
scribal custom that placed a divine name at the
beginning of a phrase to show appropriate reverence. He
is possibly also the Nibhurrereya of the Amarna letters,
and likely the 18th dynasty king Rathotis who, according
to Manetho, an ancient historian, had reigned for nine
years—a figure that conforms with Flavius Josephus's
version of Manetho's Epitome.

34. The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th
Earl of Carnarvon of Tutankhamun's nearly intact tomb received
worldwide press coverage. It sparked a renewed public interest in
ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun's burial mask, now in Cairo
Museum, remains the popular symbol. Exhibits of artifacts from
his tomb have toured the world. In February 2010, the results of
DNA tests confirmed that he was the son of Akhenaten (mummy
KV55) and Akhenaten's sister and wife (mummy KV35YL), whose
name is unknown but whose remains are positively identified as
"The Younger Lady" mummy found in KV35.

35. Tutankhamun was the son of Akhenaten (formerly
Amenhotep IV) and one of Akhenaten's sisters, or perhaps
one of his cousins. As a prince he was known as Tutankhaten.
He ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine or
ten, taking the throne name Nebkhep
erure. His wet-nurse was a woman called Maia, known from
her tomb at Saqqara.
When he became king, he married his half-sister,
Ankhesenpaaten, who later changed her name to
Ankhesenamun. They had two daughters, both stillborn.
Computed tomography studies released in 2011 revealed that
one daughter died at 5–6 months of pregnancy and the other
at 9 months of pregnancy. No evidence was found in either
mummy of congenital anomalies or an apparent cause of

36. Cartouches of his birth and throne names are displayed
between rampant Sekhmet lioness warrior images
(perhaps with his head) crushing enemies of several
ethnicities, while Nekhbet flies protectively above.
Given his age, the king probably had very powerful
advisers, presumably including General Horemheb and
the Vizier Ay. Horemheb records that the king appointed
him "lord of the land" as hereditary prince to maintain
law. He also noted his ability to calm the young king
when his temper flared.
Domestic policy
In his third regnal year, Tutankhamun reversed several
changes made during his father's reign. He ended the
worship of the god Aten and restored the god Amun to
supremacy. The ban on the cult of Amun was lifted and

37. This is when he changed his name to Tutankhamun, "Living image of
Amun", reinforcing the restoration of Amun.
As part of his restoration, the king initiated building projects, in
particular at Thebes and Karnak, where he dedicated a temple to Amun.
Many monuments were erected, and an inscription on his tomb door
declares the king had "spent his life in fashioning the images of the
gods". The traditional festivals were now celebrated again, including
those related to the Apis Bull, Horemakhet, and Opet. His restoration
stela says:
The temples of the gods and goddesses ... were in ruins. Their shrines
were deserted and overgrown. Their sanctuaries were as non-existent
and their courts were used as roads ... the gods turned their backs upon
this land ... If anyone made a prayer to a god for advice he would never
respond.
Foreign policy

38. The country was economically weak and in
turmoil following the reign of Akhenaten.
Diplomatic relations with other kingdoms had
been neglected, and Tutankhamun sought to
restore them, in particular with the Mitanni.
Evidence of his success is suggested by the gifts
from various countries found in his tomb. Despite
his efforts for improved relations, battles with
Nubians and Asiatics were recorded in his
mortuary temple at Thebes. His tomb contained
body armor and folding stools appropriate for
military campaigns. However, given his youth and
physical disabilities, which seemed to require the
use of a cane in order to walk (he died c. age 19),

39. There are no surviving records of Tutankhamun's final days. What
caused Tutankhamun's death has been the subject of
considerable debate. Major studies have been conducted in an
effort to establish the cause of death.
Although there is some speculation that Tutankhamun was
assassinated, the consensus is that his death was accidental. A
CT scan taken in 2005 shows that he had suffered a left leg
fracture shortly before his death, and that the leg had become
infected. DNA analysis conducted in 2010 showed the presence of
malaria in his system. It is believed that these two conditions
(malaria and leiomyoma combined, led to his death. On
September 14, 2012, ABC News did an article on a new theory
about Tutankhamun's death with information coming from a
lecturer and surgeon named Dr. Hutan Ashrafian who believed
that temporal lobe epilepsy caused the fatal fall which broke
Tutankhamun's leg.

