Top 55 Amazing Facts About Egypt...
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country in the Northeast corner of Africa.
It has an area of 1,001,450 square km. It is divided into 27 Governorates. The country’s
capital city is Cairo. Arabic and Egyptian Arabic are its official and national languages,
respectively. The Egyptian Pound (EGP) is its official currency. It has four bordering
regions that include the Gaza Strip, Israel, Libya, and Sudan. Admittedly, Egypt is one
of the most fascinating early ancient civilizations in human history. We have compiled together
some of the most interesting facts about Egypt for your amusement.
1. Everyone knows about the pyramids of Egypt, but did you know that they were built as tombs
for the pharaohs and their royal families to link them to Ra the sun god? In case you’re
wondering, more than 130 pyramids have been discovered so far.
2. How huge do you think these pyramids are? Imagine a structure weighing six times more
than a 100-floor modern skyscraper. Better still, imagine a structure occupying five
football fields and looking down upon the statue of liberty. The pyramid of Giza, housing
the King Khufu’s bones, or is it, mummy, was this large.
3. What about the human side of the imposing pyramids? Well, it is believed that thousands,
perhaps millions of Egyptians died building the pyramids. For their honored trouble though,
they were buried in tombs near their pyramid they built for their revered pharaoh.
4. By the way, the workers who built the pyramids were paid. Guess with what? A daily dose of
a gallon of Beer. That’s the most interesting fact about Egypt if you ask me.
5. The first pyramid was built in 2600 BC by Egyptian architect Imhotep.
6. The Imhotep guy was again, the first recorded physician, engineer, and architect.
7. Cats were not your pet but were considered as sacred. For ancient Egyptians, having a
cat in the purring in the house would guarantee good luck.
8. Cats were not the only lucky creatures, though. While modern women got to enjoy rights
to property, and the world started seeing women doctors and women business moguls only
in the 19th century, Egyptian women could own property, carry out business, make doctors
and become priestesses. 9. The gods of Egypt were so numerous that practically everything
had a deity in control, from human emotions to natural order and disasters. Woe unto whoever
went against the wishes of the more than 1,000 gods.
10. I mean every city had their favorite god.
11. Although all gods were feared and held in awe, Ra the Egyptian god of the sun was
the most revered of all.
12. The honor of creation was bestowed on the river god Khnum.
13. Imagine stripping an Egyptian mummy naked! Well, if somehow you could have the guts to
do it, you would find that the bandage could stretch up to 1.6 kilometers.
14. But why mummify dead guys? The answer is in the afterlife. By preserving the dead
bodies, ancient Egyptians believed that the souls of the mummified would roam forever
in the afterlife.
15. As a mummification process, the intestines and all internal organs except the heart were
removed and placed in canopic jars. They sucked the brains from the head through the nose.
16. You would think mummification stopped with pharaohs, and the wealthy Egyptians,
right? Wrong. Archeologists dug up a 15 ft mummified croc.
17. Talking of mummified pharaohs, Ramses II the greatest pharaoh ever ruled Egypt for
60 years and had over 90 children born to 8 wives and close to 100 concubines. 18. The
honor of the first Egyptian pharaoh though goes to King Menes, who had to die in the
jaws of a hippo after ruling for 60 years from 3200 B.C
19. Ironically, the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility portrayed a bipedal hippo with
the legs of a feline or cat if you like. 20. Another interesting fact about Egypt is that
pharaohs hid their hair inside the crown or a headdress referred to as nemes.
21. While we’re dining with the Kings, meet the 6-year-old King Pepi II. The longest-serving
Egyptian king, Pepi took the reign at the tender age of 6 and went on to rule for 94
years.
22. Talk of a six-year-old. Rather than face a tiny fly like a pharaoh, King Pepi was known
to have slaves smeared with honey to attract flies away from him.
23. Beating King Pepi’s honey mischief, early pharaohs had their servants knocked
dead to be buried with the king. Otherwise, who would serve the royal guys in the afterlife?
24. Remember Cleopatra, the scandalous yet powerful last ancient pharaoh who married
her younger brother? She was Greek. Yes, indeed, both to her being Greek and having married
her brother.
25. The incestuous act by Cleopatra and her kid brother was not an abomination in ancient
Egypt. When a woman was next on the royal line, she was supposed to marry her brother
to help her in her royal duties and to ensure she stays put and loyal to the royal family.
