"E" is for Egypt

I'm not an official A - Zer, but I couldn't resist Celebrating "E" for Egypt!

Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs from about 3000 B.C. to 350 B.C.  After that, Egypt was occupied by a succession of conquerors:  Persians, Greeks, Byzantines, Romans, Mamluks, Napoleonic French, Ottoman Turks, and finally in 1882 by the British.  Egypt became independent in 1952.  As of 2013, the county's population is 85 million (compared to: US = 312 million, Britain = 63 million).

There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt, built between 2700 - 1500 B.C.  (Later, pharaohs were buried in secret underground tombs to foil grave-robbers.)  The largest of the three pyramids of Giza is one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” and was built in 2550 B.C.

From a distance, it’s hard to grasp its true size.  But when you're close, it's mind-boggling!

The Great Sphinx is the oldest and largest statue in the world.  Built around 2550 B.C., it lost its nose in 1348 A.D. when a Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr hammered rods into it and broke it off.  The man was hanged for vandalism.

Over the centuries, the Sphinx was buried in sand almost to its neck until fully excavated around 1925.

No one knows who ordered it to be constructed or what it was called because no mention of it occurs in any ancient documents of the time.  That’s the mystery of the Sphinx.



I love where I live.  <3  What's your favorite thing about where you live?

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever!

Titanic Resort, Egypt

Hotels and resorts line Egypt's Red Sea coast.  Along with international chains, like Marriott, Hilton, and Movenpick, there's the Titanic Resort in Hurghada. 

Seriously? Who would name their hotel the Titanic?

The only Titanic that most Egyptian people know is the movie "Titanic," which they assume is fictitious.  I kid you not.  I thought whoever owned this resort was so in love with the Dicaprio-Winslet epic that they spent millions making the hotel look like a ship.  But apparently, this is an international chain, too!  The company is based in Las Vegas.  (Why am I not surprised?)

I stare at it every time I drive past, less impressed by the architecture than amazed by the name.  I guess if Hollywood makes a romantic movie about the Hindenburg, we can expect a new, dirigible-shaped resort to pop up somewhere, named "The Hindenburg."

Is there a "Hindenburg Resort" in the future?

This week, I'm grateful for my Western education.  I may not have enjoyed History in school, but at least I know what the Titanic disaster was -- although my education isn't enough to deduce why a Las Vegas company (Titanic Resorts,Inc.) would name and build their hotels to resemble a doomed vessel that took the lives of 1502 people.

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. To be part of this blog hop, all you have to do is follow the link and put your name on the Mr.Linky list, and then be sure to post every Friday about some small (or big) accomplishment for that week.  It can be about writing or family or school or general life.  This is the funnest and easiest blog hop ever!