Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Egypt: An Overview 5
The Geography of Egypt, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 5
The Boundaries of the Country, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 6
The Rising of the Water, 25 B.C. Strabo 7
How the Nile Changes the Country, c. 1050 Naser-e Khosraw 7
Two Seasons, 1767 Charles Thompson 8
The Climate of Egypt, 1882 Samuel Cox 8
The Delights of Nile Water, 1826 John Carne 9
Nile Water, 1825 Dr. R.R. Madden 9
Notes along the Nile, 1910 Pierre Loti 9
Characteristics of the Soil, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 11
Papyrus, the Paper of Egypt, 1908 Elbert Farman 11
The Commerce of the Country, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 12
The Food of the Country, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 12
Dress of the Male, 1844 Edward Lane 13
Dress of the Poorer Women, 1812 Dr. Charles Meryon 13
The World of Women of Means, 1914 Elizabeth Cooper 14
Trying to Explain Some History, 1913 Rudyard Kipling 14
The Benificence of Egypt, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 15
Arriving in Egypt: At Alexandria and Elsewhere 17
As the Nile Flows into the Mediterranean, 1806 F.R. Chateaubriand 17
Alexandria, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 18
The Day of Our Landing, 1183 Ibn Jubayr 18
Passing through Egypt, 1843 Fanny Pratt 18
Coming from the Desert, 1483 Friar Felix Fabri 19
Sleepless in Alexandria, 1857 William C. Prime 20
A Guide to Alexandria, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 21
Some Features and Antiquities of Alexandria, 1183 Ibn Jubayr 21
A Tourist's History, 1779 Eliza Fay 23
Muhammad 'Ali's Alexandria, 1813 Dr. Charles Meryon 23
Alexandrian Sightseeing, 1849 Samuel Bevan 24
Alexandrian Street, 1833 Robert Curzon 24
What to Wear? 1819 John Fuller 27
On Our Way, 1840 Sarah Haight 27
The Nile Delta 29
The Delta, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 30
Through the Towns and Villages, 1183 Ibn Jubayr 30
Visiting a Village, 1812 Dr. Charles Meryon 30
Ramadan in Lataifa, 1992 Amitav Ghosh 31
Evidence of the Past, 1908 Elbert Farman 32
Two Sides of Rosetta, 1819 John Fuller 32
Damietta, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 33
Damietta, 1908 Elbert Farman 33
Ancient Boats, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 34
Boats and Boatmen on the Nile, 1844 Edward Lane 34
The Sailing Boats of the Nile, 1819 John Fuller 35
Lake Manzala, 1908 Elbert Farman 35
Tinnis, a City, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 35
Water and Money, c. 1050 Naser-e Khosraw 36
Bird Life in the Delta, 1868 Reverend A.C. Smith 37
Night Monsters, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 38
"The Field of Victory," 1908 Elbert Farman 38
The End of the Mahmudiya Canal, 1836 John Lloyd Stephens 38
The Father of Rivers, 1833 Robert Curzon 39
Women along the Banks of the Nile, 1819 John Fuller 39
Pleasures and Ennui, 1842 W.H. Bartlett 40
First Sight of the Pyramids, 1848 Harriet Martineau 40
By Train to Cairo, 1883 Gabriel Charmes 41
Cairo: Mother of Cities 43
Cairo, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 43
Mother of Cities, 1326 Ibn Battuta 45
A City of the Earth, 1913 Rudyard Kipling 45
The Cities that Make Up Cairo, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 46
Somewhere to Stay, 1855 Richard Burton 47
Water and Minarets, 1868 Reverend A.C. Smith 48
Canals Cut through the City, 1039 Naser-e Khosraw 48
The Citadel above Cairo, 1819 John Fuller 49
Looking down across Cairo, 1834 Hon. W.E. Fitzmaurice 50
The Mosques of Cairo, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 51
The Great Mosque of Sultan Hassan, 1857 William C. Prime 51
