Discover Egypt

17/07/2024

To 07 August and ....PYRAMID MYTHBUSTING👇

No subject in Egyptology attracts more theories than the pyramids, especially those of Giza. How they were built, who by, when and what for? For many, Egypto...

17/07/2024

15th July...
⭐️ 1799 - the Rosetta Stone was discovered in Egypt.

11/07/2024

in Ancient Egypt, a lettuce was significant too👇

For nearly 3,000 years lettuce was associated with the Egyptian god of fertility, Min, for its resemblance to the phallus

11/07/2024

then...... 1900, and yet when you visit the Colossi of Memnon today, you'll be equally wowed.

This vintage photograph, taken around 1900, captures the imposing grandeur of the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues in Egypt's Theban Necropolis.

Standing at about 60 feet tall, these statues once guarded the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. The early 20th-century image evokes a sense of timelessness, with the colossi towering over the landscape, a testament to ancient Egyptian engineering and artistry.

The photo also highlights the enduring fascination with Egypt's monumental heritage, a blend of history and mystery that continues to captivate scholars and tourists alike...

11/07/2024

Launch of the audio in the Royal Mummies Hall Museum of Egyptian Civilisation

أطلق المتحف القومي للحضارة المصرية، خدمة "المرشد الصوتي" داخل قاعة المومياوات الملكية فقط، والتي يُمنع الإرشاد بها، لتُقدم شرحًا تاريخيًا وافيًا عبر السماعات الخاصة للزائرين باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية.

وسوف تقدم هذه الخدمة للزائرين بمقابل مادي يضاف إلى ثمن تذكرة دخول المتحف والتي يتمكن الزائر حجزها من خلال شباك التذاكر بالمتحف.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization launched an “audio guide” service inside the Royal Mummies Hall, where guidance is prohibited, to provide a comprehensive historical explanation via special headphones to visitors in both Arabic and English.

This service will be provided to visitors for a fee in addition to the price of the museum entry ticket, which the visitor can book through the museum’s ticket office.

11/07/2024

Congratulations EGYPTAIR👌✈️🎆! We're proud to be using your services from both Heathrow Airport & Manchester Airport.

Your support lifts us higher! Thank you for your votes. is honored to be among the World’s Best Airlines and earn the title of the Most Improved Airline in Africa and second worldwide at the Skytrax Airline Awards in 2024. Together, we reach new heights!

11/07/2024

01/07/2024

Ancient Egyptian scribes 👇

The administrators spent long periods writing in odd postures, which damaged their joints, researchers discovered

28/06/2024

The Temple of Isis at Philae, a must visit and one of our 10 guided excursions included in all of our classic Nile cruises that operate weekly. For a holiday in 2024 or 2025, visit www.discoveregypt.co.uk or get in touch.

28/06/2024

When Jordan deserves to be on your 'must see' destinations too!

28/06/2024

afterlife kit 👇

Everyone knows that the ancient Egyptians took death VERY seriously – from the earliest periods of Egyptian history, everyone was buried with things that they thought would come in handy in the afterlife.

Now it’s time to pack your bags and assemble your own afterlife kit! We’ve brought together some of the most common ancient Egyptian burial goods for you to choose from.

There’s just one catch: you’ve only got twenty coins. What are you taking with you?

🛶 Canoe, 5 coins: Make sure your death is smooth sailing with this handy canoe! With this, the sun god Ra can carry you across the heavens to ensure you arrive at the netherworld in style.

📦 Shabti box, 7 coins: Dreaming of leaving your 9-5 behind you in both life and death? Well, all you need is a Shabti box loaded with little model servants to do all the heavy lifting while you sit back and relax – forever.

👁 Amulet, 3 coins: Your journey to the afterlife will be fraught with dangers. These amulets have protective spells on them but also make for some snazzy jewellery, keeping you both safe and stylish!

🪓 Weapon, 5 coins: We think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

🐱 Animal mummy, 10 coins: Can’t face eternity without your beloved pet? We don’t blame you. When your animal companion passes on, have them mummified to ensure you can be reunited with them in the ever-after.

🍞 Food, 3 coins: You’ll obviously get peckish on your way to the afterlife, so we would recommend packing a bite to eat. After all, your stomach may have been ripped out, but hunger is eternal!

🌹 Perfume, 1 coin: Concerned that you might rock up to the underworld with a bad pong? You’ll definitely work up a sweat on your journey, so consider bringing some of your favourite perfume to keep you smelling sweet on your arrival.

🏺 Canopic jar, 7 coins: Just because your internal organs have been removed (except for your heart, which must be weighed to see how good you’ve been) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pack them with you. Use one of these handy canopic jars to keep your internal organs safe for the journey.

15/06/2024

𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 – 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁?

This date is destined for the history books! A celestial phenomenon will transform the skies over Egypt – 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆. 🌒🌟

At Archaeological Paths, we're already crafting an EXTRAORDINARY tour to Egypt to let you experience this once-in-a-lifetime event in one of the world's most iconic settings.

