He wanted to learn Arabic, explore Cairo's neighborhoods, and visit the legendary archaeological digs of Upper Egypt. After his years of covering China for The New Yorker, friends warned him Egypt would be a much quieter place. But not long before he arrived, the Egyptian Arab Spring had begun, and now the country was in chaos.In the midst of the revolution, Hessler often traveled to digs at Amarna and Abydos, where locals live beside the tombs of kings and courtiers, a landscape that they call simply al-Madfuna "the Buried." He and his wife set out to master Arabic, striking up a friendship with their instructor, a cynical political sophisticate. They also befriended Peter's translator, a gay man struggling to find happiness in Egypt's homophobic culture. A different kind of friendship was formed with the neighborhood garbage collector, an illiterate but highly perceptive man named Sayyid, whose access to the trash of Cairo would be its own kind of archaeological excavation. Hessler also met a family of Chinese small-business owners in the lingerie trade; their view of the country proved a bracing counterpoint to the West's conventional wisdom.Through the lives of these and other ordinary people in a time of tragedy and heartache, and through connections between contemporary Egypt and its ancient past, Hessler creates an astonishing portrait of a country and its people. What emerges is a book of uncompromising intelligence and humanity--the story of a land in which a weak state has collapsed but its underlying society remains in many ways painfully the same. A worthy successor to works like Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon and Bruce Chatwin's The Songlines, The Buried bids fair to be recognized as one of the great books of our time.

    From the Great Pyramid and the Valley of the Kings to the Nile River and Cleopatra, discover all you have ever wanted to know about this ancient civilization. Unearth ancient hieroglyphs and their meanings; find out what was in King Tut's tomb; and get insights about the science of mummification. Learn about ancient Egyptian gods and famous pharaohs, and follow Egypt's battles for power in the world. After this deep dive into Egyptology, you'll be able to dazzle your friends and family with your newfound knowledge.

    Time away from New York makes the idea of returning to her old life unbearable, so Zaina reaches out to a famed Lebanese entertainment agent. He quickly sends her off to Bahrain for a bellydance contract, the first of many around the Arab world. Performing on stages in luxurious hotels is a dream come true, but nightlife in Arab countries is an underworld rife with pimps, hookers, and a cast of seedy characters. On top of it all, Zaina's life is in the hands of an elderly, unpredictable Lebanese man, and she’s always just one misstep away from losing everything. Between work assignments, Zaina sets out on solo travels in sub-Saharan Africa and the less trodden corners of Arabia. She spars with the police in Somaliland and Western Sahara, disguises herself as a local woman for a tryst in Yemen, enters the rebel-held zone in Côte d'Ivoire, and witnesses the sudden start of the Egyptian revolution. Zaina learns to seek safety in the kindness of strangers, and to ignore their well-meaning concern. While changing countries at a rapid pace, romantic relationships bloom, then crash and burn. Fire In The Belly is a captivating story about the price of ambition, the flipside of dreams, and a young woman's passionate quest to discover the world.

      Few cultures have left behind as many familiar objects and buildings as Ancient Egypt. The Great Pyramid and Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings, the Colossi of Memnon, the plaster bust of Nefertiti, the gold mask of Tutankhamun, the rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel, and the Rosetta Stone all are immediately recognizable. The exceptional beauty of Ancient Egypt's temples, tombs, and objects draw millions of people each year to Egypt, and to museums around the world. Treasures of Ancient Egypt tells the tale of many of these familiar places and riches alongside some that are less familiar, but just as spectacular, framed by a lively and highly readable account of Egypt's history from around 3000 BCE to the death of Queen Cleopatra in 30 BCE. Over 150 color photographs, including never-before-published images, complete this fascinating exploration of Ancient Egypt's unique culture and its contribution to world history and art.

