CategoriesMuseums By 0iwmp

The Mummification Museum

The Mummification Museum is located on the east of Luxor city, in the north of Luxor Temple, It is opened in 1997, It is one of the most important museums in Egypt.

The Mummification museum concept: The concept of the Mummification museum mainly explains the mummification process and how the ancient Egyptians have preserved their dead bodies for many years.

In ancient Egyptian believes, the god Anubis was the god who was responsible for the mummification of the dead. As well, in ancient Egyptian believes, they thought that they have to save the body by mummification in order for the soul return to it again.

In addition, the ancient Egyptians mummified human bodies; they mummified the corpses of animals and birds, especially those belonging to the sacred ones. Like there are the Serapeum of the calf of the god Apis at Saqqara and the Catacombs of Ibis and the baboons of the god Thoth in Tuna El-Gebel. As well, there are mummies for dogs, cats, and crocodiles.

The museum collections are the mummification tools, some of Canopic jars, coffins, and amulets.

Some masterpieces of the museum:

  • The Mummy of Masaharti: he was the General of the Army and high priest of Amun at Thebes during his father’s reign, king piedjem I, in the 21st dynasty. His mummy was discovered in the royal cache of Deir El Bahari in 1881.
  • Many statues for the ancient Egyptian gods as the god Anubis, the goddess Isis, the god Osiris, and the goddess Nephthys.

The Mummification process:

    The mummification process took almost 70 days inside the mummification tent.

  • Firstly, the organs of the corpse were extracted through a small incision in the left side of the body, and these organs were mummified and preserved in the Canopic jars.
  • Then the body would be submerged into natron salt brought from Wadi El Natron to be dried for about 40 days.
  • Then the body would be wrapped in bandages of linen.
  • Finally, the priests put magical amulets beside the body for protection in the coffin to move it to its tomb for burial.
CategoriesHistorical Sites By 0iwmp

Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula

Saint Catherine’s Monastery is located on the slopes of Mount Sinai. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the whole world. This monastery was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2002.

The names of Saint Catherine’s Monastery It is famous with Saint Catherine’s Monastery, but its original name is Sacred Monastery of the God Trodden, this monastery gets its name from the Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who martyred in the early 4th century AD. They found her corpse on nearby Mount Saint Catherine, as it is said the angels transferred her body to this place.

The history of Saint Catherine’s Monastery

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I commanded to construct this monastery in 527 AD for housing the monks of the Sinai Peninsula.

    The buildings of the MonasteryThe monastery includes many buildings as:

  • The Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior, This church houses other nine smaller churches. One of these nine churches is the Burning BushChurch,where the god spoke to the prophet Moses.

The Scripture mentioned that the god ordered the prophet Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt by speaking to him from this bush. The fire was set into this bush, although that it was unaffected by the fire.

Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, established a church on the site of the Burning Bush in the 4th century AD. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt this small church and included it within the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior, the larger church.

The Church of the Burning Bush - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Church of the Burning Bush
  • The monks’ rooms.
  • The refectory.
  • The olive press.
  • Ossuaries.
  • The Fatimid Mosque dating back to the 12th century AD in 500 AH / 1106 AD during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah. This mosque was the fruit of the harmonious relationship between Muslims and Christians. This mosque became a stop for pilgrims on their way to Mecca.
The Fatimid Mosque - Egypt Vacation Tours
The Fatimid Mosque
  • The library of Saint Catherine’s Monastery houses rare books and 6,000 manuscripts, so it is considered one of the most important libraries attached to the monastery. The project of restoring the library in 2017 detected many manuscripts, among them a Greek medical manuscript dating back to the fifth century.
The library - Egypt Vacation Tours
The library
CategoriesSightseeing By 0iwmp

The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As

The Mosque of Amr Ibn Al As is the first mosque established in Egypt and Africa. It is located close to the old Cairo in Fustat city.

Amr Ibn Al As: Amr Ibn Al As was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He was commanded by Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab to enter Egypt in 641 AD / 20 AH. After he conquered Egypt and abolished Roman rule, Egypt became an Islamic district belonging to the caliphate in Medina.

Then Amr Ibn Al As established the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa, Fustat. In addition, a mosque holding his name (Amr Ibn Al As Mosque).

