Egyptian Cities

Egypt has many important cities through its history. The various civilizations which developed within ancient Egypt were some of the most technologically advanced and beautiful of their time, giving birth to some of the greatest cities the world has ever seen. Many of these sites can still be visited today, a favorite pastime for travelers wishing to gaze upon the remains of a storied past.

Roman Kiosk and Apedamak (lion god) temple in Naqa, Nubia Sudan. Source: YiannisMantas/Adobe Stock

30 May, 2023 - 14:57 Aleksa Vučković

The Ancient City of Naqa - The Kushite Religious Stronghold

For centuries the ancient Nubian Kingdom of Kush stood as a potent rival of the neighboring Ancient Egypt. Over countless generations, the rising Kushite polity engaged in intermittent warfare, trade...

The Faiyum Oasis extends for hundreds of miles, and has enabled life and civilization in the Nile River Valley. Source: Nader / Adobe Stock

20 January, 2023 - 00:52 Robbie Mitchell

Faiyum Oasis: The Heart-Shaped Hidden Garden of Egypt

In TV shows and movies, if an oasis is shown, it is usually either a mirage or some tiny pool of water next to a palm tree in the middle of the desert. We could be forgiven for thinking that all...

Karnak temple in the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Source: Calin Stan / Adobe Stock

7 July, 2022 - 18:58 Lex Leigh

The Ten Essential Ancient Egyptian Cities: Relics of Egypt’s Storied Past

The various civilizations which developed within ancient Egypt were some of the most technologically advanced and beautiful of their time, giving birth to some of the greatest cities the world has...

16 February, 2021 - 21:57 dhwty

Thebes, A City Formed by The Warriors Who Sprang from a Dragon’s Teeth

In ancient times, Thebes was one of the major Greek city states, and a rival of Athens. Later on, however, Thebes fell to the Macedonians, and was eventually conquered by the Romans. The post-...

Statuette of a woman from predynastic Egypt, 4th millennium BC (CC by SA 2.0)

29 June, 2020 - 23:02 Aleksa Vučković

Predynastic Egypt: Life Before the Pyramids

The history of Ancient Egypt spans several millennia and is filled with wonders and achievements which are veiled in mystery and the enigmatic secrets of distant times. For decades, the...

14 April, 2020 - 13:59 ashley cowie

Sacrificed Bulls of Ramses II Excavated in Abydos Temple

Ramses II, or the Great (c. 1303– 1213 BC), was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and is often regarded as the greatest and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom. During recent...

2 June, 2019 - 01:31 dhwty

Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria?

The destruction of the great library of Alexandria has been lamented as one of the biggest losses of the ancient world. Nearly one million documents from across Assyria, Greece, Persia, Egypt, India...

2 December, 2018 - 22:55 dhwty

Kom Ombo: An Egyptian Temple Dedicated to Two Rival Gods

Kom Ombo (meaning the ‘Mound of Ombo’) is an ancient Egyptian town located in what is today the Aswan Governorate of Upper Egypt, about 50 km (31 miles) to the north of Aswan. Kom Ombo is notable...

Black stone sarcophagus found at Alexandria

3 July, 2018 - 13:58 Ed Whelan

Egyptian Archaeologists unearth large black sarcophagus in Alexandria

According to the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, there had been a remarkable find in the coastal city of Alexandria. During a routine excavation, experts have uncovered a Ptolemaic...

The Israelites Leaving Egypt by David Roberts. Representative of an ancient Egyptian City.

27 March, 2018 - 13:58 dhwty

The Lost City of Thinis, First Capital of a United Egypt

Thinis was a city of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Whilst Thinis and its alternative, This, were the Greek names of the city, the ancient Egyptians knew it as Tjenu. This city once served as the...

Ancient Egyptian painted relief showing foot and toes. Design by Anand Balaji.

4 December, 2017 - 15:21 anand balaji

Game of Toes in Amarna: Missing Body Parts and Funerary Practices of King and Commoner

Pharaoh Akhenaten was the subject of great controversy when he lived; and this did not cease after he died. If anything, his memory has both troubled and impressed people down to this day. Be it his...

A bust of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Design by Anand Balaji.

22 November, 2017 - 15:35 anand balaji

Understanding the Monotheism of Akhenaten: Decay of a Dream and the Final Curtain Call–Part I

Pharaoh Akhenaten has been revered and reviled in equal measure for unleashing his religious policy of one god, the Aten sun disc. But, was the king a monotheist in letter and spirit – one who...

Collection of Egyptian Art, design by Anand Balaji

5 July, 2017 - 15:34 anand balaji

Akhenaten: Imperishable Art of an Iconoclast: Creativity Blossoms in the Desert—Part I

Never before had a pharaoh ushered daring, almost bizarre and inconceivable transformations in religion and statecraft as Akhenaten did. Not only did he oust the pantheon of traditional gods and...

4 November, 2016 - 02:54 Natalia Klimczak

Three Famous Sites in One – The Story of the Legendary City of Tanis

For centuries, it was believed the city of Tanis was nothing more than a legend. Many people had doubts that it ever really existed. But that all changed when researchers who Napoleon Bonaparte...

2 November, 2016 - 02:54 ancient-origins

What Treasures Were Lost in the Destruction of the Great Musaeum of Alexandria?

The monumental Musaeum of Alexandria was famous for its legendary library. The tragic story of the building’s destruction continues to be a painful one for people who love ancient history and...

The Pharos of Alexandria by Fischer von Erlach

7 May, 2015 - 17:09 aprilholloway

Ancient Wonder of the World: Egypt Approves Plan to Rebuild Pharos of Alexandria

The Pharos of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the most famous lighthouse in antiquity. The incredible feat of ancient engineering stood at an impressive height of 130...

19 April, 2015 - 22:03 aprilholloway

Russian Archaeologists Unearth Legendary White Walls of Memphis

According to Manetho, an ancient Egyptian historian and priest of the 3 rd century BC, Memphis once carried the name Ineb-hedj, meaning ‘White Walls’. Some historians maintain that the city was named...

12 February, 2015 - 12:15 Ahmed Osman

Egyptian Alexandria - Ancient underwater finds revealed the Pharaonic roots of the Ptolemaic City

Alexandria, located on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, has seen many changes in its 2,300 year history. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C., at its height it rivalled Rome in its wealth and...

Akhenaten depicted as a sphinx at Amarna, solar rays bathing him.

20 January, 2015 - 12:04 Riley Winters

The Art of Amarna: Akhenaten and his life under the Sun

The Amarna period, roughly 1353-1336 BCE, introduced a new form of art that completely contradicted what was known and revered in the Egyptian culture. The pharaoh Amenhotep IV not only changed his...

18 April, 2014 - 23:54 dhwty

The great Pharos of Alexandria

As a saviour of Greeks, this watchman of Pharos, O Lord Proteus, was erected by Sostratus, son of Dexiphanes, from Cnidus. For in Egypt there are no lookout posts on a mountain, as in the islands,...