The Mystery of Cleopatra's Palace in Alexandria

Till 1997, no one was sure what Cleopatra's Palace actually looked like. Many architects have tried to imagine the palace by drawing. That used to be the closest we could come to see her magnificent palace. However, ambitious excavations had begun in the bay of modern Alexandria to know more about this mystery.
In 1997, an archaeological team from France discovered the drowned port of Alexandria and the two cities of Herakleion and Canopus just off the coast of Alexandria, in the Mediterranean Sea. This discovery started the underwater excavations of what was the city of Cleopatra. A crushing tidal wave caused by an earthquake covered this area from about 1,200 years ago.
The growing excavations have uncovered hundreds of artifacts, including huge statues of kings and queens and of Hapi, the god of the Nile flood. These remains, as well as smaller statues and architectural splinters including columns and architraves, hint that the regal palace and gardens were rising close to the port.
As excavations have preceded, the location of Cleopatra’s palace, Antony’s palace, and a temple have been located and finally the setting of their romantic story and tragic decease has been recognized.
In 2006, a suggestion was put forward concerning an offshore underwater museum to show the city of Cleopatra. Many of the objects found underwater are left there in order to keep them; when removed and desiccated, these items could loose. The suggested museum includes a plexi-glass tunnel allowing the visitor to walk underwater on the steps of Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and Julius Caesar.
Smaller objects like gems and coins have already been removed to stop theft, and these will be shown separately in an on-shore building.

Khan El-Khalili Bazaar in Cairo

Khan el-Khalili is one of the world's great bazaars a sprawling, confusing, enclosed city-within-a-city first set up as a caravansary in 1382. Here, you can find a noisy, wonderful, chaotic, and awash with the smells of spices, incense, and leather market. Everyone here wants your business, your money, your time for a glass of mint tea. Whether you're shopping or not, bypass the tiny stalls and workshops on the most trammeled pathways (which have become highly touristed) and penetrate deep into the bewildering warren of back alleys, where Cairenes still shop for their dowries, cotton galabiyas, fezzes, and. sheeshas, or hooka water pipes. This is the place to practice your haggling technique, but don't expect to win against merchants with thousands of years of practice in their blood.
Almost everything is available here. Mini bazaars within the bazaar specialize in such goods as carpets, gold, fabrics, perfume, and cosmetics (where the tiny pots of eye-lining kohl, Cleopatra-style, are made from burned, crushed olive pits). Open round-the-clock since 1752, El Fishawy is still the Khan's most famous coffee and tea house, immortalized by Lawrence Durrell. In a rich 19th century European ambience of gilded mirtors, hammered brass, and cracked marble-topped tables, puff on a water pipe, have your fortune told, people-watch, and order what is said to be the best coffee in the city, delivered in little brass pots.

Top Ancient Egyptian Successes In Astronomy Science

The ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the first and greatest civilizations on the whole world.., you can realize that by just a simple look to their magnificent structures...

But actually these structures aren't all of what they left !!
The fact that the ancient Egyptians had done many successes and achievements which covered most sides of the human life, including the political and social improvements , as well, their advances in many scientific fields as medicine, mathematics, irrigation systems, and many other sides.
Anyway,..I'll try to show briefly some of their greatest achievements through the coming posts..and let's talk now about their successes and achievements in the science of astronomy..

The Egyptians were very interested in the stars and constellations and they gave much care for that exciting science. From the Middle Kingdom, constellations were often depicted on coffins as star clocks, showing the length of time stars were visible or invisible.
From the New Kingdom, ceilings of tombs and temples often displayed the constellation of stars. These constellations were the same as the ones we see today, but represented differently. For example, Orion was represented as a man turning his head and Ursa Major was represented as a bull’s foreleg.

From the Middle Kingdom, the Egyptians were able to recognize five planets, known as stars that know no rest, which were often associated with Horus, the Egyptian god of the sky:

* Jupiter, known as Horus who limits the two lands
* Mars, known as Horus the red
* Mercury, known as Sebegu (a god associated with Seth)
* Saturn, known as Horus, bull of the sky
* Venus, known as god of the morning

The ancient Egyptians had used astronomy for many different practical sides..and one of their best achivements was setting the new year always to coincide with the rising of Sirius in mid-July and the annual flooding of the Nile.

Flooding was happening every year and at the same time. The ancient astronomers and priests, notised that the flooding always occurred at the summer solstice, which also just happened to be when the bright star Sirius rose before the sun and so, they were able to predict the annual flooding, a skill which in turn rendered them considerable power. Then they divided the year into twelve months of 30 day, followed by a five day feast period.
In addition to this,..the Egyptians used astronomy in scheduling temple-building ceremonies, which relied on the visibility of the constellations we refer to now as the Great Bear and Orion... as well,..they could set the cardinal points for the orientation of the pyramids by observing the North Star

Finally, it is important to say that The stars were not used to predict the fate of humans in Egypt until the Ptolemaic period when the Greeks introduced astrology. The most famous zodiac in Egypt is on the ceiling at Denderah and dates to the first century AD. This zodiac displays all the familiar zodiac signs, including Leo, Aries, and Taurus.