The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023 - Issue 33

Samantha Morgan takes in the historical beauty of Egypt with its infamous pyramids, diverse rulers, prolific landmarks and mono deserts. bitetravel Mother of the Earth Kom Ombo - Temple T he exotic and beautiful Egypt entices with its scorching sun, mighty Nile, magnificent monu- ments, beguiling desert, lush delta and ancient history boasting one of Earth’s oldest civilisa- tions. When you think of this luscious northeastern Af- rican country, ruled for 3,000 years under native, Greek, Roman and other foreign dynasties, images of pharaohs, pyramids, the Great Spinx, mummies, Cleopatra, dunes, camels, and perhaps the story of the ten plagues come to mind. Its heartland, the Nile River valley and delta was home to one of the principal civilisations of the ancient Middle East and the site of one of the world’s earliest urban and literate societies. Throughout history, Egypt has been invaded or conquered by the Hyksos, the Libyans, the Nubians, the Assyrians, the Achaemenid Persians, and the Macedonians under Alexander the Great. After the fall of Rome in 476 AD, it became part of the Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by the Muslim Arabs in 641 CE. The Mamluks further ruled Egypt from the late 13th cen- tury to the 16th century, followed by the Ottoman Empire, which established control until 1798. Napoleon I led an army to occupy the country, and the French rule lasted until 1801, marking the first time a European power had