The history of Fustat city: The researchers said that after the Arabs conquest to Egypt, Amr Ibn Al As ordered the Islamic army to set their tents on the north of Babylon fort, but when Amr Ibn Al As came to remove his tent to go ahead to Alexandria for pursuing the Romans, he found that there was a dove built its nest upon it. He refused to remove it and left his tent in that place.

After he won in Alexandria, Caliph Umar Ibn Al-Khattab refused Alexandria as the capital of Egypt and ordered Amr Ibn Al As to establish a new capital to be the first Islamic capital in Egypt and Africa. So he went back to his tent, where the Nile River and Babylon fort, because it is a unique strategic location already fortified and called this new capital Fustat, meaning leader’s tent in the Arabic language.

Today, Fustat is a part of the Old Cairo District, housing many archaeological sites as Ben Ezra Synagogue, the hanging church, and the Cave church just to name a few.

Amr Ibn Al As Mosque: Amr Ibn Al As Mosque or also known as the Old Mosque called in the Arabic language (al-‘Ateeq).

There were some of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who assisted in the foundation of this mosque as Al-Zubayr Ibn Al-‘Awam and Ubada Ibn Al-Samit. This mosque was built after a year of Arab conquest to Egypt, meaning in 21 AH.

In the beginning, the mosque was built with mud bricks, and its roof was supported by palm tree trunks. Addings continued in the mosque throughout history until it became as it is today.

CategoriesMuseums By 0iwmp

Egypt’s Capitals Museum (ECM)

Egypt’s Capitals Museum (ECM) is located in the City of Arts and Culture in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt. This museum aims to save the Egyptian cultural and administrative heritage by displaying the essential capitals that played a significant role in Egyptian history.

The display of Egypt’s Capitals Museum: The museum concept exhibits the Egyptian capitals throughout history from Memphis to Cairo, as well as the ancient Egyptian beliefs and afterlife. The museum will display six of these capitals that have a significant role in Egyptian history and the reason for transferring from one to another. These capitals are:

Memphis

  • Memphis or Mit-Rahina now is located on the west bank of the Nile. The significance of Memphis starts with uniting the Upper and Lower Egypt by King Menes or Narmer. It was the capital of ancient Egypt from the 1st dynasty to the 8th dynasty, Although Memphis did not consider the official capital of ancient Egypt after the 8th dynasty, it had a religious and political role throughout ancient Egyptian history.

Thebes

  • Thebes or Luxor now is located in Upper Egypt. It is considered the world’s greatest open-air museum as it contains Luxor Temple, Karnak Complex, the Valley of the  Kings, the Valley of the  Queens, Colossi of Memnon, and Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahari, just to name a few.

This city was the capital of ancient Egypt twice:

  • The first time was during the 11th dynasty, the Middle Kingdom.
  • The second time was during the New kingdom.

After the New Kingdom, the importance of Thebes remained as a religious capital of ancient Egypt.

  • Tell el Amarna
    It is Akhetaten or Tell el Amarna located in Minya Governorate now. It was taken as a capital for ancient Egypt by King Amenhotep IV or Akhenaten during a part of the 18th dynasty, the New kingdom. The name of this city means Horizon of the Aten, the god that king Akhenaten chose to worship.

Alexandria

  • Alexandria city is located in the north of Egypt. Its history began with Alexander the Great, as he decided to build it to be the capital for his empire in 332 BC. Alexandria remained the capital during the Greco-Roman period. It has a unique history and houses several wonderful monuments dating back to different historical periods like the catacomb, Pompey’s Pillar, Citadel of Qaitbay, Montazah Palace, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Royal Jewelry Museum.

Islamic Cairo

  • The Islamic Cairo was the fourth Islamic capital for Egypt. After the conquering of The Fatimids to Egypt, the ruler Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah commanded Jawhar Al-Siqilli to construct this city in 969 AD to be the capital of Egypt. Firstly, its name was Al Mansoria, referring to Al-Mansour, the father of Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah. Then Al-Mu’izz named it Cairo or Alqahera, meaning omnipotent in the English language.

