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In recent years, the number of
people touring Egypt has slowly dwindled. This is most
likely due to the violence in the Middle Eastern region
and the few bombings and kidnappings that have occured in
recent years. However, these cases are pretty much
isolated, and the thousands of people who visit Egypt
every year thoroughly enjoy their experience there.
Egypt is famous for a lot
of things, from their exotic perfumes, fine cotton, and
the mysteries of mummification and their ancient religion.
However, I would like to focus on the architectural and
engineering wonders of the Egyptian civilization. When the
tribes in Europe and Africa were still building huts and
shelters, the Egyptians have already constructed monstrous
monuments hundreds of feet in height and width. It is this
superiority that has elevated the ancient Egyptian
civilization as one of the greatest civilizations in the
world.
The Great Pyramids of Giza
By far the most famous of
Egypt's architectural wonders are the 3 Great Pyramids
located at Giza, near Cairo. These monuments are hundreds
of feet in height, and have survived the test of time for
the last 4500 years. There are over a hundred pyramids of
various sizes in Egypt, and more in neighboring Sudan.
These monuments serve as tombs for the great pharaohs of
ancient Egypt, and stand as testimony to the power and
influence of these pharaohs.
When you stand at the
bottom of the Great Pyramids, looking up at their
magnificence, the feeling is indescribable. You begin to
wonder just how the ancient people managed to construct
this huge structure with only the help of the simple tools
available at that time. And this feeling of awe
intensifies when you take the opportunity to descend into
the pyramids via the original entrances that were used
thousands of years ago. When you touch the walls of the
now-empty tombs beneath the pyramids, you will feel as if
you were there thousands of years ago when the tombs were
freshly carved. (One warning: You might not want to enter
the pyramids if you are claustrophobic!)
The Sphinx
Next to the Great Pyramids
at Giza is the enigmatic Sphinx. A gigantic statue with
the head of a man and the body of a lion, the great Sphinx
stares silently at the east, perhaps watching the sunrise,
or perhaps protecting the great pyramids from whatever
evils that may threaten to destroy them. The Sphinx is
just as old as the pyramids, aging over 4500 years (or
more, depending on which group of archaeologists you
believe).
Almost everyone has heard
of the Sphinx with its missing nose, and some might wonder
how he actually lost his nose. (Do not believe what you
saw in the Disney cartoon Aladdin) Almost everyone has
seen many pictures, or perhaps the Discovery channel,
showing the Sphinx in various angles. But you have to
visit it, to stand there right next to it, to realize why
both the Sphinx and the Pyramids are the most famous
man-made structures in the world. Just the front paw of
the Sphinx is larger than a human being!
The Wonders of the Nile
The architectural wonders
of ancient Egypt are not limited to those at Giza. As you
travel along the Nile River (incidentally the longest
river in the world), you will come across other monuments.
Chief of these is the Valley of Kings near Luxor. It is
here that many kings from many of the ancient Egyptian
dynasties were entombed. Each tomb is unqiue and is a
wonder in its own right. Unfortunately, most of the
treasure that was entombed with the pharaohs have long
been stolen by tomb raiders. Only the well-hidden tomb of
Tutankhamun managed to survive more or less intact to this
day.
Further south, near the
town of Aswan, are the famous temples of Abu Simbel.
Constructed during the reign of Ramses II, better known as
Ramses the Great, these two temples feature
much-larger-than-life statues guarding the entrances. And
beautiful hieroglyphs still adorn the walls of the
temples.
The few monuments I've
mentioned are just a small fraction of the many wonders
that can be found in Egypt. If you have any interest in
ancient civilizations, or want to know more about the
wonders of ancient Egypt, you owe it to yourself to visit
this ancient land before its wonders are eventually swept
away by the sands of time.
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About
The Author
Steven
maintains the informational website
Wonders of Ancient Egypt at http://www.nekhebet.com/.
Do visit if you want to find out more
about the wonders of Egypt such as the
Pyramids and the Lighthouse; or mysteries
such as mummifcation and conspiracy
theories; or its religion and history. |
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