    It wasn't just a romance. It was a romantic mystery thrill ride with wonderful characters and their stories are amazing. I loved this book. I LOVED IT!”—Callie W. From New York Times bestselling author Bobbi Smith comes the story of the compelling hero and the woman bold enough to claim him. Archaeologist’s daughter Alexandra Parker wants to unearth the Crown of Desire and to her it’s not just priceless, this mysterious artifact could mean the difference between life and death. To find it she embarks on a dangerous adventure in a foreign land, a journey in the company of wealthy Englishman Winn Bradford, who is seductive and charismatic—but not someone Alex should trust—let alone fall in love with. But fall in love they do, as they stand on the darkly shadowed ship’s deck, wrapped in each other’s arms. Alex is trembling, her hands on Winn’s shoulders, and she feels the power of him.He bends his head, his gaze fixed on her lips and whispers her name, “Alex…”It is heaven, that first kiss. Winn’s mouth moves over hers, the kiss deepening.“You’re beautiful,” he whispers.Alex melts into him. “I love you, Winn,” she breathes against his lips.Then their lips meet in a fiery kiss.Alex has a secret—one which may put Winn Bradford’s safety at risk—and which will force her to choose between loyalty and extraordinary love… REVIEWS OF HEAVEN Average rating 4.05, 21 ratings, 3 reviews, added by 68 people, 37 to-reads, 86% of people like it—Goodreads5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)—Amazon“Spectacular storytelling, romance and adventure…Bobbi Smith at her very best!” Romantic Times“From the very first page I was glued. It wasn't just a romance. It was a romantic mystery thrill ride with wonderful characters and their stories are amazing...This is a timeless tale of love and the powers that can hurt it. It was refreshing to read main characters that were so giving and selfless. Loved it. Just pure brilliance.”—Callie W. ABOUT BOBBI SMITH New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Bobbi Smith, with more than 6 million books in print, has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Since she sold her first book, Rapture’s Rage, in 1982 she has published more than 38 books and contributed to six collections of short stories. When she’s not on deadline, Bobbi teaches writing at The Write Stuff at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and is a frequent guest speaker for writer’s groups. Her western historical romances appeal to readers of C. J. Petit, Shirleen Davies, and Judith E. French. Bobbi Smith is the mother of two sons and lives in St. Charles, Missouri, with her husband and three dogs.

    However, no archaeological discovery speaks of King David or Solomon, his son and successor, directly or in directly. Was King David a real person or a legend like King Arthur? Proposing that David was a genuine historical figure, Ahmed Osman explores how his identity may be radically different than what is described in religious texts. Drawing on recent archaeological, historical, and biblical evidence from Egypt, Osman shows that David lived in Thebes, Egypt, rather than Jerusalem; that he lived five centuries earlier than previously thought, during the 15th rather than the 10th century B.C.; and that David was not a descendant of Isaac but was, in fact, Isaac’s father. The author also reveals David’s true Egyptian identity: Pharaoh Tuthmosis III of the 18th Dynasty. Confirming evidence from rabbinic literature that indicates Isaac was not Abraham’s son, despite the version provided in Genesis, Osman demonstrates how biblical narrators replaced David with Abraham the Hebrew to hide the Egyptian identity of Isaac’s father. He shows how Egyptian historical and archaeological sources depict figures that match David’s and Solomon’s known characteristics in many ways, including accounts of a great empire between the Euphrates and the Nile that corresponds with David’s empire as described in the Bible. Extending his research further, the author shows that King Solomon, King David’s son, corresponds in reality to Pharaoh Amenhotep, successor of Tuthmosis III, the pharaoh who stands out in the dynastic history of Egypt not only for his peaceful reign but also as the builder of the Temple of Luxor and the famed Mortuary Temple at Luxor, which matches the biblical descriptions of Solomon’s Temple. Unveiling the real history behind the biblical story of King David, Osman reveals that the great ancestor of the Israelites was, in fact, Egyptian.

