37 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Egypt - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Egypt

Alexandria, Egypt

The Lost City of Heracleion

An ancient city exhumed from the depths of the ocean.

Nilometer

An ancient instrument used to measure the waters of the Nile so Egyptian farmers would know whether to expect famine or flood.

The Temple of Abu Simbel

Ozymandias’ time-keeping temple.

City of the Dead

An endless sea of white conical domes.

Dandarah, Egypt

Hathor Temple

One of the most well-preserved temples of ancient Egypt.

Qesm Hurghada, Egypt

Desert Breath

A massive work of modern art that appears to be a crop circle in the middle of the desert.

Al Farafrah, Egypt

White Desert

An alien landscape of chalk-rock in the Egyptian desert.

Colossi of Memnon

These Egyptian statues have survived for 3,400 years and were an acoustic wonder of the ancient world.

See All 37 Things to Do in Egypt See All 37 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in Egypt

Tutankhamun Ale

This beer was popular more than 3,000 years ago.

Mish

This sharp and salty Egyptian cheese ferments for months in a bath of milk and spices.

Siwa Oasis Dates

Dates from this desert oasis have been sweetening Egyptian tables since pharaonic times.

Hamam Mahshi

Egyptian pigeons are raised in special towers, then stuffed and eaten.

See all 6 things to eat in Egypt See all 6 things to eat in Egypt

Community Forums / Africa / Egypt

Top Discussions in the Egypt Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Traveling to Egypt	9 April 26, 2019	612	April 26, 2019
Hatshepsut's Myrrh Tree	4 October 17, 2019	918	October 17, 2019
The Lost City of Heracleion	6 August 13, 2019	951	August 13, 2019
Fesikh	1 April 2, 2019	596	April 2, 2019
Saqqara	0 June 5, 2019	136	June 5, 2019

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Stories
About Egypt

On the left, a musician wears an unguent cone.

Researchers Concocted an Ancient Egyptian Perfume Perhaps Worn by Cleopatra

One archaeologist describes the spicy, musky scent as "the Chanel No. 5 of ancient Egypt."

by Sabrina Imbler

Farmers still use the same techniques developed 2,000 years ago.

The Egyptian Egg Ovens Considered More Wondrous Than the Pyramids

A hatching system devised 2,000 years ago is still in use in rural Egypt.

by Vittoria Traverso

The wooden hull of ship 17.

Found: A Ship Once Described By Herodotus

A wreck discovered in the Nile suggests the ancient Greek historian's description was spot on.

by Jonathan Carey

What is manna?

The Very Real Search for the Bible's Mythical Manna

Scholars, soldiers, and scientists have long puzzled over the supernatural substance.

by Erica X Eisen

To work on the wall paintings, the conservation team crammed a lot of equipment into the small burial chamber.

Our Breath and Sweat Almost Ruined King Tut’s Tomb

But a new circulation system is making things better.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

February 8, 2019

The King Userkaf complex held dozens of mummified cats.

Mummifying a Beetle Is a Lot Easier Than Mummifying a Cat

Not all animal mummies were created equal.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

November 29, 2018

Tattoos on the Predynastic male mummy from Gebelein.

Decoding the Tattoos of Ancient Egyptians

Here's what the shapes and symbols on that mummy's arm mean.

by John and Colleen Darnell

Researchers used three different imaging technologies to analyze a second-century portrait.

The Alchemy and Artistry of Ancient Egypt's Funerary Portraits

High-tech imaging tools are taking researchers under the paint, layer by layer.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

December 21, 2017

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