Archive for January, 2008

A team of US archaeologists has discovered the ruins of a city dating back to the Neolithic period in Egypt’s Fayum oasis. The site is just seven kilometers from Fayum lake and would probably have lain at the water’s edge at the time it was inhabited by the first farmers 7,000 years ago. The remains consist... »

Skeletal remains recently found at Amarna paints a picture of extreme suffering for the people forced to build an inhabit the ancient city of Akhetaten (The Horizon of Aten), very different from the murals depicting the ruling class blessed by the beneficial light of the Aten. The area, 200 miles north of Thebes (Waset) is... »

The World Travel Awards (WTA), known as the “Oscars of the Travel Industry”, chose the Giza Pyramids as the world’s leading attraction in 2007 during its fourteenth annual ceremony held at the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa in the Caribbean. Established in 1993, the WTA acknowledges, rewards and celebrates the enormous achievements... »

Archaeologists have discovered several well preserved mummies, covered with cartonage, from the Greco Roman period in Fayoum, Egypt. “One of the caskets contained a badly decayed mummy with a golden face mask,” said Zahi Hawass, the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Some of the mummies were covered with eight layers of linen... »

A relatively modest tomb, belonging to a fifth dynasty priest and politician named Neferinpu, was discovered at Abusir, near modern-day Cairo. The tomb’s burial chamber, a tiny room about 33 feet (10 meters) below ground packed with offerings and personal effects, had remained undisturbed for nearly 4,500 years. “It is rare to unearth intact burials of... »

India’s government agreed to signing an agreement with Egypt on the abolition of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and official passports, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. It will also facilitate the issuance of residence visa valid for the duration of the assignment to members of diplomatic or consular missions. The agreement will... »

Male belly dancing, a centuries-old Egyptian tradition, is making a comeback — against the odds, considering its periodic suppression by government and religious officials. A carved relief at a pharaonic-era tomb near Cairo shows today’s dance prohibitions were yesterday’s norm. It depicts a chorus line of men at a religious festival; each wears a sash... »