Stay tuned for more details on how you can be part of this epic journey. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it! 🌞🌒

15/06/2024

to more discoveries and in 👇

In the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyrhynchus, archaeologists have unearthed an underground tomb, containing two mummies and two empty stone sarcophagi and dating to between 332 and 30 B.C. or to the early Roman period, which continued until the 7th century A.D.

archaeology.org/slideshow/12314-mj24-digs-and-discoveries-slideshowhttps://www.archaeology.org/slideshow/12314-mj24-digs-and-discoveries-slideshow

(Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities)

12/06/2024

Join Cairo & Nile Trip: 10 Nights at £2295pp -

11/06/2024

Gordon Ramsay in Jordan! We're super excited! To Visit Jordan, do get in touch or visit https://www.discoveregypt.co.uk/jordan -we can tailor-make any itinerary that best suits your specific requirements.

05/06/2024

🐪 Egypt: Cairo, Nile, 10nts, £2295pp -

22/05/2024

New - Direct flights from Manchester to Cairo -

17/05/2024

Egypt to construct tourist walkway between Grand Museum and Pyramids, read all about it:
Egypt has approved a plan to construct a tourist walkway connecting the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) and the Pyramids of Giza.
The GEM project – which overlooks the Giza Plateau and extends over 22,000 square meters – will be Egypt's first-ever eco-friendly museum and the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization.
The Grand Egyptian Museum project obtained the international certificate EDGE Advance for green buildings, accredited by the International Finance Corporation, one of the institutions of the World Bank Group, as the first green museum in Africa and the Middle East. The museum evaluation included energy conservation, use of clean energy, installation of solar panels, and natural lighting and ventilation systems.
The GEM has obtained 8 ISO certificates in the field of energy, health, occupational safety, environment, and quality, and received the award for the best project in the field of green construction. It also obtained the gold certificate for green construction and sustainability according to the Egyptian Green Pyramid System from the National Centre for Housing and Building Research.
The official opening of GEM has still not been announced.

15/05/2024

The 10 best Nile cruises for 2024
New archaeological discoveries and museum openings make this a great time to visit the magical river

Teresa Machan,
TRAVEL WRITER

Best for: A cruise and beach combo
For winter-sun seekers the lure of Red Sea beaches can be as tempting as Egypt’s tombs and treasures. So why not dip a toe into both? Marsa Alam’s reefs are a favourite with scuba divers and the snorkelling is equally rewarding. Clouds of reef fish are abundant and you might see turtles, tuna, mackerel, dolphins, sharks and even the odd manatee. Discover Egypt combines a week here with a leisurely Nile cruise on the MS Tulip and there is an optional excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel to see the four colossal statues of Ramses II (£92 by coach or £345 by air).
The details: A two-week holiday including seven nights at the Hilton Nubian Village Marsa Alam and a week’s cruise costs from £3,015pp departing in October or November 2024. Includes return flight from Heathrow (to Luxor and back from Marsa Alam) and all other transfers (020 7407 2111; discoveregypt.co.uk). TTelegraph Travel

15/05/2024

+ Egypt👇

15/05/2024

🐪 Egypt: Cairo, Nile, 10nts, £2175pp -

15/05/2024

See the Reconstructed Face of a Mummy Stored in a High School Library Since 1915.

Jennifer Mann, a forensic sculptor at Melbourne’s Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine explains that her work is “a blend of science and art,” combining historical research and craftsmanship. For example, Mann designed the sculpture’s hair and earrings herself, taking inspiration from the Fayum mummy portraits—realistic memorial portraits that Egyptians once buried with their dead.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-the-reconstructed-face-mummy-stored-in-high-school-library-since-1915-180984342/

A forensic artist hopes the sculpture will help humanize the mummy, which appeared at Australia's Grafton High School under mysterious circumstances

15/05/2024

Where will you escape to for ?

08/05/2024

An airline we've flown many of you on, and indeed congratulations EGYPTAIR for transporting so many to Egypt from the UK.

92 years of unforgettable journeys, 92 years of trust. Thank you for choosing as your wings to the world.

08/05/2024

The papyrus of Egypt is most closely associated with writing - in fact, the English word 'paper' comes from the word 'papyrus' - but the Egyptians found many uses for the plant other than a writing surface for documents and texts.👇

Papyrus is a plant (cyperus papyrus) which once grew in abundance, primarily in the wilds of the Egyptian Delta but also elsewhere in the Nile River Valley, but is now quite rare. Papyrus buds opened from a horizontal root growing in shallow fresh water and the deeply saturated Delta mud. Stalks reached up to 16 feet tall (5 m) ending in small brown flowers which often bore fruit. These plants once were simply part of the natural vegetation of the region, but once people found a utilitarian purpose for them, they were cultivated and managed in farms, harvested heavily, and their supply depleted. Papyrus still exists in Egypt today but in greatly reduced number.

