Egypt

Ancient glory still felt in modern Egypt

International Herald Tribune

Deep below the Egyptian desert, archaeologists have found evidence of yet another pyramid, this one constructed 4,300 years ago to store the remains of a pharaoh's mother. That makes 138 pyramids discovered here so far, and officials say they expect to find more.

Tourists will, no doubt, care.

Egyptians probably will not, unless they work in tourism.

But for citizens and foreigners alike, there is no escaping the truth that Egypt is inextricably linked in the public consciousness with pyramids, especially the Great Pyramids of Giza. The nation's premier newspaper is called Al Ahram, or The Pyramids. Egypt's best-known research center is the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Yet living in the shadow of past greatness is not always easy.

The pyramids are proof of Egypt's endurance and what distinguishes it from modern confections, like Saudi Arabia, a nation founded 76 years ago, named after a family and built on oil wealth. But these monuments to Egypt's early ingenuity are also an ever-present symbol of faded glory. It is hard to escape comparisons between an Egypt that once led the world in almost everything and modern Egypt, where about 40 percent of the population lives on $2 a day.

See the above page for the full story.

- Save Giza Before 2012
Al Ahram Weekly (Zahi Hawass) I thought that the days of the "pyramidiots" were over and that they had finally left us to carry out some serious archaeology in peace. Over the last decade, many people have contacted me thinking they have located lost...

- Cemetery Of The Pyramid Builders
Asharq Alawsat (Zahi Hawass) I still consider the discovery of the Cemetery of the Pyramid Builders to be one of the greatest archaeological achievements, and personally speaking this ranks as one of my most precious discoveries. This is because prior...

- Travel: Observing The Pilgrims
Living in Egypt blog (Maryanne Stroud Gabbani) I look at Maryanne Stroud Gabbani's blogs most days because they offer a great insight into her life in the rural outskirts of Cairo and Giza. Today she describes taking some visitors to the Giza plateau...

- Riddle Of The Pyramids
Al Ahram Weekly (Assam Deif) Speaking of Egypt, it is the Pyramids that spring to mind. Their grandeur, their mystery and their architecture have caused more debate than any other structure on Earth. Since the time of Herodotus geographers and historians...

- Travel: A Visit To Cairo
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/travel/egypts-alluring-siren-song-/282284 "A set of three pyramids with the tallest being built by King Cheops and known as the Great Pyramid. When you finally see the Great Pyramid, one is left speechless because...

Egypt