40. 180
Cm

41. Tutankhamun was buried in a tomb that was small
relative to his status. His death may have occurred
unexpectedly, before the completion of a grander
royal tomb, so that his mummy was buried in a tomb
intended for someone else. This would preserve the
observance of the customary seventy days between
death and burial.
King Tutankhamun's mummy still rests in his tomb
in the Valley of the Kings. On 4 November 2007, 85
years to the day after Carter's discovery, the 19-
year-old pharaoh went on display in his
underground tomb at Luxor, when the linen-wrapped
mummy was removed from its golden sarcophagus
to a climate-controlled glass box. The case was

42. For many years, rumors of a "Curse of the
Pharaohs" (probably fueled by newspapers seeking
sales at the time of the discovery persisted,
emphasizing the early death of some of those who
had entered the tomb. However, a recent study of
journals and death records indicated no statistical
difference between the age of death of those who
entered the tomb and those on the expedition who
did not.
HOWARD CARTER DISCOVERING
TUTS TOMB IN 1992

43. A pectoral belonging to Tutankhamun, representing his Prenomen.
Relics from Tutankhamun's tomb are among the most traveled artifacts in the
world. They have been to many countries, but probably the best-known exhibition
tour was The Treasures of Tutankhamun tour, which ran from 1972 to 1979. This
exhibition was first shown in London at the British Museum from 30 March until
30 September 1972. More than 1.6 million visitors saw the exhibition, some queuing
for up to eight hours. It was the most popular exhibition in the Museum's
history.[citation needed] The exhibition moved on to many other countries,
including the USA, USSR, Japan, France, Canada, and West Germany. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art organized the U.S. exhibition, which ran from 17
November 1976 through 15 April 1979. More than eight million attended.
In 2004, the tour of Tutankhamun funerary objects entitled Tutankhamen: The
Golden Hereafter, consisting of fifty artifacts from Tutankhamun's tomb and
seventy funerary goods from other 18th Dynasty tombs, began in Basle,
Switzerland and went on to Bonn Germany on the second leg of the tour. This
European tour was organised by the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic
of Germany, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), and the Egyptian Museum
in cooperation with the Antikenmuseum Basel and Sammlung Ludwig. Deutsche
Telekom sponsored the Bonn exhibition.

45. In 2005, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, in partnership with Arts and
Exhibitions International and the National Geographic Society, launched a tour of
Tutankhamun treasures and other 18th Dynasty funerary objects, this time called
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It features the same exhibits as
Tutankhamen: The Golden Hereafter in a slightly different format. It was expected to
draw more than three million people.
The exhibition started in Los Angeles, then moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Chicago
and Philadelphia . The exhibition then moved to London before finally returning to
Egypt in August 2008. An encore of the exhibition in the United States ran at the Dallas
Museum of Art from October 2008 to May 2009.The tour continued to other U.S.
cities.After Dallas the exhibition moved to the de Young Museum in San Francisco,
followed by the Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York City.
In 2011 the exhibition visited Australia for the first time, opening at the Melbourne
Museum in April for its only Australian stop before Egypt's treasures return to Cairo in
December, 2011.
The exhibition includes 80 exhibits from the reigns of Tutankhamun's immediate
predecessors in the Eighteenth dynasty, such as Hatshepsut, whose trade policies
greatly increased the wealth of that dynasty and enabled the lavish wealth of
Tutankhamun's burial artifacts, as well as 50 from Tutankhamun's tomb. The exhibition
does not include the gold mask that was a feature of the 1972–1979 tour, as the
Egyptian government has determined that the mask is too fragile to withstand travel
and will never again leave the country.

46. A separate exhibition called Tutankhamun and the World of the Pharaohs began at
the Ethnological Museum in Vienna from 9 March to 28 September 2008, showing
a further 140 treasures. Renamed Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great
Pharaohs, this exhibition began a tour of the US and Canada in Atlanta on 15
November 2008. It is scheduled to finish in Seattle on 6 January 2013.
The gilded bier from the base of Tutankhamun's Sarcophagus.

48. A.R. Williams developed a love for reading at a very young age and in the fourth grade,
when an assignment to write their own works of fiction was given, it occurred to him that
he too could have the ability to craft tales for others to enjoy.
Although A.R. did not pursue this desire right away, he continued to have a voracious
appetite for reading from the amazing comics of Spider-Man, The X-Men, and Elf Quest,
to the fantasy stories of Weiss and Hickman in the "Dragonlance Chronicles", and the
science fiction adventures of Miles and Aral Vorkosigan in Lois McMaster Bujold's
stories about Barrayar.During a membership in a book club, A.R. discovered that there
were books dedicated to teaching amateur writers more about the craft of writing. He S
natched up a twin-pack written by Phyllis A. Whitney. Soon after, A.R., scoured
bookstore shelves adding to his library and slowly learning different facets of what it
took to be a writer. He started putting that knowledge to the test, crafting stories of the
imagination in science fiction and fantasy genres.To improve his skills, A.R. Williams
joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Online Writing Workshop when it was still
hosted by Del Rey. The critiques he received and gave helped to further hone his
developing talent. At this time A.R. was writing more, but not submitting his work to
the markets. With the advancement of the internet and the ability to find new markets
from sites such as Ralan's and Duotrope's Digest, A.R. entered the field in a serious
attempt to become a published author.