The Splendid Mosque, 1846 Isabella Romer 52
The Buildings of Cairo, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 53
Streets, Houses, and Palaces of Cairo, c. 1612 George Sandys 54
The Sultan's Banquet, c. 1050 Naser-e Khosraw 56
The Ever-changing Streets, 1865 Lady Herbert 56
The Bazaars of Cairo, 1839 P.D. Holthaus 57
Ancient Coins, 1801 Edward Daniel Clarke 58
Cries in the Market, 1844 Edward Lane 58
Cries in the Streets, 1970 Elizabeth Warnock Fernea 58
The Bagnio, 1783 James Capper 59
The Baths of Cairo, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 60
A Changing City, 1970 Elizabeth Warnock Fernea 61
The Gardens of Cairo and Memorials of Jesus, 1839 P.D. Holthaus 62
The Rise of the Nile: The Nilometer, 1833 Robert Curzon 63
The Nilometer, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 64
Celebration, 1826 John Carne 64
The Country Prospers, 1817 Captains Charles Irby James Mangles 66
Cairo in Festive Mood, 1863 G.A. Hoskins 66
The Tombs of the Caliphs, 1873 Gabriel Charmes 67
Visiting the Dead, 1326 Ibn Battuta 69
Cairo in the Evening, 1873 Gabriel Charmes 69
Pyramids and Sphinx 71
The Spell of the Pyramids, 1956 Leonard Cottrell 71
The Wonders of the Country, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 72
The Construction and Cost of the Pyramids, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 72
How a Pyramid is Built and Unbuilt, 1825 Edward Lane 73
Extravagance, c. 50 Pliny the Elder 74
Wonders of the World, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 74
Abu'l Haul, the Sphinx, c. 1200 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 75
The Sphinx, 1852 Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley 76
The Sphinx and the Sepulchres, 1882 Samuel Cox 76
Pyramids and Sphinx, 1835 Alexander Kinglake 76
The Terrors of the Interior of a Pyramid, c. 1612 George Sandys 77
Into a Pyramid, 1737 Captain Frederick Norden 78
Where is the Queen? 1882 Samuel Cox 79
Astronomical Correctness, 1834 Hon. W.E. Fitzmaurice 79
Lifted to the Summit, c. 1865 Mrs. M. Carey 80
From the Summit of the Great Pyramid, 1825 Edward Lane 81
As Old Cheops Has Done, 1843 Countess Hahn-Hahn 82
Celebrating on High, 1843 Dr. Richard Lepsius 83
Innocents Abroad, 1870 Mark Twain 84
Lotus and Pyramid, 1927 Constance Sitwell 85
The Fayoum 87
The Fayoum, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 87
Cairo to the Fayoum, 1873 Murray's Handbook 87
A Land Created, c. 1000 al-Muqaddasi 88
Joseph's Canal, 1985 William Golding 89
Looking down across the Fayoum, 1836 Charles Rochfort Scott 89
Collecting Dewdrops, 1813 James Silk Buckingham 90
Sailing toward the Temple of Jupiter Ammon, 1819 Giovanni Belzoni 92
The Labyrinth? c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 93
Working at the Labyrinth, 1843 Dr. Richard Lepsius 93
Seeking the Bedouin, 1914 Elizabeth Cooper 94
History and Science, 1875 Bayard Taylor 95
Arrangements for Traveling up the Nile 97
Up Nile, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 97
Just an Excursion, 1819 John Fuller 98
The Firman, 1737 Richard Pococke 98
Things Useful for a Journey in Egypt, 1847 Sir John Gardner Wilkinson 98
Hints to Ladies, 1846 Harriet Martineau 100
The Dahabiya, 1873 Amelia Edwards 101
Nile-boat Prayers, 1842 Sophia Poole 103
Esprit du Nil, 1873 Amelia Edwards 103
At Home on the Nile, 1849 Florence Nightingale 104
Onboard a River Steamer, 1863 Lucie Duff Gordon 106
Instructions to the Managers of Cook's Nile Steamers, 1892 John Mason Cook 107
South by Train, 1873 Gabriel Charmes 109
On the Boats, 1990 Deborah Manley 110
Only on the River, 1836 John Lloyd Stephens 111
Melancholy and Invaders, 1851 George Melly 111
Tracking, 1873 Amelia Edwards 112