Khedival Cairo

  • It is also known as Paris of the East, as Khedive Ismail dreamed. It started almost 160 years ago. Now, the development of Khedival Cairo is one of the important projects of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
CategoriesSightseeing By 0iwmp

Al Rifa’i Mosque – The Royal Mausoleum

Al Rifa’i Mosque is located on Salah Al‑Din Square, overlooking Salah El-Din Citadel. It is one of the royal mausoleums that do not back to ancient Egyptian civilization, but it belongs to members of the royal family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

The history of Al Rifa’i Mosque Ottoman queen Hoshiyar Hanim, the mother of Khedive Ismail, ordered to construct this building during the 19th century to be the mausoleum of the royal family.

The mosque was constructed in two phases, During the first phase, the architect Hussein Pasha Fahmi was responsible for establishing this building, as he imported materials from Europe for building as Italian marble. In Addition, he used cement in the building, which is considered the first Islamic monument built by cement.

Unfortunately, after the death of Hussein Pasha Fahmi, the construction in the building was stopped. The work was resumed in 1905 when the Khedive Abbas II ordered to complete the construction of this building.

The mosque is named with Al Rifa’i Mosque on the name of Imam Ahmad al‑Rifa’i, who founded the Rifa’i tariqa (Sufi path). Although Imam Ahmad al‑Rifa’i was not buried in this mosque, Sufi celebrate annually in the mosque commemorating his birth.

The design of the mosque:

    The mosque is divided into two parts:

  • The first part is the mosque as a home for the local traditional Sufi path, as well as it is a section dedicated to pray.
  • The second part is dedicated for bury members of the royal family of Muhammad Ali Pasha, as Khedive Ismail, his mother Hoshiyar Hanim, Kings Fuad I, King Faruq, and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. Reza Shah of Iran was buried in Al Rifa’i Mosque, but after World War II, his corpse was transferred to Iran. In addition, three dedicated shrines for Al Rifa’I, Ali Abi-Shubbak, and Yahya al-Ansari.
Hoshiyar Hanim Tomb - Egypt Vacation Tours
Hoshiyar Hanim Tomb
CategoriesMuseums By 0iwmp

Royal Jewelry Museum in Alexandria

Royal Jewelry Museum reflects how rich the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha and their extravagant living. This family ruled Egypt for 150 years, from 1805 to the Egyptian Revolution in 1952, from Muhammad Ali Pasha until Faruq I.

The history of Royal Jewelry Museum This building was the former palace owned by Princess Fatma El Zahraa, the granddaughter of the brother of Khedive Ismail and one of the descendants of Mohamed Ali Pasha. It was built in 1919 at 27 Ahmed Yahya Basha Street – Zezenia – Alexandria Governorate.

The palace is turned to be a museum in 1986. It is divided into ten halls displaying more than 11 thousand precious objects like gifts, pieces of jewelry owned by the royal family.

Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
Royal Jewelry Museum

The design of this building The design of the building merges between the European and Islamic styles. Also, it distinguishes by the oil paintings, gilded and hand-painted ceilings, and glass panels drawn with scenes of Greek mythology that decorate many rooms of the palace.

The painted ceilings - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The painted ceilings

The collection of the museum The museum displays possessions owned by members of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

The masterpieces in the museum

    • A diamond and emerald inlaid collar belongs to Mohamed Ali Pasha. This collar consists of 16 decorative motives, eight having the inscription “Mohammed Ali” while eight in the shape of a gold flower with diamonds.
A collar of Mohamed Ali Pasha - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
A collar of Mohamed Ali Pasha
    • A gold chessboard and the chess consisting of 32 pieces inlaid with 425 stones from diamonds and decorated with colored enamel. This collection belongs to King Farouk.
The golden chess of King Farouk - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The golden chess of King Farouk 
    • A gold binocular encrusted with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.
    • A collection of pocket watches belonging to members of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Dazzling pieces of jewelry were designed and made especially by the greatest designers in Europe for the queens and princesses of family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

    • A platinum tiara fixed with over 2.000 diamonds and white pearls belonging to Princess Shivakiar, wife of King Fuad I.
A tiara of Princess Shivakiar - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
A tiara of Princess Shivakiar 
    • A platinum crown of Queen Farida, the wife of King Farouk, is inlaid with white and yellow diamonds.
The crown of Queen Farida - Royal Jewelry Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
The crown of Queen Farida
  • A brooch of princess Fawzia, the daughter of Fouad I and sister of King Farouk, from diamonds and gold.

