Tourist attractions - Egypt World Geography Tourist attractions - Egypt

Presentation aims By the end of this presentation you should be able to Locate tourist attractions in Egypt using a map Describe the features and characteristics of tourist attractions in Egypt

Tourist attractions in Egypt Three of the most well known tourist attractions in Egypt are: Pyramids of Giza The Sphinx Egyptian Antiquities Museum Abu Simbel These can be located on the map on the following slide

Egyptian Antiquities Museum Map of Egypt Egyptian Antiquities Museum Pyramids of Giza The Sphinx Abu Simbel

Pyramids and the Sphinx The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are two of the most well known tourist attractions in the world They are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and the only ancient wonder that still remains

Pyramids of Giza The three main pyramids at the site are: The Great Pyramid of Cheops The Pyramid of Chephren The Pyramid of Mycerinus

The Great Pyramid of Cheops The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the largest pyramid in the world It is 140 metres high It is made of approximately 2 million blocks of stone, weighing about 2300kg each It was built between 2589 and 2566 BC by the fifth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu This pyramid is sometimes referred to as “The Great Pyramid of Khufu” There is a restricted number of visitors allowed to visit this Pyramid Recently a boat has been found at the bottom of this pyramid

The Pyramid of Chephren The Pyramid of Chepren appears bigger than the Great Pyramid of Cheops, however it was in fact built on higher ground than Cheops Built by Khufu’s son, Khafre, it was discovered in 1818 Its imposing size is what has made this pyramid famous - the size of the base of the pyramid was once 216 square metres (2325 square feet) It is located South West of the Great Pyramid The Pyramid of Chephren is known as the Second Pyramid, and also known as The Pyramid of Khaefra” This pyramid used to have a limestone outer casing which gave the pyramid a dazzling look; the remnants can still be seen

The Pyramid of Mycerinus The Pyramid of Mycerinus, known as the third Pyramid, stands 67 metres (220ft) high This pyramid was initiated by Khafre’s successor, Menkaure, who died before its completion This pyramid has a granite lower outer casing This pyramid is also known as “The Pyramid of Menkaura”

The Sphinx Located at the entrance to the Great Pyramid, visitors will find the famous Sphinx, (Abu el-Hol is the Arabic name) It was carved from a single remaining block of sandstone leftover from the Great Pyramid over 4500 years ago It is a statue with a man’s head attached to a lion’s body The nose of the Sphinx was destroyed

Pyramids of Giza At the bottom of the Great Pyramid of Giza are three smaller pyramids called “The Queen’s Tombs” There is a spectacular sound and light show every evening at Giza which adds another dimension to the already mysterious site

Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx Opening times Daily 7.00am – 4.00 pm Admission fee Site: EUR40/NZD70 adult, EUR20/NZD35 student In Egyptian currency (Egyptian pounds) the price for adults is 20L.E. To enter the pyramids there is an additional cost: EUR40/NZD70 adult, EUR20/NZD35 student

Abu Simbel One of the most famous archaeological sites in Egypt is Abu Simbel It is located high above the western banks of the Nile River, south of Aswan in southern Egypt

Abu Simbel There are two temples at the site built on the orders of Pharaoh Ramses II (1304 – 1237 BC) This temple is referred to as “Abu Simbel” and has four 20m high statues of Ramses II The smaller temple was built in honour of Ramses’ wife, Queen Nefertari and is dedicated to the wife of the Sun God It is sometimes referred to as “The Temple of Hathor”

Abu Simbel A massive conservation effort was mounted in the late 1960s as the building of the Aswan Dam caused the water levels of Lake Nasser to rise and endangered the temples There was an immediate threat to the archaeological treasures of the site Abu Simbel’s cultural importance was recognised by UNESCO and on that basis an international campaign proceeded to protect the site for its cultural importance

Abu Simbel The Sacrarium is at the end of the Temple of Abu Simbel There are four statues: Harmakhis, Ramses II, Amon Ra, Ptah (God of Darkness) Twice a year at the solstaces the sun penetrates the entire length of the temple and floods the statues of Amon Ra, Harmakhis and Ramses This lights the statues for about 5 minutes and Ptah is never struck by the rays of the sun This is called “The miracle of the sun” Taken from “Abu Simbel”, published by Bonechi 2003

Abu Simbel Opening Times Admission Fee (approximate) Daily 6.00am – 4.00pm (winter) Daily 6.00am – 5.00pm (summer) Admission Fee (approximate) Ramses II Temple: EUR20/NZD35 Nefertari Temple: EUR10/NZD17

Egyptian Antiquities Museum Located in Cairo, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum is a must see tourist attraction for any visitor to Egypt Amongst the 107 halls, visitors can see mummified pharaohs and thousands of ancient artifacts in a collection that originated in 1895

Egyptian Antiquities Museum The most famous exhibit is the treasures from the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun Amongst the collection visitors can see The God like golden mask of Tutankhamun Over 1700 objects including pottery, jewellery, decorative pieces, sculpture, furniture, written documents, vases and accessories and tomb equipment

Egyptian Antiquities Museum Opening times Daily 9.00am – 5.00pm Admission fees EUR20/NZD35 adult EUR10/NZD17 student There is a fee to take a camera into the museum There is also a fee to see the Mummies

Summary This presentation has covered Locating tourist attractions in Egypt using a map Describing the features and characteristics of tourist attractions in Egypt

End of presentation

References Ministry of Tourism (UK) - http://www.interoz.com/egypt Egyptian Museum - http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/news.asp Abu Simbel (English Edition) Bonechi, 2003