38 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.

Colossi of Memnon

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

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.

See All 38 Things to Do in Egypt See All 38 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	772	April 26, 2019
Hatshepsut's Myrrh Tree	4 October 17, 2019	1185	October 17, 2019
The Lost City of Heracleion	6 August 13, 2019	1251	August 13, 2019
Fesikh	1 April 2, 2019	787	April 2, 2019
The Tomb of Nefertari	2 December 6, 2019	129	December 6, 2019

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Stories
About Egypt

In many of Greene's images, including this one from 1853 or 1854, it's hard to puzzle out a sense of scale.

The Strange Emptiness of Egypt in 19th-Century European Photographs

John Beasley Greene photographed early European archaeology in Egypt—but he paid little attention to those who lived there.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

November 21, 2019

Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from ibis mummies, millions of which have been found in Egyptian catacombs.

Ancient Egypt’s Ibis Mummies Were Probably Not Raised in Giant Sacred Ranches

Genetic research suggests a more local solution to meet demand.

by Isaac Schultz

November 14, 2019

The five-legged, three-tailed cat in question.

This Five-Legged Cat Mummy Is Not as Strange as It Seems

A recently scanned cat mummy was probably not a scam, but the remains of animals that died on a sacred site.

by Sabrina Imbler

November 13, 2019

The researchers detected arsenic, lead, and antimony in the yellow paint—meaning it was more than just orpiment.

Found: Surprisingly Modern Paint on an Ancient Egyptian Gate

How did a pigment that Vermeer used in the 1600s wind up on Egyptian art from the 6th century BC?

by Sabrina Imbler

November 12, 2019

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

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