Ancient Egypt has captivated the world for millennia, with its cryptic language of hieroglyphs, legendary god-level pharaohs, and mysterious and well-preserved temples and tombs. However, although ancient Egypt might be long gone, that doesn’t mean it’s dead. This civilization is coming more to life now than it has in years, as the modern country makes bold moves to preserve, restore, and showcase its heritage like never before.
With the upcoming anniversary of archaeologist Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb – 100 years in 2022 – and the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt is banking on the legacy and mystery of its past to lure in travelers. Moreover, discoveries continue to add to the extensive collection of unbelievable artifacts from one of the planet’s most impressive and enduring cultures.
Learn about New Discoveries at State-of-the-Art Museums
The Egyptian sands continue to slowly give up their treasures that have been secreted away for thousands of years, triumphantly unearthed by archaeologists across the country. In Saqqara, an active burial ground for more than 3500 years, the discovery in January of a temple with inscriptions dedicated to a previously unknown ancient queen is rewriting history.
A month later, near Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast, archaeologists uncovered burial chambers housing two golden-tongued mummies. Experts believe the golden tongues gave the mummies the ability to speak in the afterlife. Farther south in the Nile-side city of Sohag, researchers found a 5000-year-old brewery that likely made beer for funerary rituals, believed to be the oldest in the world.
One of the country’s richest archaeological sites continues to be the area around Luxor, the modern city and great open-air museum that sits atop ancient Thebes, once the grand capital of Upper Egypt. In April, archaeologists dug up a 3000-year-old lost city that researchers hailed as the most significant discovery since Tut’s tomb was found in the nearby Valley of the Kings.
Travelers will be able to see these artifacts and tens of thousands more at Cairo’s new Grand Egyptian Museum, finally slated to open in late 2021 after years of delays. The GEM will be the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization when it opens. Curators have already moved more than 50,000 artifacts – some never seen before and simply pulled out of storage – to the museum, which will also display all of Tutankhamun’s burial treasures in the same place for the first time.
For those who cannot wait, a taste of what’s in store can be experienced at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which is open now and saw the arrival of 22 of the country’s most famous mummified pharaohs during the regal Royal Mummies Golden Parade in April.
Head to Saqqara to See Egypt’s Most Active Dig
The Pyramids of Giza, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world, are Egypt’s most obvious icon. However, surprisingly, they are some of the least interesting historical sites to visit. While travelers should not skip a visit to Giza, especially because this is the location of the Grand Egyptian Museum as well as the recently opened Sphinx International Airport, keen adventurers should set their sights a little farther south to Saqqara and Dahshur.
This huge necropolis, the country’s largest archaeological site, has a trifecta of pyramids of its own – with more being unveiled each year. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities estimates that only 1% of the site has been excavated so far.
Saqqara and Dahshur were the proving grounds for ancient architects, the predecessors and drafting table designs that made the Pyramids of Giza possible. Egypt’s oldest pyramid, the 4700-year-old Step Pyramid of Zoser at Saqqara, reopened in 2020 after a 14-year, $6.6 million restoration project stabilized the structure. For the first time in more than a decade, visitors can once again explore its interior tunnels and chambers.
In Dahshur, the Bent Pyramid, constructed around 2600 BCE, reopened to the public in 2019 for the first time in 50 years. Consequently, travelers can now access its “side pyramid,” believed to have been built for the pharaoh’s wife, for the first time since it was excavated in 1956.
Luxor’s Valley of the Kings Features Stunning Tombs
Often called the world’s largest open-air museum, Luxor is a treasure trove like nowhere else. Recent archaeological findings range from an entire “golden” city to a massive haul of 3000-year-old wooden coffins with complete inscriptions. The Valley of the Kings, the resting place for royalty since 2100 BCE, is one of Luxor’s top draws; however, the site’s complex ticketing system can leave some visitors missing out on worthwhile discoveries of their own.
Simply existing inside these ancient structures causes them damage: the sweat, carbon dioxide, and humidity from breathing are enough to crack and peel the antique paint. Therefore, tour guides are not even allowed inside to cut down on human emissions.
To mitigate damage, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has added dehumidifiers and glass screens in some chambers while starting a rotation system. Out of the 60-plus tombs in the valley, only a dozen or so are open at any given time. A ticket is valid for just three tombs, with few additional tombs, including King Tutankhamun’s, available for an additional cost.
It pays to choose wisely. A cherished memory of a trip to Egypt includes a visit to the Tomb of Seti I. The tomb recently reopened to visitors after receiving a stunning Technicolor restoration, making the hieroglyphic inscriptions and wall reliefs look as if they were painted yesterday.
Descending through the quiet burial chamber corridors, that morning empty of other visitors, past painting after painting was a surreal experience. In the crypt, the vaulted ceiling – the first tomb here to be constructed with this type of roof – features a mural of simple but emotive stars on a black backdrop, surrounded by scenes from the Book of Gates, a funerary text guiding the deceased into the next world.
Although some may be deterred by the considerable additional expense – LE1000 (about $64), the highest ticket price in Egypt for a single site – I thought it was worth every penny to see the most beautiful tomb in the entire Valley of the Kings.
Experience the rich history of Luxor by staying at the Sofitel Winter Palace, a British colonial-era hotel along the Nile, refurbished in 2019. It is here on the hotel’s stairs that Howard Carter announced the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922.
Explore the Red Sea Mountain Trail
For an up-close and personal perspective on Egypt’s history, consider taking a hike on the Red Sea Mountain Trail, a recently created 105-mile trek that takes about 10 days. This community initiative run by the local Maaza Bedouin tribe serves as mainland Egypt’s first long-distance trail, allowing travelers to walk with those who know this land most intimately.
The Red Sea Mountain Trail might be new, yet the pathways it follows are well-worn travel, trade, and smuggling routes that delve deep into the wilderness of eastern Egypt, a region seldom explored by outsiders. The hiking loop winds past the mainland’s highest mountain peaks, graffiti left by the Nabataeans (known for their immaculately carved capital of Petra in Jordan), and ancient Roman towns with forts, watchtowers, and gates still partially in situ.
