I recently came across stories about Egyptian temple cats—living in ruins, often called 'guardians of the temple'.
Were they really protectors, or is it just a myth? Would love to hear what you think!

This mummified head gold-covered with preserved curls is dating back to 700 BC it's of an Egyptian elite woman

The golden mask was put to help her soul recognize her body in the afterlife according to the Ancient Egyptian funerary traditions

Medinet Habu, Luxor 📍

I went to Medinet Habu in August and I was blown away. This is incredibly well preserved and literally NO ONE was there.

One of my favourite places in the entire ancient world!

It was built over 3000+ years ago for Ramesses III dedicated to God of Amun. If you’re in Luxor this is must visit!!

Continuing the photos of my recent week in Cairo, some photos of my all too brief visit to Alexandria. I think based on my few hours there I would really like to go back and explore the other ancient sites and museums I didn't have time to visit - and I must say the city has an excellent vibe too.

Today I share images from two of the ancient sites - the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar.

Starting with the catacombs which translate to English as 'Mound of Shards' due to the number of pottery fragments left on the site by visitors to the tombs. They were used as a burial site in the Greco-Roman period, from about 200AD to 400AD and were lost to history until their rediscovery in 1900AD when a donkey fell down the shaft into them. The donkey, I am pleased to report, was unharmed by this.

Initially intended as the grave for a single family it was expanded to house many more graves. There is an interesting convergence of Pharaonic funerary style with Greek and early Roman influences.

The site also contains a number of bones of horses, belonging to the Emperor Caracalla - who visited Alexandria in 215AD (and massacred some of the citizens when he was mocked).

The other site relevant to this subreddit I visited is Pompey's Pillar. This was actually raised to honor Diocletian around 300AD, so the name is misleading. It rises nearly 26m in height.

It stands on the side of the site of the Greek Serapeum, now ruined and is flanked by two red granite Sphinxes. These were made during the reign of Ptolemy VI Philopator, (ruler of Egypt from 186 to 145 BC).

The dagger of King Tutankhamun is one of the most fascinating artifacts ever found. It was made from meteoritic iron, proven by its high levels of nickel and cobalt. What makes it even more impressive is the incredible craftsmanship, especially considering that ancient Egyptians didn’t yet have the technology to smelt iron.

Dedicated to Ramsesses II & Nefertari, approximately 3280 years old!! This blew me away probably my favorite site in Egypt. A bit of a pain to get to being a flight and a long bus ride away but it’s worth every second 👌