There’s more to Egypt than Moses, Pharoah, Pyramids and mummies. What makes this nation so unique is the combination of its location and the people.
Present-day Egypt is a country linking northeast Africa with the Middle East. This ancient location dates to the time of the pharaohs. There are millennia-old monuments that sit along the fertile Nile River Valley, including Giza’s colossal Pyramids and Great Sphinx as well as Luxor’s hieroglyph-lined Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings’ tombs. The capital, Cairo, is home to Ottoman landmarks like Muhammad Ali Mosque and the Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities.
Egypt has a rich culture that combines the deeply rooted traditions of an ancient civilization and other cultures.
Keep scrolling for more on this historical nation;
- It snows in Egypt:
Snow is a usual scene in St. Catherine city, which is situated at an elevation of 1,586m in South Sinai. It is unusual in Cairo, although it has started to happen in the past few years. This, according to experts can be linked to the effect of climate change.
2. Bread is life in Egypt:
In the Egyptian dialect (Arabic), bread is called “eish” meaning life. Bread is a staple of Egyptian meals; no wonder it is subsidized for the public. There are at least eight types of bread in Egypt; the most common is “eish balady,” and another where they mix dates in the ingredients.
3. Scared Cats:
Domestic feline creatures were considered to be sacred animals by the Ancient Egyptians. It was thought that most families kept a cat as a pet, which they believed would bring the household good luck! Since civilization and external cultural influence, Egypt has experienced a decline in the veneration once held for cats.
4. The nation’s capital:
Cairo has served as Egypt’s capital for more than 1,000 years, but the government is building a new capital some 45 kilometres (28 miles) to the east to help ease congestion in Cairo. Plans call for the yet-to-be-named city to host the main government departments and ministries, as well as foreign embassies.
5. World Heritage site:
Egypt is home to seven UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites: Abu Mena; Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis; Historic Cairo; Memphis and its Necropolis; Nubian monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae; the Saint Catherine area; and Wadi Al-Hitan, or Whale Valley, home to fossil remains of the earliest and now-extinct form of whales.
6. Medical prowess:
Ancient Egypt produced the world’s first prosthetic limb, a toe composed of leather, wood and thread and dated between 950 and 710 B.C.
7. Date:
The 365-day calendar that is divided into 12 months was invented in Egypt.
8. Ethnicity and Religion:
Egypt is ethnically homogeneous, with Egyptians comprising more than 99% per cent of the population with 90 per cent as Muslim (primarily Sunni) and various Christian denominations make up the remaining 10 per cent.
9. Family:
Children are highly valued in Egypt, especially in rural areas where they help on family farms. Children are also expected to look after their parents in their old age.
10. Egyptians and their gallbladders:
When an Egyptian gets fed up with someone, they would say “you have decrepitated my gallbladder.” Since they know the gallbladder is attached to the liver, many Egyptian parents call their children “my liver,” and it is common in Arabic literature to cite the liver as the organ that stores feelings and emotions.
Egypt is a beautiful place to visit. So when next you want to go to a tourist site, the Egyptians are more than ready to give you a warm welcome.
Is there something very unique about your culture or another that you know? Do share with us in the comment section.