    Even the ancient Egyptians saw their writing systems as full of mystery and hidden knowledge - according to Egyptian mythology, writing was invented by the ibis-headed god Thoth, the most intellectual of the gods. He was a scribe, also associated with mathematics, medicine, and astronomy, and could appear as either an ibis or a baboon. Thoth was originally a lunar god, strongly associated with recording events and time. He is more commonly known as the scribe who records judgment in the famous weighing of the heart scene in which a person’s fate in the afterlife is decided To the Egyptians, writing was a gift of the gods and should be used accordingly. It was powerful and had the ability to create. For example, written formula offerings could provide sustenance in multiple ways, including being written, depicting the offerings, and read aloud. Each of these methods brought offerings to the recipient for all of eternity. Speaking words was especially powerful as shown in myths where the gods create in this fashion. One such myth is the “Memphite Theology,” where the creator god Ptah creates other beings through the “thoughts of his heart and the words of his mouth.” Furthermore, writing a person or a god’s name gave them power, and erasing their names took the power away. By placing his name on it, a person or king could usurp a statue from someone else. Since writing was hieroglyphic, it was also art, and the images held power. This is evidenced by signs or images being disfigured in tombs or funerary settings, so as not to hurt the owners. These so-called “mutilated signs” were often of serpents or other animals that were able to harm the deceased. The signs might also be left incomplete for the same purpose. That being said, real people wrote these texts. Some of the scribes might have considered themselves magicians, but they weren’t time travelers, aliens, or gods. Ancient Egyptian writing is often extremely complex and filled with puns, vague statements about religious mysteries, and general witty banter. In addition to those extremely well-written and thought-out texts, there is also a range of personal letters, administrative texts, and even graffiti. When reading some of these texts, it is remarkable how similar the people of ancient Egypt were to people today when it came to their daily concerns and even the jokes they told. The ancient Egyptian language was Afro-Asiatic, distantly related to Semitic and African ones, and the writing system only used consonants and not vowels, due to the root system. This is similar to how Arabic or Hebrew is written today. Most words had a root of two or three consonants, and the vowels changed based on the form of the word. Ancient Egyptian Language and Writing: The History and Legacy of Hieroglyphs and Scripts in Ancient Egypt examines the history of writing in Egypt, and how it evolved over thousands of years. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Egyptian language and writing like never before.

    The brilliance and heartache of his rebellion weave a tale that history has forgotten.Until now.In the year 205 B.C., after centuries of Persian and Macedonian occupation, a rebel king rises from the south to take ancient Egypt back unto native hands. He will battle the Ptolemy line for twenty years, and rule almost eighty percent of Egypt, yet in the end, history will never mention his name.Born Prince Ankhmakis, the last in a line of native Egyptian kings, he is raised with one purpose—to help his father reclaim Egypt from the Macedonian occupiers and return their country to dynastic greatness. Fate, however, has its own plans. For lies and deceit live in the hearts of all involved, from his family to the priesthood, and the Greeks aren’t the only ones who seek to destroy him.Natasa is in training to become the High Priestess of the temple of Isis. Her task is to strengthen the royal family with the magic of the goddess through love and pleasure. She never thought the connection between her and Ankhmakis could be so strong, or carry a power coveted by those lurking in the shadows. Nor did she know that the child they would create would have her own great destiny to fulfill.Together, Ankhmakis and Natasa must defend the potential of their love from those who would seek to use it for their own gain. Theirs is a world of magic, power, riches, and lust, and there are those within the court who would do anything to keep Ankhmakis and Natasa apart. Between mystical forces, murder, and illicit schemes--only the gods know if they’ll survive.PRAISE FOR ORIGINSORIGINS is an enthralling, cinematic tale set in Ancient Egypt, seeping with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance. I was hooked from the beginning and holding my breath until the very last page. — Stephanie Diaz, author of the Extraction SeriesNicole Sallak Anderson's detailed research of costumes, history, and rituals illuminate a long-vanished culture and makes it interesting and she has skillfully breathed life into mere hieroglyphs turning them into vibrant people whose lives are filled with love, jealousy, intrigue, and ambition. A must-read for anyone fascinated by Egyptology or who just wants to read a great story. — Nancy Lynn Jarvis, author of the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries series and the PIP Inc. series.

    

    But thrilling accounts of their wonder have left us yearning to know more about their great mysteries. Go on a journey across the world and through time, and explore these and many more impressive monuments through stunning artwork by debut talent Avalon Nuovo.