The papyrus of Egypt is most closely associated with writing - in fact, the English word 'paper' comes from the word 'papyrus' - but the Egyptians found many uses for the plant other than a writing surface for documents and texts. Papyrus was used as a food source, to make rope, for sandals, for boxes and baskets and mats, as window shades, material for toys such as dolls, as amulets to ward off throat diseases, and even to make small fishing boats. It also played a part in religious devotion as it was often bound together to form the symbol of the ankh and offered to the gods as a gift. Papyrus also served as a political symbol through its use in the Sma-Tawy, the insignia of the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt. This symbol is a bouquet of papyrus (associated with the Delta of Lower Egypt) bound with a lotus (the symbol of Upper Egypt).

The plant may also be seen etched in stone on temples and monuments, symbolizing life and eternity as the Egyptian afterlife, known as the Field of Reeds, was thought to mirror the fertile Nile River Valley right down to the abundance of papyrus. The name 'Field of Reeds' actually refers to the reeds of the papyrus plant. At the same time, however, the papyrus thicket represented the unknown and the forces of chaos. Kings are regularly depicted hunting in the papyrus fields of the Delta to symbolize the imposition of order over chaos.

The dark and mysterious nature of the papyrus fields were frequently employed as a motif in mythology. Papyrus fields feature in a number of important myths; most notably that of Osiris and Isis after Osiris is murdered by his brother Set and Isis hides their child Horus in the marshes of the Delta. The papyrus reeds, in this case, hid the mother and child from Set's intentions to kill Horus and so again symbolize order prevailing over disorder and light over darkness.

Name & Processing

Papyrus is the Greek name for the plant and may come from the Egyptian word papuro (also given as pa-per-aa) meaning 'the royal' or 'that of the pharaoh' because the central government had control of papyrus processing as they owned the land and, later, oversaw the farms the plant grew on. The ancient Egyptians called the plant djet or tjufi or wadj, forms of the concept of freshness. Wadj further denotes lushness, flourishing, greenness. Once papyrus was cut, harvested, and processed into rolls, it was called djema which may mean 'clean' or 'open' in reference to the fresh writing surface.

Papyrus was harvested from the beginning of the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000-c.3150 BCE) and continued to be throughout Egypt's history down to the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) and into Roman Egypt (30 BCE - c. 640 CE). Field workers would harvest the plants from the marsh by cutting them at the bottom with sharp blades, bundling the stalks together, and carrying them to some conveyance which brought them to a processing center. Historian Margaret Bunson describes the process whereby the plants were made into workable sheets:

The stem of the papyrus plant was cut into thin strips which were laid side by side in perpendicular fashion. A solution of resin from the plant was laid down and a second layer of papyrus was put into place, horizontally. The two layers were then pressed and allowed to dry. Immense rolls of papyrus could be made by joining the single sheets...The sides of a papyrus where the fibers run horizontally are the recto and, where the fibers run vertically, the verso. The recto was preferred but the verso was used for documents as well, allowing two separate texts to be included on a single papyrus. (201)

Egyptologist Rosalie David adds to the description, detailing the stages of this process of forming the plants into sheets:

In the first stage, the stalk of the plant was sliced into pieces and the pith was cut out and beaten with a hammer to produce wafers. These were arranged side by side and crosswise in two layers and were then beaten into sheets. Then the individual pages were stuck together in the same way to form a standard roll of twenty pages; sometimes the rolls were stuck together as required to provide an even longer writing surface. After drying in the sun the full strip was rolled up with the horizontal fibers on the inside. This was the "recto" that would be written on first. (200)

The sheets, now joined into rolls, were then transported to temples, government buildings, the market or exported in trade. Although papyrus is closely associated with writing in general, it was actually mostly used only for religious and government texts because manufacturing costs were fairly expensive. Not only was the manual labor in the fields and marshes costly, it took skilled workers to methodically beat and process the plant without destroying it. All of the extant papyri are from temples, government offices, or personal collections of wealthy or at least well-off individuals. Written works often appear on pieces of wood, stone, or ostraca (shards from clay pots). The image of the Egyptian scribe hunched over his papyrus scroll is accurate, but long before he got his hands on that scroll, he would have spent literally years practicing writing on potsherds, chunks of stone, and pieces of wood.

23/04/2024

and a picture perfect set to indulge in Egypt and ultimate escapism - we can help you do just that!

08/04/2024

Time to cruise the Nile with Discover Egypt, read all about it in Travel Bulletin

03/04/2024

Forbes, top places to visit in 2024, including:

Cairo

The wonderous pyramids of Giza and the Nile annually make Egypt’s biggest city a popular destination for travellers. Recent openings have only intensified interest. In 2023, Waldorf Astoria entered the Africa market with an elegant property in the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis. And in late-spring 2024, a new chapter in the city’s rich history will be written with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, an attraction that will not only house King Tut’s entire treasure collection but also promises to be the largest archaeological museum complex in the world.

As a leading specialist tour operator to Egypt, we are here to help you tailor-make the holiday that will suit you the most when you decide to travel to Egypt. www.discoveregypt.co.uk

03/04/2024

For the ❤ of , timeless and well worth visiting!

26/03/2024

On Travel Tuesday we'd love you to browse our website and call us for chat, let our decades of experience transport all your senses to a magical part of Upper Egypt in 2024 or 2025.

www.discoveregypt.co.uk

Death on the Nile (1978), starring Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith & David Niven ♥️♥️♥️