12 Most Fascinating Facts About Egypt

One of history’s first peace treaties was signed by the country home to one of the planet’s oldest civilizations.

It’s in Africa’s northeast. With a cohesive empire first rising in approximately 3,200 B.C., Egypt is home to one of the world’s oldest and greatest civilizations. 

The Nile River Valley, where the nation’s fertile land is concentrated along the world’s longest river, hosts most economic activity. Agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing are all key sectors. However, Egypt’s economy has suffered due to social and political unrest, which has slowed foreign investment and businesses like tourism.

1. The Egyptians Invented the 365-Day Calendar

The ancient Egyptians created the 365-day calendar to anticipate annual Nile river floods.

The Egyptian calendar was built on 12 lunar cycles of 30 days each (360 days in total). However, this was incompatible with the genuine solar year. Therefore the Egyptians extended the year by five days.

2. The Nile

Egypt is home to the Nile River, the world’s longest river. The river stretches 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles) from Burundi and Lake Victoria in East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa.

The Nile River and the fertile land located along its banks and delta were vital to ancient Egypt’s growth. Today, nearly all Egyptians live within a few kilometers of the Nile.

Egypt would be a desert without the river Nile. But, unfortunately, a year only sees 2.5cm of rain. However, the Nile rises due to heavy rain in Ethiopia’s highlands throughout the summer.

3. UNESCO-Designated World Heritage Site

Abu Mena, ancient Thebes, Memphis, Historic Cairo and its Necropolis, Nubian structures from Abu Simbel to Philae, the Saint Catherine region, and Wadi Al-Hitan, or Whale Valley, are all UNESCO World Heritage sites in Egypt.

4. World’s First Prosthetic Limb

Between 950 and 710 B.C., Ancient Egypt created the first prosthetic limb, a toe made of leather, wood, and thread.

5. Cats 

Ancient Egyptians regarded cats to be sacred creatures. As a result, most families kept a cat as a pet because they felt it would bring good luck to the home.

6. Senet

Senet was a classic game that has been played for over 2,000 years! The competition entailed tossing sticks (similar to dice) to see how many squares you could advance your piece on the board.

7. Nasser Lake is a Large Body of Water in the Middle East

The Aswan high dam was constructed when the Nile was dammed at Aswan. Lake Nasser, the world’s biggest artificial lake, is located behind the dam. The lake produces 20,000 tons of fish every year for the residents. On the other hand, the Aswan dam has a whopping 10 billion kilowatts per hour.

8. Slaves did not create the Great Pyramids

As many people assume, enslaved people were not used to building the pyramids. Instead, they were salaried workmen who constructed with great respect for the PharaohPharaoh and were buried in tombs near the sacred pyramids.

9. Egypt’s Facebook Population 

In January 2021, Egypt had 49 780 000 Facebook members, accounting for 45.8% of the country’s total population. The bulk of them (62.5 percent) were guys. The most frequent users were those aged 25 to 34. (15 800 000).

10. The Subway

Cairo, Egypt’s capital, has the only subway system in Africa. The system carries around three million passengers every day, easing otherwise congested highway traffic. The 65-kilometer system, which was inaugurated in 1987, connects 53 stops. Unique cabins for women are available on some trains.

11. Nature

Egypt has a diverse range of flora and animals. River islands, deserts, oasis, coastal areas, marshes, and mountains are among the country’s many protected areas. Egyptians had a deep affinity with their natural surroundings, as evidenced by ancient paintings and sculptures of cheetahs and hippos. However, because of poaching and habitat destruction, many of its creatures are becoming extinct.

12. Egyptian Mummies

Ancient Egyptians thought that by mummifying their corpses, their souls would be able to roam the afterlife indefinitely.

The intestines and all internal organs were removed and placed in canopic jars during mummification, except the heart. Then, they sucked the brains out of the head through the nose.

Archaeologists discovered a 15-foot mummified croc. 17 When it comes to mummified pharaohs, Ramses II, Egypt’s greatest PharaohPharaoh, reigned for 60 years and had over 90 offspring from eight marriages and over 100 concubines. So he’s a fortunate man.

Let’s know about the Religion

The majority of Egyptians are Muslims, who make up about 90% of the population. The Sunni sect comprises the majority of Muslims. 

Shia Muslims account for only approximately 1% of the Muslim population. Coptic Christians make up around 10% of the population. 

The Coptic Orthodox Church is the first Christian denomination. 

Inventions and Discoveries Made in Egypt

You wouldn’t be far off the mark if you assumed modern women invented or mastered cosmetics. Egyptians, both men and women, wore beautiful khol cosmetics in various forms and colors. The cosmetics had several purposes, including sun protection and therapeutic properties.

Another fascinating truth about Egypt is that beer was such a popular drink among the ancient Egyptians that even the dead were allowed to drink it.

The ancient Egyptians shaved their lustrous hair and wore weaves woven from human hair for the wealthy and wool and vegetable fiber for the poor.

Yes, the ancient Egyptians established the first peace pact ever. In 1259 B.C., King Ramses II of Egypt signed a deal with King Hattusili of the Hittites. Then, during the time of King Ramses III in the 12th century B.C., the first workers’ rights protest was organized in ancient Egypt.

Conclusion

Egypt is Africa’s most visited country, with approximately 13 million visitors.

Egypt’s national football team is Africa’s most successful. They’ve won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, qualified for the FIFA World Cup three times, and were the first team from outside the Americas and Europe to play in 1934.

Many Egyptian Religion iconography and doctrines made their way into the new Religion of Christianity, and many of its symbols are still identifiable today with virtually the same meaning.

So many works of the imagination, from cinema to literature to paintings to religious belief, have been and remain to be inspired by the Egyptian civilization’s uplifting and profound vision of the universe and humanity’s place in it.  

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