    But there are stories—stories that the earliest Egyptians were taught civilization by celestial beings.Thousands of years later, at a time when the Great Pyramids of Geza were still shiny and new, legendary creatures flourished, and high priests still controlled the magical substance left by the Celestials called Kairemi. But it’s also a time of treachery as one Pharaoh is brutally overthrown, and his entire family slaughtered, save one young daughter, Merit, who escapes into hiding. The hedonistic new Royal Family have their own struggles, with King Varis maneuvering to place his daughter, Hamees, on the throne after him, setting aside his own son.It’s also a time of heroes, like Roma, a former palace guard turned defender of Princess Merit. He receives a great prophecy and must use it to determine Egypt’s fate by pooling all her legendary resources to ensure the throne, and control of the Kairemi, goes to the correct Heiress of Egypt. But is that Merit or Hamees?Reviews:The Heiress of Egypt takes us back to an unspecified time in a fantastical ancient Egypt populated with fantasy animals, heroic soldiers, and gifted priests ... the tale that then unravels is one of adventure, rebellion, fantasy, romance and war ... This is a light fast-paced read, perfect for a holiday or a cold winter evening at home. It follows the footsteps of Khai of Ancient Khem. — Charlotte Booth, author of Ancient Egyptians for Dummies, In Bed with Ancient Egyptians, Horemheb the Forgotten Pharaoh, and others.Readers anticipating either a novel based on history alone or a sci-fi story largely emphasizing aliens, supernatural gifts, or strange occurrences, will find The Heiress of Egypt excels in being neither fish nor fowl. Instead, it successfully blends history and fiction, tosses in sci-fi elements, and adds a dash of romance and thriller into the mix for extra spice. The result is an engrossing tale that offers many twists and turns through its increasingly fantastical story line — D. Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review

    The author offers unique insights, first-hand information, singular documents, critical and candid analysis, as well as case studies, richly sharing his experiences as the country's Foreign Minister and ambassador. This project covers a wide range of issues including the Arab-Israeli peace process, the liberation of Kuwait, the invasion of Iraq, nuclear weapons proliferation in the region, relations with the United States, Russia and other major international and regional players. Most importantly, it offers a series of potential trajectories on the future of Egypt and its relations within the region and the world. This is an essential work for a number of audiences, including scholars, graduate students, researchers, as well as policy makers, and is strongly appealing for anyone who is interested in international relations and Middle Eastern politics.

    The deployment of strong, well-integrated air defences by Egypt and Syria, that caused heavy losses to the Israeli air force early during that conflict, not only spoiled Israel's pre-war planning, but prevented it from providing support for Israeli ground forces too.A cross-examination of interviews with dozens of Egyptian participants in that conflict, contemporary reporting in the media, and also intelligence reports, offers an entirely different picture. Accordingly, for much of that war, the Israelis flew heavy air strikes on Port Said, on the northern entry to the Suez Canal. Furthermore, they repeatedly attacked two major Egyptian air bases in the Nile Delta - el-Mansourah and Tanta - in turn causing some of the biggest air battles of this war. Indeed, in Egypt, the response to these attacks reached the level of legend: the supposed repelling of an Israeli air strike on el-Mansourah, on 14 October 1973, prompted Cairo to declare not only a massive victory, but also that date for the day of its air force.However, the actual reasons for Israeli air strikes on Port Said, el-Mansourah and Tanta remain unclear to this day: there are no Israeli publications offering a sensible explanation, and there are no Egyptian publications explaining the reasoning. Only a cross-examination of additional reporting provides a possible solution: el-Mansourah was also the base of the only Egyptian unit equipped with R-17E ballistic missiles, known as the SS-1 Scud in the West.As of October 1973, these missiles were the only weapon in Egyptian hands capable of reaching central Israel - and that only if fired from the area around Port Said. While apparently unimportant in the overall context, this fact gains immensely in importance considering reports from the US intelligence services about the possible deployment of Soviet nuclear warheads to Egypt in October 1973.Discussing all the available information, strategy, tactics, equipment and related combat operations of both sides, '1973: the First Nuclear War' provides an in-depth insight into the Israeli efforts to prevent the deployment of Egyptian Scud missiles - whether armed with Soviet nuclear warheads or not - in the Port Said area: an effort that dictated a lengthy segment of the application of air power during the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and resulted in some of the most spectacular air-to-air and air-to-ground battles of that conflict.Illustrated by over 100 photographs, a dozen maps and 18 colour profiles, this book thus offers an entirely new thesis about crucial, but previously unknown factors that determined the flow of the aerial warfare in October 1973.

