Egypt in Vintage Posters
Each month I will endeavour to go on a scenic journey through a country or a county of Britain using the means of Vintage Posters to illustrate the highlights.
For our first trip, we will be going to one of my favourite countries in the world Egypt.
Sitting on the Northern, Meditteranean shores of Egypt, lies Alexandria, once the Capital of Cleopatra and home to one of the wonders of the ancient world, The Pharos Lighthouse.
Today Cleopatra's city is lying at the bottom of the sea after numerous earthquakes and tsunamis, but the New Great Library is still attracting tourists and the historical gems such as the catacombs are well worth a visit. Modern Alexandria is seen as a seaside town by many Egyptians and an escape from the heat of the southern cities and desert.
Moving south we come to the modern capital of Cairo. A dirty, noisy, chaotic city that really belies the fact that it was voted as one of the most beautiful cities in the world in the 1920's. Home to one of the most amazing museums in the world and in Giza, housing the Great Pyramid and The Sphinx.
To view the pyramids in Giza is a life changing moment and you can only look on in awe at the abilities of the ancient people of Egypt in managing to construct something that we can barely reproduce with modern technology.
Sailing down The Nile, Egypts Lifeblood, passing the more southerly pyramids we come to Amarna, The city built by Akhenaten and Nefertiti in defiance to the priests of Thebes and the founding place of all Abrahamic religions. Whether Akhenaten was a heretic, Moses himself or simply trying to reconnect with the original values of his country and people, the ruins of his city are amazing.
Although housed in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, the bust of Nefertititi is one of the most stunning pieces of artwork from the Amarna period.
Luxor is perhaps the greatest open air museum in the world. On the East Bank you have the great temples of Karnak and Luxor, whilst on the West Bank. lies The Valley of The Kings and the massive mortuary temples of the pharoahs.
Although this Egyptian State Railways Poster stets it is of Karnak, and technically it is all part of the complex, this actually portrays the annex Temple of Montu, which I remember well because it is now overgrown and the home to a number of deadly snakes.
Across the Nile we find the enormous mortuary temples where the Pharoahs were honoured after their deaths.
Also we have the brightly decorated tombs in The Valley of The Kings depicting The Pharoahs and The Egyptian Gods.
Egypt is a country well worth visiting, but if you can't, allo of these posters and more are available in our store so that you can hang a little part of Egypt in your own home.