Historic Cairo | Egypt

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The Citadel of Salah ad-Din is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is located in Cairo, Egypt. Completed in 879, it is the oldest mosque in the city surviving in its original form, and is the largest mosque in Cairo in terms of land area.

Historic Cairo is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Both the citadel area and the Mosque of Ibn Tulun are part of this site.

Saqqara and Memphis | Egypt

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Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, has some extraordinary funerary monuments, including rock tombs, ornate mastabas, temples and pyramids. In ancient times, the site was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Saqqara is best known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt's 97 pyramids. It was built for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty.

Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Saint Catherine Area | Egypt

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St. Catherine's Monastery is an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt. Founded in the 6th century it is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world still in use. The entire area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Saint Catherine Area is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Flags of the World | Egypt

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The flag of Egypt is in use since the end of the revolution in 1952. 

In the middle you see the Arab eagle, in Egypt also known as the Eagle of Saladin, a symbol of Arab nationalism.

Camel Market | Egypt

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The Birqash Camel Market (Soul El-Gamal) is one of Egypt's most extraordinary experiences. Just a 45 minute (60km) drive away from Cairo lies one of the biggest markets for camel meat in all of Africa.

The meat demands of Cairo’s 20 million inhabitants mean that this camel market is lively and animated every day as hundreds of animals are bought and sold.

Actually I have no clue where the camel market on the postcard is located. But I think the story fits the picture.

Karnak Temple Complex | Egypt

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The temple complexes at Karnak are located near the Egyptian city of Luxor. Construction at Karnak started 4,000 years ago and continued until the time the Romans took control of Egypt, about 2,000 years ago. Around 30 successive pharoahs added their own touches to the complex: a new temple, shrine, or pylon and carved detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions.

 

Karnak is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed under the name “Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis”. Thebes was an ancient Egyptian city. Its ruins lie within today’s city of Luxor.

Stamp

Part of a set of 2 definitive stamps picturing Pharaohs, issued 2012. Amenhotep IV ruled Egypt for 17 years. He died somewhere around 1335 BC.

Temple of Abu Simbel | Egypt

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The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel, a village in Nubia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan.

Built more than 3,000 years ago, to honor Pharaoh Rameses II and his queen Nefertari. The site was moves completely in the early 60’s because it was threatened by the construction of the Aswan Dam.  

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Khufu, Egypt

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The Pyramids of Giza are the most famous monuments of ancient Egypt. These massive stone structures were built around 4500 years ago on a rocky desert plateau close to the Nile.

The people of ancient Egypt believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the next world.  

 

The embalmed body of the king was entombed underneath or within the pyramid to protect it and allow his transformation and ascension to the afterlife, and a place among the gods.

Stamp

Issued 2011.

A postcard from Egypt: القاهرة | Cairo by Night

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Cairo is the capital of Egypt. In 969, the Egypt-area was taken from Tunisia and a new city was built north of Fustat to serve as its capital. The city was called Al-Qahira, which translates to Cairo.

Stamps

Two from a set of three stamps: Museum of Islamic Art Centenary.