    Both these challenges and the policies and behaviors of rulers and subjects in response to them left profound impressions on Mamluk state and society, precipitating a degree of social mobility and resulting in new forms of cultural expression. These transformations were also reflected in the frequent reports of protests during this period, and led to a greater diffusion of power and the opening up of spaces for political participation by Mamluk subjects and negotiations of power between ruler and ruled. Rather than tell the story of this tumultuous century solely from the point of view of the Mamluk dynasty, Crowds and Sultans places the protests within the framework of long-term transformations, arguing for a more nuanced and comprehensive narrative of Mamluk state and society in late medieval Egypt and Syria. Reports of urban protest and the ways in which alliances between different groups in Mamluk society were forged allow us glimpses into how some medieval Arab societies negotiated power, showing that rather than stoically endure autocratic governments, populations often resisted and renegotiated their positions in response to threats to their interests. This rich and thought-provoking study will appeal to specialists in Mamluk history, Islamic studies, and Arab history, as well as to students and scholars of Middle East politics and government and modern history.

    The excellent preservation of Egyptian artefacts including bows, axes and chariots, means that it is possible to track the changing nature of Egyptian military technology, as well as the equipment and ideas that were adopted from other civilisations of the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East. As well as discussing such crucial issues as military strategy, martial ideology, construction of fortresses and waging of siege warfare, this book includes the study of practical questions of life, death and survival of individual soldiers on the battlefield.

    Although they benefited from the privileges extended to foreigners and the control exercised by Britain, they claimed nonetheless to enjoy a special relationship with Egypt and the Egyptians, and saw themselves as contributors to the country’s modernization.The Greeks and the Making of Modern Egypt is the first account of the modern Greek presence in Egypt from its beginnings during the era of Muhammad Ali to its final days under Nasser. It casts a critical eye on the reality and myths surrounding the complex and ubiquitous Greek community in Egypt by examining the Greeks’ legal status, their relations with the country’s rulers, their interactions with both elite and ordinary Egyptians, their economic activities, their contacts with foreign communities, their ties to their Greek homeland, and their community life, which included a rich and celebrated literary culture.Alexander Kitroeff suggests that although the Greeks’ self-image as contributors to Egypt’s development is exaggerated, there were ways in which they functioned as agents of modernity, albeit from a privileged and protected position. While they never gained the acceptance they sought, the Greeks developed an intense and nostalgic love affair with Egypt after their forced departure in the 1950s and 1960s and resettlement in Greece and farther afield.This rich and engaging history of the Greeks in Egypt in the modern era will appeal to students, scholars, travelers, and general readers alike.

    Egypt’s Stella beer (which only coincidentally shares a name with the Belgian beer Stella Artois) became a particularly meaningful symbol of the changes that occurred in Egypt after British Occupation.Weaving cultural studies with business history, Egypt’s Beer traces Egyptian history from 1880 to 2003 through the study of social, economic, and technological changes that surrounded the production and consumption of Stella beer in Egypt, providing an unparalleled case study of economic success during an era of seismic transformation. Delving into archival troves—including the papers of his grandfather, who for twenty years was CEO of the company that produced Stella—Omar D. Foda explains how Stella Beer achieved a powerful presence in all popular forms of art and media, including Arabic novels, songs, films, and journalism. As the company’s success was built on a mix of innovation, efficient use of local resources, executive excellence, and shifting cultural dynamics, this is the story of the rise of a distinctly Egyptian “modernity” seen through the lens of a distinctly Egyptian brand.