For the ancient Egyptians, the universe was composed of dualities - fertile and barren, life and death, order and chaos - held in a state of equilibrium by the goddess Maat. To maintain this balance they built enormous temples dedicated to the gods. Alternatively, go one step further and combine Egypt with Libya or Jordan. In Libya, one of the most stunning areas worth visiting is Leptis Magna, which is guaranteed to make you feel as if you have been transported back into ancient times with its ruins and stunning architecture from centuries gone by. While it is true that the Pyramids of Giza will take your breath away, the detail and majestic surroundings of Leptis Magna will surely amaze you just as much. Nor is it the only place that offers the chance to step back in time, as the ancient city of Petra in Jordan testifies. The ruins on this site give visitors a greater understanding of the breadth and depth of the history that is an integral part of Egypt as a whole. Much like Leptis Magna, Petra went undiscovered for quite some time before being found by relatively modern civilisation in the early 1800s. It is perhaps ironic that this ancient city has now become a popular destination for modern holidaymakers to view.
The ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal afterlife and they developed a complex funerary cult aimed at maintaining their life after death. In addition to the local cult temples, each pharaoh also built a mortuary temple to serve as a place where, following his death, offerings could be made for his soul. In the Old and Middle Kingdoms the temples were attached to tombs but by around 1500 BC the tombs were separate and hidden away to foil robbers. Although the common man would unlikely indulge in cattle, goats or sheep they may occasionally eat some pigs or fish. This was actually a taboo action on their part for the priests continually instructed the masses that pork and fish were an unclean food. Like most of the people around the Eastern Mediterranean such as the Jews or the Phoenicians the Egyptians also forbid the eating of pigs because it was believed that they spread the disease of leprosy.
Have you ever seen the different pyramids of Egypt? Did you know that most of these were made from granite? Apart from the different materials used to build their structures, this natural stone was often used in inner walls of Egyptian palaces for ornaments and decoration purposes. These were also used as materials to build the different pyramids. As you can see, because of the attractiveness of the stone, the people of Egypt chose to use it for royalty. The different granite stones used in construction in the time of the Egyptians came from Aswan, which is found south of Giza. To get there, one will have to go upstream. Apart from construction, archaeologists have found remnants of statues made from granite. These are monuments built for Egyptian pharaohs such as Ramses II.
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