26. Back to the seductive queen Cleopatra, even the grim reaper had to submit to her
allure, when she decided to die on her terms. Death by the poisonous asp, making the end
of the ancient pharaoh lineage.
27. If you thought makeup was discovered or even perfected by the modern woman, you couldn’t
be far from the truth. Egyptians, women, and men alike wore stunning shapes and shades
of makeup referred to as khol. The makeup was not just for beauty but also for protection
from sun rays as well as healing powers. 28. Games? Oh yes. The Egyptians played their
version of dice by using sticks in place of dice and even a game of chance called the
senet dating back to 3500 B.C
29. Another amazing fact about Egypt is that the beer was such a favorite drink of the
ancient Egyptians that even the dead got the opportunity to get drunk through beer offerings.
30. The Egyptians first writing system called hieroglyphs was by 3,300 BC. Over 700 Egyptian
hieroglyphs have been recorded.
31. Initially, Egypt was known by several names such as Kemet, Deshret, and Hwt-ka-ptah.
The Greeks, probably unable to pronounce it correctly change the Hwt-ka-Ptah to Aegyptus.
Go, figure the origin of Egypt.
32. Ever wondered where the idea of 365 days, 12 months year started? the ancient Egyptians
again beat the rest of the world to it and were the first to adopt the idea.
33. And yes, these smart ancients invented the clock, too!
34. Of inventions, the ancient Egyptians beat modern civilization to making the first toothpaste.
They made the toothpaste from ashes and ox hooves powder mixed with burnt eggshells and
pumice.
35. Despite their long silky hair, the ancient Egyptians shaved their hair and instead wore
weaves woven with human hair for the rich and wool and vegetable fiber for the poor.
36. Have a problem with bedwetting? Take it from the ancient Egyptian peasants who carried
around a bag of bones from a mouse to cure the bed-wetting affliction.
37. The earliest peace treaty ever forged was by, yes, you guessed right, the ancient
Egyptians. The treaty was between King Ramses II and King Hattusili of the Hittites in 1259
B.C.
38. The earliest worker's rights protest was staged in ancient Egypt during the reign of
King Ramses III, in the 12th century B.C.
39. Forget the athletic and slender representations of pharaohs. Mummy evidence shows that most
pharaohs were overweight and perhaps diabetic. Ask the 15th century B.C Queen Hatshepsut
mummy.
40. The latest evidence shows that the pyramids were built by the Egyptians and not slaves
as earlier recorded. We have the 5th century B.C. Greek historian, Herodotus to thank for
the slave myth, or is it?
41. The ancient Egyptian physicians practiced specialization as early as 450 B.C. I know,
hard to believe.
42. The use of moldy substances to cure infections by ancient Egyptian physicians suggests an
early knowledge of antibiotics.
43. Ancient Egyptians could as well be the first people to keep animals as pets. Who
wouldn’t love to keep and revere an incarnated god in the house?
44. Evidence from Egyptian ancient tombs suggests that modern-like toilets were in use in the
old.
45. Ever heard of a 5,000-year-old dress? Well, I have, and it was found lying in an
ancient Egyptian tomb.
46. The mystery of the lost city of Heracleion was finally solved after the city was found
buried under the sea, 1200 years later.
47. Ancient Egyptians knew the comfort of a pillow. Only, theirs was made of stone.
48. Perhaps we would not be gushing over exquisite engagement or wedding rings were it not for
the ancient Egyptians said to have invented the tradition.
49. We mourn the death of our pets by giving them a decent burial. The ancient Egyptians
mourned their revered cats by shaving their eyebrows clean.
50. Another surprising fact about early Egypt is that Christianity was the dominant religion
of Egypt.
51. Built between 2558-2532 BC, the Great Sphinx of Giza is the world’s largest monolith
statue.
52. The mystery behind the sphinx’ missing nose and beard has fueled a series of theories
and myths. An AD 1378 myth has a Sufi Muslim cleric hanged for vandalism after he destroyed
the Sphinx’ nose in a fit of fury over the peasant offerings to the Sphinx.
53. Egypt is home to one of the world’s largest dam, Aswan high dam, built to contain
the raging waters of the world’s longest river, the Nile.
54. The 2011 Egyptian revolution left as around 800 people dead, culminating in the dramatic
resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.
55. With over 95.5 million inhabitants as of 2019, Egypt is the most populous country
in the Arab world and the third-most populous in Africa.
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