Ancient Egyptian Cultures and

Tradition:
Life in ancient Egypt was largely based upon
agriculture. The main populations of the people were
involved in farming, and the growing season that lasted
eight-nine months. Wheat, fruits and vegetables were
the principle corps however Egyptians also cared for
cattle, sheeps or goats. Farmers in the
ancient Egypt worked to reach a level so sustenance so
they could feed themselves and pay their taxes. Annual
flooding of the Nile (July November) made farming
impossible. However when the flood was over and the
waters sunk into the ground, think layers of fertile soil
was left to insure rich soil for the crops of the framers
and thick grasses for the animals.
The Nile was the Lifeblood of Egypt. The cycle of
flooding, death and growth was the cycle of everyday
life and also of Egyptian religion and understanding of
afterlife. Egyptians were depended on the river for their
main their source food. It insured them a life of
communication and transportation. The pharaohs used
the Nile to transport their armies and maintain and
unified nation.
By 3100 BC Egypt became a centralized
government with a royal line or rulers. Kings
in Egypt were known as pharaoh and kept a royal court
of advisors, nobility and oversaw the governors of the
provinces of their kingdom. Pharoses were also
commanders of the Egyptian army. Priest and priestess
who were officiated at the complex religious ceremonies
and attended on the gods observed the pharaoh. The
rule of the Pharaoh was dynastic and the pharaoh came

to be considered as the representations of Gods on

earth.

Religion:
In Egyptian culture and tradition, religion was part of
every aspect of their lives. Egyptian was religion was
mainly polytheism; meaning they worshiped many
Gods, except for the reign of the Pharaoh
Akenaton. The Egyptians like the Romans and Greeks
worshiped many Gods up to 2000 gods and
goddess. Some like Amum, who was worshiped
throughout the whole country and then there were the
local Gods. Underneath is a list of some of the Ancient
Egyptian Gods:
Nekhbet
vulture goddess of Upper Egypt
Wadjet
cobra goddess of Lower Egypt
Meskhenet childbirth goddess, represented by a tile
hippopotamus goddess, also childbirth goddess and
Taweret
protectoress
Bet
childbirth god and protector of children
Heliopolis (ancient On) sun god, self-created from the
Atum
Watery Waste of Nun
Shu
god of air, created by Atum
goddess of moisture, created by Atum, sometimes a
Tefnut
lion goddess
Geb
earth god, created by Shu and Tefnut
Nut
sky goddess, also goddess of death and burial, created

Osiris
Isis
Seth
Nephthys
Horus the
Elder
young
Horus
Hathor
Thoth
Neith
Serkhet
Re
Ptah
Sekhmet
Aton
Khnum
Satet and
Anuket
Nun and
Nunet
Heh and
Hauket
Kek and
Kauket
Amun and
Amunet

by Shu and Tefnut

fertility god, later king of the dead, child of Geb and
Nut
Mistress of Magic and Speaker of Spells, also goddess
of the dead, sister-wife of Osiris, child of Geb and
Nut, mother of young Horus and therefore symbolic
Mother of the Egyptian King
rival of young Horus, destroyer of Osiris's body, child
of Geb and Nut
one of the goddesses of the dead, sister-wife of Seth
and child of Geb and Nut
often shown in man's form, or as a hawk, child of Geb
and Nut
son of Isis
powerful sky and cow goddess, fertility figure, consort
of young Horus but kept a separate temple, associated
with tirual music
Hermopolis god, moon god and reckoner of time,
depicted in human form with an ibis mask
national goddess of Lower Egypt, huntress with
crossed bow and arrows as her symbol, also goddess
of the dead, sometimes supreme creator
a goddess of death and burial
sun god, in the creation myth with Neith as supreme
god, wept men and women from his eyes
Memphis god, considered primeval being first created
to take precendence over Atum
represents the rays of the sun at midday, consort of
Ptah and daughter of Re, the sun god, lion goddess of
Middle Egypt
Aye at el-Armana tomb chapel, also claimed to take
precedence over Atum
First Cataract deity, ram-headed supreme creator god
represent the Nile in flood, helpers to Khnum
Ogdoad of Khemenu gods (City ofEight), represent
the primeval abyss
Ogdoad of Khemenu gods, represent infinity
Ogdoad of Khemenu gods, represent darkness
Ogdoad of Khemenu gods, represent the unknown
gods, also male and female principles in the cosmic

system, Amun later a chief god

both lion and warrior goddess, consort of Amun
Mut
at Thebes, replacing Amunet
cat goddess, important in the last 1000 years B,
Bastet
originally a lion goddess
cobra goddess of the peak overlooking the Valley of
Meretseger
the Kings, name means "she who loves silence"
snake goddess and protector of the king and the
Renenutet
harvest