The Khamsin, 1849 Florence Nightingale 113
Wind-bound, 1836 John Lloyd Stephens 114
The Journey to Luxor 115
The Constant Change of Scene, 1833 Robert Curzon 115
Egyptian Harmony, 1868 Howard Hopley 116
Nile by Night and Dawn, 1845 Eliot Warburton 117
Communications with the People, 1814 Captain Henry Light 118
So Much to See, 1848 Harriet Martineau 118
Tombs of Beni Hassan, 1852 Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley 119
Life in the Grottoes, c. 1865 Mrs. M. Carey 119
Nefertiti Lived Here, 1930 Mary Chubb 120
The Temple of Hermopolis at Minya, 1813 James Silk Buckingham 121
Asyut and Explorations, 1836 John Lloyd Stephens 122
Timseach! Timseach! 1845 Eliot Warburton 123
The Love of Abydos, 1908 Douglas Sladen 124
Luncheon with Osiris, 1904 William Jarvie 124
Donkeys to Dendera, 1822 Frederick Henniker 125
Approaching Dendera, 1902 Sir Gaston Maspero 125
Coming upon Dendera by Night, 1829 Jean Francois Champollion 126
Ikhmim: A Wondrous Thing, 1183 Ibn Jubayr 126
Luxor: Both Sides of the Nile 129
Luxor-Ancient Thebes, 1846 Cuthbert Young 129
A Hundred Gated Thebes, 1817 Captains Charles Irby James Mangles 129
The Struggle to Visit Thebes, 1737 Captain Frederick Norden 131
Good Morning, Luxor! 1873 Amelia Edwards 131
Luxor Temple: Grandeur and Craft, 1844 Prince Puckler-Muskau 132
Life at Thebes, 1850 Florence Nightingale 134
Modern Life Overshadows the Past, 1910 Pierre Loti 136
Karnak at Last, 1799 Vivant Denon 137
Karnak, 1813 Henry Light 138
Karnak in Silence, 1873 Amelia Edwards 138
Dining at Karnak, 1930 Princess Marta Bibescu 140
Antique Makers, 1855 William C. Prime 141
Protectors of the Tombs, 1792 W.G. Browne 141
Temples on the Other Side, 1819 John Fuller 142
Medinet Habu and the Tombs, 1799 Vivant Denon 142
Preparing to Collect the 'Young Memnon,' 1817 Giovanni Belzoni 145
The Great Statue of the Ramesseum, 1852 Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley 146
To the Valley of the Kings, 1904 William Jarvie 146
To the Valley of the Kings, 1938 H.V. Morton 146
'Belzoni's Tomb,' 1819 John Fuller 147
Entering a Tomb, 1888 E.W. Merrick 148
Making a Mummy, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 148
The Tombs of the Private Thebans, 1836 Lord Lindsay 149
Mummies Unearthed, 1819 John Fuller 150
Resurrection Men, 1825 Anne Katherine Elwood 151
Lodging in the Valley, 1829 Jean Francois Champollion 151
Treating with the Mummy-snatchers, 1873 Amelia Edwards 151
The Mummy's Hand, 1938 H.V. Morton 152
Walking above the Valley, 1927 Annie Quibell 153
On the Other Side, 1927 Constance Sitwell 154
Toward and at Aswan 157
Upper Egypt in January, 1836 William Ramsay 158
Raising the Water from the Nile, 1844 Edward Lane 158
Armant: Ancient Hermonthis, 1846 Cuthbert Young 159
The Sailors Enjoy Esna, 1842 W.H. Bartlett 160
The Barrage at Esna, 1907 Douglas Sladen 161
Edfu, the Ancient Apollinopolis Magna, 1827 The Modern Traveller 161
Edfu Seen with Clarity, 1927 Constance Sitwell 163
Go to the Other Side, 1847 John Gardner Wilkinson 163
Kom Ombo Observed, 1817 Dr. Robert Richardson 164
Observed at Kom Ombo, 1848 Harriet Martineau 164
Approach to Aswan: The Country Changes, 1817 Dr. Robert Richardson 165
Nearly Five Hundred Miles up the Nile, 1843 Countess Hahn-Hahn 165
Life on the Nile, c. 960 Ebn Haukal 166
Doing Business at Aswan, 1879 Villiers Stuart 166
The Cataract Hotel and the Invalid, 1899 W.E. Kingsford 167
The Tourists Make Their Mark, 1902 Sir Gaston Maspero 168
The Monastery of St. Simeon, 1799 Vivant Denon 168
The Brassy Landscape of Nubia, 1927 Constance Sitwell 169
Beyond the Cataract and into Nubia 171
The Cataract Bars the Way, 1777 Claude Etienne Savary 172
Geographical Outline of Nubia, 1833 Reverend Michael Russell 173
