Egypt: Tour Egypt Monthly: The Magazine of Egyptian Travel and History - March 2001

Feature Articles

This Month in Tour Egypt Monthly:

Feature Articles

The Nile, the Moon and Sirius: The Ancient Egyptian Calendar by Richard Weninger

The star-sprinkled Egyptian night sky that not only stuns visitors to Egypt was also studied intensely by special temple priests who soon discovered that the appearance of a star they named sepdet (which we know as Sirius) was associated with the beginning of the Nile flood . This was the start of the world's first calendar, invented over 5000 years ago.

The Egyptian Traveler's Survival Kit by Jimmy Dunn

Egypt is a sophisticated and modern country, and most anything that you need may be purchased in Egypt. But providing that you do not wish to purchase such things as shoes in Egypt, and that other items may be difficult to find, or very expensive, we have compiled a checklist of some of the more important items you may wish to carry with you. This list may seem rudimentary for the seasoned traveler, but for many making a first time trip to Egypt, it may prevent problems.

The Tomb of Nefertari by Paul Groffie

No matter how long your stay in Egypt, whether one day or one year, make it a point to stop in the Valley of the Queens. You can visit the one place which could truly take you back over three thousand years - the Tomb of Nefertari.

Palace of the Sun King by Dr. Joann Fletcher

Although the ancient Egyptians are best known for the monumental tombs and temples they built profusely, far less is known about the actual homes in which they lived their lives. This is mainly due to the fact that they built their housing close to the banks of the river Nile, whereas their tombs and temples were situated away from the limited arable land on the desert edge. And since these temples and tombs were regarded as houses of eternity, designed to last 'millions of years', they were built from hard stone, in contrast to the houses of the living which were made of easily available mud brick. Take a look at the ancient palaces with Dr. Joann Fletcher.

The Ecological Context of Ancient Egyptian Predynastic Settlements by Michael Brass

Predynastic Ancient Egypt was a contrast of mixed ecologies. These ranged from the borderland deserts both to the east and to the west of the floodplains, to the contrast between the Middle and Upper Egyptian floodplains itself and the Nile Delta. The differing environments affected not only settlement regions, but also site positions within those regions as well as the cultural composition of the inhabitants.

Tunnel Vision By Ralph Ellis & Mark Foster
(Alternative Thought)

The classical story of the discovery of the upper chambers inside the Great pyramid at Giza is well known. In the ninth century an Arab governor of Cairo, known as the Caliph al Mamun, decided to see for himself what lay inside the Great Pyramid (Khufu pyramid) and began to bodily excavate a tunnel through the casing and core blocks with hammers and chisels. Fortuitously for the Caliph, the workers who were busy tunneling shook the structure so much that the capstone fell off the end of the ascending passage. But now, Ralph Ellis and Mark Foster take an alternative view of just what actually happened.

The Queens of Egypt - Part II By Dr. Sameh Arab

The voyage to the Land of Punt was one of the most important, and yet mysterious achievements of Hatshepsut. It is believed to have started during her 7th regal year, immediately after her coronation, and lasted until the 8th. Herodotus later writings believed this only lasted two months. This month Dr. Sameh Arab provides us with an in depth look at Hatshepsut, one of the most interesting Pharaohs in Egyptian History.

Cross Staff and Plumbline and the Great Pyramid By Crichton E M Miller
(Alternative Thought)

This advanced protractor, similar to the cross and plumb line, is an advanced mathematical device, capable of astronomy, navigation and surveying. It is proposed, that the ancient Egyptian architects and astronomers used this hybrid Celtic cross, for the purposes of stellar alignment and timekeeping. Crichton assembles a tool that might well have been used to help build the great pyramids of Egypt.

Departments

Ancient Beauty Secrets
by Judith Illes

When the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun was opened, among the luxurious contents found within were various beautifully crafted jars and containers. To the excitement of the excavators, one particular jar was discovered to contain a perfumed unguent, still radiantly fragrant after so many centuries. Judith rediscovers this perfume, and explains how to get it.

Book Reviews
by Mary Kay Radnich

Computer games and simulation games are completely new to me. Last summer, I was shopping with my family at a large computer store and spotted "PHARAOH," a part of the city-building series by Impressions Games and Sierra Studios. Of course, I was inspired by the opportunity to "build a kingdom, rule the Nile" and so we not only purchased the game, but also the official expansion sequel, CLEOPATRA. Mary Kay shows her age, but still has some computer game fun.

Kid's Corner
by Margo Wayman

Margo has been very busy both with the Kid's Corner in the Tour Egypt Monthly and the Color Me Egypt section of Tour Egypt. This month she focuses on the the Egyptian food, with more games, activities and many new stories, along with fun recipes for kids.

Cooking with Tour Egypt
by Mary Kay Radnich

This month Mary Kay brings us three recipes from her magic cookbook, including Chicken with Chickpeas
(Ferakh bil Hummus), Ultimate Hummus (a new, better, quicker recipe) and A Fool for Fuul (Fuul Medammis)

Hotel Reviews
By Jimmy Dunn

This month we look at three large hotels, all five star, and all with a little something very special about them. The Golden five is more of a complex which includes several hotels in Hurghada, and one of the largest facilities most people will ever stay in. Also a large complex, and boasted by management as Egypt's first urban resort is the new Cataract Pyramids hotel. Finally, there is the venerable Nile Hilton, still a favorite of many coming to Cairo.

Egyptian Exhibitions
by deTraci Regula

This month deTrace examines the The Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia Gathered during a lifetime of collecting by Theodore and Araea Halkidis, most of the two hundred objects in this esteemed and sometimes controversial private collection have never been presented publicly before now. Items include artifacts from pre-dynastic times to artifacts from Cleopatra's time.

Egyptian Night Life
by Jimmy Dunn

Most of the time, it is the booming sound of European techno-rock, where East meets West at least on a youthful cultural exchange. But specialty nights for Salsa music and classic rock vary the venue and make this a continual favorite night spot particularly of young Europeans and well healed Egyptians. For many years, it was just about the only European style disco in Cairo, and while that is no longer true with other establishments such as the Crazy Horse, it continues to draw more would be partyers then the management will let through the doors.

Restaurant Reviews
by Juergen Stryjak

Nobody knows who created this new trend in Cairo: Old traditional Egyptian customs are becoming once again popular among young, westernized, middle and upper class Cairenes. The Abou El Sid restaurant is part of this movement, back to water pipes and Molokhiyya soup. Juergen Stryjak recommends a wonderful and cozy Arabic salon.

Shopping Around
by Juergen Stryjak

The former famous Sednaoui department store in Cairos Ezbekkiyya neighborhood is still a very special place, not necessarily because of its goods, but because of its special atmosphere. Juergen Stryjak recommends it for a journey into the past.

Web Reviews
by Siri Bezdicek

Web Reviews provides an interesting look at other Egyptian sites on the Internet, by the manager of our new Egyptbot search engine.

Egyptian View-Point
By Adel Murad

Many would-be tourists, traveling with children, wonder whether their own trip of a lifetime would appeal to the young. Would the Nile cruise, the pyramids, the Cairo museum and the zoo be a good substitute for Playstations and computer games? The answer can only be a resounding "yes!" as provided by those who have visited Egypt with their children, and were so pleased with the whole experience.

Editor's Commentary
by Jimmy Dunn

The obvious is that we have greatly expanded the Tour Egypt Monthly with many new feature articles for March. There are over twice the number of articles we have ever published in one month. What may not be so obvious is that we expect this to be a permanent development. More people then ever before are contributing to Tour Egypt Monthly, and more are on the way, with some fantastic articles

Last Updated: June 5th, 2011