Mohamed Ali family built a lot of palaces in Egypt:

  • Some of it used as the headquarters of rule as Al Gawhara Palace in Citadel of Saladin, Abdeen Palace, and Ras Al-Teen Palace.
  • Some were used for housing for the family members as Muhammad Ali Palace in Manial and Montazah Palace.
CategoriesHistorical Sites By 0iwmp

Al Minya City – Upper Egypt

Al Minya is one of the most important governorates of the upper of Egypt as its location between northern and southern Egypt. As well, it houses many historical sites and destinations dating back to different historical times.

During the ancient Egyptian history This city was once one of the great capitals of ancient Egypt. Also, it houses three of the most famous historical sites in Egypt. These sites are Beni Hassan, Tell El-Amarna, and Tuna El-Gebel.

  • Beni Hassan was a necropolis during the middle kingdom in ancient Egyptian civilization, as local rulers and military ‎leaders built their tombs there. It houses approx. 39 carved tombs in a limestone hill. These tombs reflect the power of the high officials at that time.
  • Tell El-Amarna: It is also called Akhetaten. It was the capital of ancient Egypt during king Akhenaten or Amenhotep IV period in the eighteenth dynasty, the New Kingdom. Also, it was the center for worshipping the god Aten.
  • Tuna El-Gebel was a necropolis during the Greco-Roman period. The ancient Egyptians considered it the center of worshiping the god Thoth or Djhuty, the god of wisdom and knowledge in ancient Egyptian civilization.

The significance of Al Minya during the Coptic period It was one of the stages of the Holy Family during their holy journey in Egypt.

The significance of Al Minya during the Islamic period Al Minya is proud that a number of companions of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) visited it and were buried there, as Khaled Ibn El Walid. As well, it was the home of one of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) wives, who Marya the Copt.

Museums of Al Minya city

  • Mallawi Museum: It opened for the first time on July 23, 1962, but it was closed after being vandalized in August 2013. Then it reopened in September 2016 after restoration for the building and collections. The museum displays the history of Al Minya through different historical periods.
  • Akhenaton Museum: when the Akhenaton Museum will be opened, it will be the largest in Upper Egypt. The concept of this museum will expose the religious thought of King Akhenaten and the reunification period.
Akhenaton Museum - Egypt Vacation Tours
Akhenaton Museum
CategoriesMuseums By 0iwmp

The Royal Carriages Museum

Among the events of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for opening new museums in Egypt, the Ministry opened three museums in one day, on October 31, 2020. These museums are The Royal Carriages Museum, Kafr El-Sheikh Museum, and Sharm El Sheikh Museum. The Royal Carriages Museum is located in Boulaq.

This museum is one of the most important four museums in the whole world, as there are just three museums with the same concept in Russia, England, and Austria.

This museum is considered a unique museum, as it distinguishes itself with its collections and building that reflect the authenticity of the Muhammad Ali family.

The history of the royal carriages museum: Khedive Ismail was the first one thought to construct this building for housing the royal carriages and horses.

At the first, this building was named (the Khedivial Carriages Service), but later, in 1922, during king Fouad’s reign, this name was changed to be (Royal Stables Department (Royal Mews)).

Like other royal buildings that belong to the Muhammad Ali family period, this building became owned by the Egyptian government after the revolution of 1952 and was converted into a museum in 1978.

The museum collections: The museum contains unique collections, all of them dating back to the Muhammad Ali family period. These collections are royal carriages of various sizes and types, as this museum is characterized by housing around 78 historically valuable royal carriages, among them the grand Alay Carriage.

This grand Alay Carriage was a gift given to Khedive Ismail during the occasion of the Suez Canal inauguration in 1869 by the wife of Emperor Napoleon III, Empress Eugenie. In return, Khedive Ismail gave her a golden bedroom. This carriage was used by Khedive Ismail during his wedding ceremony. King Farouk ordered to restore it and reused it on the inauguration of the Parliament in 1942.

As well, the museum houses oil paintings, several designs of uniforms of the Carriages Service employees, and horse riding equipment.

