The Children's University of Manchester Encyclopedia Smithsonian: The Egyptian Pyramid The pyramids of Egypt fascinated travellers and conquerors in ancient times and continue to inspire wonder in the tourists, mathematicians, and archeologists who visit, explore, measure and describe them. Tombs of early Egyptian kings were bench-shaped mounds called mastabas. Around 2780 B.C., King Djoser's architect, Imhotep, built the first pyramid by placing six mastabas, each smaller than the one beneath, in a stack to form a pyramid rising in steps. This Step Pyramid stands on the west bank of the Nile River at Sakkara near Memphis. Like later pyramids, it contains various rooms and passages, including the burial chamber of the king. The transition from the Step Pyramid to a true, smooth-sided pyramid took placed during the reign of King Snefru, founder of the Fourth Dynasty (2680-2560 B.C.). The largest and most famous of all the pyramids, the Great Pyramid at Giza, was built by Snefru's son, Khufu, known also as Cheops, the later Greek form of his name.
Suez Canal The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority[6] (SCA) of Egypt. Under international treaty, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag."[7] History[edit] Northern outlet of the Suez Nile–Red Sea Canal(s)[edit] Ancient west–east canals were built to facilitate travel from the Nile to the Red Sea.[8][9][10] One smaller canal is believed to have been constructed under the auspices of either Senusret II[11] or Ramesses II.[8][9][10] Another canal, probably incorporating a portion of the first,[8][9] was constructed under the reign of Necho II; however, the only fully functional canal was engineered and completed by Darius I.[8][9][10] 2nd millennium BC[edit] The legendary Sesostris (likely either Pharaoh Senusret II or Senusret III of the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt[11][12]) is suggested to have perhaps started work on an ancient canal joining the River Nile with the Red Sea (1897 BC–1839 BC). 165.
Cataracts of the Nile The six cataracts of the Nile Fourth Cataract Sixth Cataract The cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or white water rapids) of the Nile River, between Aswan and Khartoum, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones protruding out of the river bed, as well as many rocky islets. In some places, these stretches are punctuated by whitewater and are perhaps well characterized as rapids, while at others the water flow is smoother, but still shallow. The 6 cataracts[edit] Counted going upstream (from north to south), the First Cataract is in present day Egypt; and the Second through Sixth Cataracts are in Sudan. Characteristics[edit] The word cataract is a Greek word literally meaning "down-rushing", "rapids", "floodgate" or "waterfall". Despite these characteristics, some of the cataracts which are normally impassable by boat because of the shallow water have become navigable during the flood season. Notes[edit] External links[edit] Cataract photos links:
Suez Canal opens — History.com This Day in History — 11/17/1869 The Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the former French consul to Cairo, secured an agreement with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a canal 100 miles across the Isthmus of Suez. An international team of engineers drew up a construction plan, and in 1856 the Suez Canal Company was formed and granted the right to operate the canal for 99 years after completion of the work. Construction began in April 1859, and at first digging was done by hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface. Ten years later, Egypt shut down the canal again following the Six Day War and Israel's occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness.
What Is Egypt's Suez Canal - History and Politics of Egypt's Suez Canal Answer: The Suez Canal is a 100-mile artificial waterway (160 km) connecting the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea to the south, at the port city of Suez, with the Mediterranean Sea to the north, at Port Said. It was opened to shipping in 1869, when it was just 30 feet deep (9 meters) and 100 feet wide (30 meters). The canal significantly reduced travel time between Europe and East Africa, India, the Far East and Japan. The Suez Canal's 19th Century Origins Notions of a canal were first thought out by followers of Socialist French thinker Claude Henri de Rouvray, Comte de Saint Simon (1760-1825). But it was designed by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, who was close to Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Said Pasha. Once it opened, the canal was administered by the Suez Canal Company, also known as the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez (The Universal Company of the Maritime Suez Canal). 1956: Abd el Nassser Nationalizes the Suez Canal Broken American Promise The Second Arab-Israeli War
Explorers of Ancient Egypt Archaeologists of ancient monuments of These are names of those explorers; who toiled hard in the arid desert; to cast some light in to a bygone era. There may be some omissions; contributions from readers are most welcome. Behind the discoveries of ancient tombs, palaces, temples and other monuments that lie scattered in the various sites of ; numerous archaeologist have shed a lot of sweat; there are cases of working several years to bring out s single monument that was lying covered with mud and debris. There was no master plan to lead them; at times years of labor produced no fruits. Auguste Mariette Mariette was a French scholar/explorer of the 19th century; who worked for Ismail Pasha the Egyptian Premiere at that time. Donald P Ryan American archaeologist, researcher in history of archaeology, worked in KV 27, 28, 44 etc of the . Karl Richard Lepsius He led a team appointed by Frederick IV the Prussian king. William Mathew Flinders Petrie Edwin C Brock Edward Ayrton John Romer
Early Travelers and Explorers to the Pyramids, Part III Early Travelers and Explorers to the Pyramids, Part III By Jimmy Dunn It was a gradual process, but fortunately for us today, the exploration of Egypt and particularly the pyramids, after the exploits of the earliest antiquarians, took on a more disciplined approach by scholars. One of the first great scholars, widely held to be the greatest Egyptologist after Champollion, was Karl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884). King Frederick William IV of Prussia ordered a survey of Egypt and Nubia, and it was Lepsius who he appointed as leader of this expedition. Lepsius investigated many of Egypt's pyramids, including Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara. The contributions that Lepsius made to Egyptology are many, but without doubt his greatest was the 12 volume work published after his death known as Denkmaler which documented the monuments of Egypt. One of the most influential scholars to find his way into Egyptology was Auguste Mariette (1821-1881). See also: Early Pyramid Travelers and Explorers, Part I
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