Into Nubia, 1897 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 174
An Engineer at the Cataract, 1859 Isambard Kingdom Brunel 174
The Rush of the Cataract, 1836 Lord Lindsay 175
Delayed, 1817 Dr. Robert Richardson 176
Whose Flag is This? 1855 John Gadsby 176
Animal Life, 1792 W.G. Browne 177
The Chameleon as a Pet, 1836 William Ramsay 177
Locusts, 1827 Robert Hay 177
Philae, 1825 Dr. R.R. Madden 178
Philae, 1852 Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley 178
The Island of Philae, 1833 Robert Curzon 179
To Philae after the Dam, 1908 Sir Gaston Maspero 180
The Temple of Kalabsha, 1848 Harriet Martineau 182
Graffiti of the Romans, 1819 John Fuller 183
Weather on the River, 1817 Giovanni Belzoni 183
At Derr, c. 1865 Mrs. M. Carey 183
The People of the Country, 1836 William Ramsay 184
I Fell in with ..., 22nd March, 1813 John Lewis Burckhardt 184
On First Entering the Temple at Abu Simbel, August 1, 1817 Giovanni Finati 185
The Great Temple at Abu Simbel, 1817 Captains Charles Irby James Mangles 186
Digging at Abu Simbel, 1836 David Roberts, RA 187
Night in the Temple, 1862 Reverend John William Burgon 187
Celebrating at Abu Simbel, 1855 William C. Prime 188
Creatures Come down to Drink, 1817 Captains Charles Irby James Mangles 189
Climbing the Colossi, 1848 Harriet Martineau 189
Days at Abu Simbel, 1873 Amelia Edwards 191
Words from the United Nations, 1960-63$dUNESCO 193
At the Second Cataract, 1927 Constance Sitwell 193
The Great Rock at Abu Sir, 1836 Lord Lindsay 194
Hub of the Universe, 1913 Rudyard Kipling 195
To Suez and Sinai 197
Through the City of Qolzom (Suez), c. 1050 Naser-e Khosraw 197
Music and Sail from Luxor to the Red Sea, 1843 Dr. Richard Lepsius 198
Across the Red Sea, 1908 Elbert Farman 199
Where Was the Crossing? 1846 Lord Castlereagh 199
Water, Flora, and Fragments, 1871 Samuel Manning 200
Walking through the Valley of the Cataract, 1836 Lord Lindsay 201
Prospects of Sinai, 1843 Dr. Richard Lepsius 202
The Convent of St. Catherine, 1871 Samuel Manning 203
Entering the Convent, 1871 E.H. Palmer 203
A Problem Shared, 1897 Agnes Lewis Smith 205
On Pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain, 383 Egeria 205
From the Holy Mountain, 1879 Isabella Bird 207
Passing through Egypt, 1783 James Capper 208
At the Opening of the Suez Canal, 1869 Jabez Burns Thomas Cook 208
Through the Suez Canal, 1875 Isabel Burton 211
Looking toward the Other Side, 1926 Constance Sitwell 211
The Deserts of Egypt 213
The Caravan to Mecca Starts, 1836 John Lloyd Stephens 213
The Camel, 1834 Hon. W.E. Fitzmaurice 214
How to Travel, 1183 Ibn Jubayr 214
The Adventure of the Takhtrouan, 1826 Anne Katherine Elwood 215
More Advice to Women Travelers, 1848 Harriet Martineau 216
A Day in the Desert, 1871 E.H. Palmer 216
Night in the Western Desert, 1923 Ahmad Hassanein 217
Englishmen and Arabs in the Desert, 1835 Alexander Kinglake 218
People of the Desert, 1818 Frederic Cailliaud 219
Visiting the Monastery of Baramous, 1833 Robert Curzon 220
Creatures of the Desert, c. 450 B.C. Herodotus 221
Arriving from India, 1823 Moyle Sherer 221
Looking down from a Desert Monastery, 1833 Robert Curzon 222
Into the Desert to the Oasis and Beyond, 1834 Mohammed Ibn Umar 223
The Great Oasis of the Libyan Desert: al-Kharga, 1909 Norma Lorimer 225
Daily Routine in a Desert Town, 1923 Ahmad Hassanein 226
Mirages and My Camel in the Nubian Desert, 1848 Dr. Richard Lepsius 226
Mines and Ancient Greeks in the Eastern Desert, 1818 Frederic Cailliaud 227
Coming out of the Desert, 1823 Moyle Sherer 227
Seeing, Narrating, Feeling Egypt, 1977 William Golding 228
The Travelers: Brief Biographies 231
Bibliography 247
Index of Travelers 253