FAMOUS LANDMARK

- The Pyramids of Giza

The three most well-known Egyptian pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza. These
pyramids were built on the outskirts of Cairo. They are located five miles from the old
city of Giza which resides on the Nile River.
The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid ever built. These pyramids
are included as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The three are named the great
pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the pyramid of Khafre (Khafra) and the pyramid of
Menkaure. The pyramid of Menkaure has three smaller pyramids that are right next to
this main structure and are called the Queens Pyramids.

- Valley of The Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a magnificent area in Egypt located west of the Nile River.
The region contains many tombs of the new kingdom and is divided into the west and the
east valley. The east valley is more famous and attracts more visitors to it as it has most
of the tombs. Visitors are often awed by the symmetry and magnificence of the tombs.
Despite there being so many tombs, they each have their own uniqueness. It is almost
impossible to see all of them. One of the special tombs is that of King Tutankhamen. A
separate ticket is required to enter this famous tomb.

Egyptian Cuisine

Egyptian cuisine is notably conducive to vegetarian diets, as it relies heavily on vegetable

dishes. Though food in Alexandria and the coast of Egypt tends to use a great deal of fish and
other seafood, for the most part Egyptian cuisine is based on foods that grow out of the ground.
Meat has been very expensive for most Egyptians throughout history, so a great number of
vegetarian dishes have been developed.

Some consider koshari (a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni) to be the national dish. Fried
onions can be also added to koshari. In addition, ful medames(mashed fava beans) is one of the
most popular dishes. Fava bean is also used in making falafel (also known as "ta'meyya"), which
may have originated in Egypt and spread to other parts of the Middle East. Garlic fried with
coriander is added to mulukhiyya, a popular green soup made from finely chopped jute leaves,
sometimes with chicken or rabbit.
Arts
The Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to codify design elements in art and
architecture. Egyptian blue, also known as calcium copper silicate is a pigment used by
Egyptians for thousands of years. It is considered to be the first synthetic pigment. The wall
paintings done in the service of the Pharaohs followed a rigid code of visual rules and meanings.
Egyptian civilization is renowned for its colossal pyramids, temples and monumental tombs.
Well-known examples are the Pyramid of Djoser designed by ancient architect and
engineer Imhotep, the Sphinx, and the temple of Abu Simbel. Modern and contemporary
Egyptian art can be as diverse as any works in the world art scene, from the vernacular
architecture of Hassan Fathyand Ramses Wissa Wassef, to Mahmoud Mokhtar's sculptures, to the
distinctive Coptic iconography of Isaac Fanous. The Cairo Opera House serves as the main
performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital.
Literature is an important cultural element in the life of Egypt. Egyptian novelists and poets were
among the first to experiment with modern styles ofArabic literature, and the forms they
developed have been widely imitated throughout the Middle East. The first modern Egyptian
novel Zaynab byMuhammad Husayn Haykal was published in 1913 in the Egyptian
vernacular. Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language writer to win
the Nobel Prize in Literature. Egyptian women writers include Nawal El Saadawi, well known
for her feminist activism, and Alifa Rifaat who also writes about women and tradition.

Major Events/Festival

- Sham el-Nessim
Sham el-nessim is an Egyptian national holiday marking the beginning of spring. It
always falls on the day after the Eastern Christian Easter (following the custom of the
largest Christian denomination in the country, the Coptic Orthodox Church). Despite the
Christian-related date, the holiday is celebrated by Egyptians regardless of religion.
The modern Sham ennisim is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims, so it is
considered a national festival, rather than a religious one. The main features of the
festival are:
a. People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the
Nile, or at the zoo.
b. People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the
Nile, or at the zoo.