Most often many gods and goddesses were presented as part human and part
animal.
A prime example is Horus, the sky God. Horus had a head of hawk and the body of
a human. Egyptians considered animals like the bull, cat and the crocodile to be
holy.
Egyptians had two main Gods who were Amon Ra, the son God and ruler
of the universe, and Osiris, the God of the Underworld. Many stories about Osiris
revolved under the idea of immortality. He was to believed to be the God that made
the afterlife peaceful and tranquil. The Egyptian Book of the Death is similar to
the Bible to the Catholics, containing the main ideas and beliefs of the Egyptian
religion. Egyptian religion mainly stressed the afterlife which is why many Egyptians
spent so much time and wealth preparing for afterlife.
Egyptian temples were considered homes for the Gods. Every city had a
temple for the God of the city. The purpose of the temple was to be a cosmic center
by men to have communication with the gods. Priest, were considered to be more
powerful and their duty was to care for gods and attends to their needs. Their main
duties were funeral rights, teaching schools, supervising the artist and works, along
with advising the people on their problems.
Egyptians saw death as a transitional stage to the afterlife. They believed
that they could only reach their full potential after their death. They believed that
each person contained three souls, the ka the ba, and the akah For all three
souls to survive they believed that the body needed to be preserved. Their belief in
the afterlife and rebirth after death became their driving force behind their funeral
practices (aka embalming)
When a person died they were embalmed. A priest would recite prayers and
a final attempt to revive the deceased. The body was washed and purified in a
special shelter. The body was then taken to the wabet, which was the embalmers
workshop. There a cut was made in the left side and all the organs were then
removed and stored in containers known as canopic jars. The body was backed with
a salt for a period of forty days. After that the insides were then filled with linen or

sawdust, resin and natron. The body was then wrapped in bandages with jewelry
and amulets were put between the layers. The portrait mask that was placed over
the head of the deceased by the Chief Embalmer and then the wrapped body or
mummy was then put into a coffin.
Then with a period of 70 days in which the mummification took place, the
mummy is then placed in a decorated coffin. Furniture, carved statues, games food
and other items were buried along with the mummy for the afterlife. The last ritual
performed by the pries on the mummy was called the Opening of the Month. This
ceremony was to magically give the deceased the ability to speak and eat again
and to be bale to use their body again. After that the mummy was then but into is
tomb or sarcophagus and sealed.

Egyptian Landmarks:
Mosque of Ibn Tulun

Bullt between 876 and 879 AD, the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is one of the oldest mosques in Cairo.
It was commissioned by Ahmad ibn ln, the Abbassid governor of Egypt. The mosque is
constructed around a courtyard, with one covered hall on each of the four sides. The minaret,
which features a helical outer staircase similar to that of the famous minaret in Samarra, was
probably built several centuries later. Parts of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me
were filmed at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun.

Dahab

Dahab is located some 85 km (53 miles) north of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Gulf of Aqaba, near
the southern tip of Sinai. Once an isolated coastal village, Dahab turned into a hippie hangout in
the 1980s and became something of an alternative resort, mixing cheap accommodation with
a laid back lifestyle. Activities such as wind surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and camel and jeep
trips make it one of the most popular destinations along the Red Sea.

Siwa Oasis

Located in the Libyan Desert, Siwa Oasis is one of Egypts isolated settlements, with 23,000
people, mostly ethnic Berbers. Located on an old date trade route, Siwa was an oasis vital to the
trade route, as the natural springs and shade giving palm trees gave travelers respite from the
desert. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, Siwa began its decline. In recent decades
tourism has become a vital source of income. Much attention has been given to creating hotels
that use local materials and play on local styles.