Imagine this: You are given a chance to travel back to an ancient world and explore its glorious heydays. What would be your destination? I’d choose Egypt. Why? Glad you asked! Tighten your seatbelt and journey with me to historical Egypt that was the home to not one, but two of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The great pyramids of Giza are probably the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word Egypt. For the record, this architectural marvel is currently the only surviving monument of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But have you ever given a thought about what the pyramids are, why they exist in the first place, who built them and for what purpose, and how they built such megastructures without any modern technologies? Read on to find answers to these questions.
The pyramids are triangular stone structures – tombs of ancient Egyptian Kings (also known as the pharaohs) and the royal family. The oldest pyramid is believed to be from 2630 B.C. – a prosperous period in Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom – a time when the kings were treated with respect and thought to be sent by the Gods themselves. People believed that after his death, the king became the God of the dead, Osiris. He would then go to heaven and the God of Sun, Ra would send his soul back to Earth, so that the king could reincarnate and become king again. However, a part of his spirit was believed to remain with the body when he died and in order to take care of it, the king’s body was mummified by a group of special priests. The mummification process was quite complicated and took almost 70 days to complete. Once the mummification was completed, he was buried inside a stone structure along with things that he would need in the afterlife – food, furniture, gold vessels. Bodies of his relatives, officials and priests were also buried near him to accompany the king.
Initialy, there was a tradition of carving royal tombs into rectangular-shaped stone structures, called Mastabas dating back to the beginning of the Dynastic Era in 2950 B.C. The pyramid shape that we see today was believed to be first built for the third dynasty’s King Djoser in 2630 B.C.
This question has been a topic of debate for several centuries. Previously it was believed to be built by local and foreign slaves, but later archaeological studies found that there were probably no foreign slaves but only local Egyptian labourers. How they moved the huge stone blocks used to build the pyramids, from the quarry to the site is still a mystery. Many believe that they used a sledge to carry the stone blocks. But there are several other hypotheses that result in unresolved arguments.
The pride of Egypt, the pyramids, even after 4000 years are still standing tall. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of all the pyramids and each year attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.
Another city, another wonder! This is why the history of Egypt is so fascinating. The port city of Alexandria was home to another of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This 3rd-century monument was shaken to its core by several earthquakes from 8th- to 14th-century, before turning into a complete ruin. But there’s more to Alexandria than the lighthouse. Its history dates back to 332 B.C. when Alexander the Great founded the city, hence the name. Before that, it was a small port town called Rhakotis. The newly built city grew exponentially. It became the capital and the largest city of ancient Egypt after the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. Alexandria was the city of prosperity and learning – The Great Library of Alexandria was testimony to this and great minds like Eratosthenes, Archimedes and Euclid were all associated with Alexandria at some point in their lives. It is estimated that the library was home to 5,00,000 books before the Roman emperor Julius Caesar burned it to the ground in 48 B.C. During the Roman reign, Christianity in Alexandria rose to its peak – the old faith of Paganism was dominated and Pagan temples were either converted into churches or destryoed. This religious turmoil turned out to be the turning point of the downfall of Alexandria. In later years, the city was ruled by Byzantines and Arabs, but the charm of Alexandria had long gone.
Today, this Mediterranean port city is a bustling commercial hub – it is Egypt’s second-largest city and home to over 5 million people.
The history of current-day Luxor dates back to the ancient Egyptian city of Waset (known as Thebes to the Greeks). According to popular belief, Waset was home to the Egyptian god Amun. It also was the capital of ancient Egypt several times in history. Though it was inhabited from 3200 B.C., its historical importance only grew around mid 21st century B.C. – a time marking the beginning of the construction of the temples of Karnak – but more on that in a minute. Luxor is famoulsy charactereized as the ‘world’s greatest open-air museum’ – the ruins of Karnak and Luxor temple lie within the modern city, while the Valley of the Kings, housing the royal tombs of most of the kings from 1550-1050 B.C., and the Valley of the Queens lie just across the Nile. The mortuary temple complex of Hatshepsut and Deir el-Bahari are other notable highlights from that period.
Coming back to the temple complex of Karnak – spreading over 2 square kilometres, it is one of the largest religious complexes in the world. The Temple of Amun-Ra, dedicated to the Egyptian God Amun is the largest and most important of all the temples located in the complex.
The town of Luxor these days is flocked by visitors, who come in thousands to witness its grand temple ruins and understand its legacy.
The history of Egypt cannot be summarized in an article with limited words. In this short post I have only talked about three of the major historical locations in the country, but there are plenty of other places to explore. Let me assure you that no matter how many stories you read about Egyptian history, it cannot be a substitute for exploring this historical gem with a visit to the country.
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