Pyramids and ancient Egypt
Memphis was the first capital of ancient Egypt. It is believed to have been founded around 3000 BCE as the capital of a united Egypt, and it was the main capital during the period called the Old Kingdom.[2]
Near Memphis, the ancient Egyptians built enormous pyramids as tombs. The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is described by UNESCO as the first pyramid ever built and the first big building made of stone.[2] At Giza stand three famous pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still survives.[2] The Great Sphinx is also on the Giza Plateau.[2]
The burial grounds stretch from Giza to Dahshur and include more than 38 pyramids and over 9,000 tombs cut into the rock.[2] Together they form a UNESCO World Heritage site.[2] Archaeologists still study them to learn how the Egyptians built, wrote and lived.
Thebes and the Valley of the Kings
Later, Thebes became the capital of Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms.[3] Today the city of Luxor stands there, about 700 kilometers south of Cairo on the Nile.[3] Thebes was dedicated to the god Amun.[3]
On the east bank of the Nile are the great temples of Karnak and Luxor.[3] On the west bank is the necropolis, or city of the dead, including the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.[3] The Valley of the Kings contains the tomb of Tutankhamun, a young pharaoh whose treasures became world famous when they were discovered.[3]
Ancient Thebes is a UNESCO World Heritage site.[3] The paintings and carvings in its tombs and temples, many written in hieroglyphs, tell us about Egyptian beliefs, kings and daily life.
The Nile and Abu Simbel
The Nile is the lifeline of Egypt. Almost all Egyptians live close to the river, because the land around it can be farmed while much of the rest of the country is desert. The great ancient cities, such as Memphis and Thebes, were built along the Nile.[2][3]
In the south, near the border with Sudan, Pharaoh Ramses II built huge temples at Abu Simbel, carved into a rock cliff.[4] The Great Temple was designed so that sunlight reaches its innermost room twice a year, around the equinoxes.[4]
When a new dam was built on the Nile, the rising water threatened to flood these temples. From 1960 to 1980, UNESCO led an international campaign to save them.[4] Engineers took the temples apart and rebuilt them in a higher place.[4] Students often study this rescue as an example of countries working together to protect heritage.
Cairo, the city of a thousand minarets
Cairo is the capital of Egypt and one of the largest cities in Africa. Historic Cairo was founded in 969 as the headquarters of the Fatimid Caliphate.[5] It reached a golden age in the 1300s and is known as the "City of a Thousand Minarets."[5]
Among its famous mosques is Al-Azhar, founded in 970, which has been a leading center of religious learning for the Islamic world.[5] The Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun, built between 876 and 879, has an unusual spiral minaret.[5] Historic Cairo is a UNESCO World Heritage site.[5]
Today Cairo is a busy modern city with markets, museums and schools. The pyramids of Giza stand at the edge of the greater city, so ancient and modern Egypt meet in one place.[2]
Food and traditions today
Koshary is one of Egypt’s most popular dishes. It is made with rice, pasta, black lentils and fried onions, with vinegar, garlic and hot sauce added to taste.[6] It is an inexpensive and filling meal cooked at home and sold in restaurants and street carts, especially near schools.[6] Koshary joined UNESCO’s intangible heritage list in 2025.[6]
Tahteeb is a traditional stick game. Two players, each holding a long stick, perform a short, controlled exchange without hitting each other, usually to folk music and in front of an audience.[7] It began in ancient Egypt as a martial art and is now a festive pastime.[7]
Arabic is the main language of Egypt, and most Egyptians are Muslim, with a Christian minority. Egypt has many more World Heritage sites to explore.[8] Students can compare Egypt with other countries on our Africa page.
Free printable: map of Africa (PDF)
Questions people ask
What is Egypt famous for?
Egypt is famous for the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, the pharaohs, the Valley of the Kings and the river Nile.[2][3]
How old are the pyramids of Egypt?
They were built in ancient Egypt. Memphis, the capital near the pyramid fields, is believed to date from around 3000 BCE, and the Step Pyramid of Djoser was the first pyramid ever built.[2]
Where is Tutankhamun's tomb?
In the Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile at ancient Thebes, today’s Luxor.[3]
Why were the temples of Abu Simbel moved?
Rising water from a new dam on the Nile threatened to flood them, so from 1960 to 1980 they were taken apart and rebuilt higher up.[4]
What is koshary?
A popular Egyptian dish of rice, pasta, lentils and fried onions with vinegar, garlic and hot sauce.[6]
Sources
- World Bank Open Data: Egypt · data.worldbank.org/country/egypt-arab-rep (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Memphis and its Necropolis, the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur · whc.unesco.org/en/list/86 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis · whc.unesco.org/en/list/87 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae · whc.unesco.org/en/list/88 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Historic Cairo · whc.unesco.org/en/list/89 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Koshary, daily life dish and practices associated with it · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/koshary-daily-life-dish-and-practices-associated-with-it-02278 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage: Tahteeb, stick game · ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tahteeb-stick-game-01189 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Egypt (State Party page) · whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/eg (accessed 2026-10-30)
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