Some masterpieces in the museum

  • The Tonneau Carriage was used for driving his highness Prince Farouk, Prince of Upper Egypt, from 1922 to 1936.
  • Oil painting for king Fouad’s favorite donkey with a royal palace in the background.
  • The Caravan was used for transferring the big things like furniture.
CategoriesHistorical Sites By 0iwmp

Aswan City – History & Destinations

Aswan is one of the Egyptian cities in the upper of Egypt. It is located in the north of Nasser Lake. Aswan city distinguishes with its natural beauty, as it has the most beautiful views of the Nile River in Egypt ever. In addition, it houses unparalleled monuments dating back to several historical times as ancient Egyptian history, the Greco-Roman period, the Christian period, the Islamic period, and modern history. So it is considered an attractive tourist destination in Egypt.

Aswan city consist of 5 islands are Philea or Elephantine, Seheil, Agilkia, Bigeh, Kitchener’s islands.

The meaning of Aswan: Aswan is derived from the ancient word swan, meaning the market, as this city is located in an important commercial site linking Egypt and the southern lands.

The history of Aswan city: During ancient Egyptian history, Aswan houses several quarries for different types of rocks as granite, sandstone, and quartzite. These quarries were used by the ancient Egyptians to establish their temples and buildings. Also, it was the starting point of the military and commercial campaigns to the south to African countries.

During ancient times, Aswan was the center for many gods of ancient Egyptian beliefs, as the god Khnum, the god of the source of the Nile, and the goddess Isis.

One of the great historical events occurring in Aswan was the project of UNESCO for saving the Nubian monuments after the building of the High Dam.

The monuments of Aswan:

    Aswan contains monuments dating back to several historical times, as:

  • The monuments dating back to ancient Egyptian history are the Unfinished Obelisk and Abu Simbel Temples
  • The monuments dating back to the Greco-Roman period are Philae Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, and Temple Of Edfu
  • The monuments dating back to modern history are the High Dam, Nasser Lake, Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, the Nubian Museum, Botanical Garden, and The Nubian Village.
CategoriesMain By 0iwmp

The Best Tour Company for Egypt

In this article, Egypt Vacation Tours team selected the best tour companies allowing you to make your trip to Egypt more successful, enjoyable, and offer you the best experience ever.

You believe that it is easy to visit Egypt and plan your itinerary alone, but once when you arrive, you will realize that it was better to book with a specialized travel agency.

Egypt is a so vast country and has several tourist destinations, so it is not easy to be visited alone. You will definitely need to tour guide or representative at least, and this will be arranged with a tour company. The tour guide or representative will provide you more experience during your visit to Egypt, more enjoyment, and more luxury.

These are the best tour companies will offer to you more valuable tour in Egypt:

1 – Friendly Planet Travel Friendly Planet Travel offers you a reasonably priced, comfortable, and small-group tour to Egypt. As well, it has its own specialist tour guides.

It is good to mention that Friendly Planet Travel making International flights and King Tut Tomb in the valley of Kings included in your trip.

2 – Intrepid Intrepid travel distinguishes offering a variety of prices. With Intrepid travel, you will enjoy having a new experience, as you will travel from Cairo to Aswan via overnight sleeper train.

3 – Overseas Adventure Travel Overseas Adventure Travel has a great history in arranging tours to Egypt and distinguishes with its good guides. They make Abu Simbel temple tour included in your itinerary. It is good to mention that Overseas Adventure Travel team offers its Nile cruise tours on Dahabya Nile Cruise.

4 – Memphis Tours Memphis Tours, as Overseas Adventure Travel, has a great history in arranging tours to Egypt. They offer basic tours at affordable prices and cover the most of major attractions of Egypt.

5 – Explore Egypt Tours Explore Egypt Tours is one of the most famous travel agencies in Egypt, as it is one of the first companies in Egypt arranging tours to the Grand Egyptian Museum (the GEM), as was mentioned by CNN.

6 – Egypt Vacation Tours Egypt Vacation Tours is one of the most active travel agencies in Egypt, as they are famous for arranging tours to new destinations in Egypt like the Grand Egyptian Museum (the GEM). In addition, they are specialized in offering special permits tours.