Preserving Egypt's Layered History — Google Arts & Culture

With the support of the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities in Egypt

American Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)

Preservation and Veneration

Who do we venerate, where and why?

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Decoding Egypt's past

What the Egypt of yesterday teaches us today

Read

7 Facts on 7 Millennia of History

Egypt from the Pharaohs to today

Read

The Archaeologists Behind The Discoveries

Discover what inspired them and their most exciting find

Watch

What is Egyptology?

With Dr. Salima Ikram, University Professor at the American University in Cairo

Watch

What's New in the World of Egyptology?

With Dr. Yasmin el Shazly, Deputy Director for Research and Programs, ARCE

Watch

Who Ruled Ancient Egypt?

With Tessa Litecky, Project Archives Assistant, ARCE

Watch

Who are the People Who Are Involved in Conservation?

With Bianca Madden, Art Conservator

Watch

Restoration vs Conservation?

With Dr. Nicholas Warner, Conservation Architect

Choose your adventure

What part of Egypt's history would you like to excavate first?

Veneration through history Roman History Ancient Egypt Coptic History Jewish History Mamluk History

Exalted Spirits: How do we venerate the dead?

Traditions and festivities from around Egypt to venerate ancestors and holy figures

Explore objects of veneration throughout Egyptian History

Visit this special exhibition at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Visit

Zoom in

Deconstructing Ancient Egyptian Stelae

The ancient Egyptians used text and images to venerate gods and the deceased

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Venerating the Prophet Mohammed

How the Prophet Mohammed is venerated in Islam for his goodness and piety

The Traditions

Festival of Abu'l Hajjaj in Luxor

Where thousands of Egyptians gather annually to celebrate Sheikh Yusuf Abu’l-Hajjaj

Celebrate

Celebrating Saints: Egyptian Moulids

The Egyptian festivals filled with ritual, fellowship, and blessings

Who do we venerate?

Follow the maps of festivities

Online Exhibit

Royal Gods: Ahmose-Nefertari and Amenhotep I

Royalty were the representatives of gods on earth but sometimes became gods themselves

Online Exhibit

The Holy Family in Egypt

Follow the footsteps of the Holy Family and discover the most sacred places in Egypt.

Online Exhibit

From Architects to Gods

The deification of two ancient Egyptian architects

Explore Historic People and Places of Veneration in Egypt

Tour the site

Servant in the Place of Truth

Walk through the tomb of Nebenmaat, an artisan who built tombs in the Valley of the Kings

Tour the site

Explore the mosque of Abu'l Hajjaj

Explore the mosque of Abu'l Hajjaj, built within an ancient Pharaonic temple complex

Preservation: How the layers are uncovered

Behind-the-scenes of a preservation expedition

What does a 3,500 year old tomb tell us?

Step underground into the ancient Egyptian underworld

See the Tomb of Menna in 3D

Take a closer look at the life's journey of an ancient Egyptian official

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Life after life

Discover how the Ancient Egyptians prepared the dead for their next adventure

The Journey to the Afterlife

Follow Menna on his journey into the afterlife and learn about the beliefs and rituals of the ancient Egyptians

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The clues

Who Was Menna?

The tomb of Menna is one of the most beautiful in Egypt. But who was he?

The beliefs

The Beautiful Feast of the Valley

Every year the ancient Egyptians traveled across the Nile River to celebrate the dead

The traditions

The Resurrection Machine

How ancient Egyptian tombs were designed to transport the dead to the afterlife

How long did mummification take?

70 days

Man carrying Menna's mummy (Katy Doyle)

What does Menna's tomb tell us?

How we can tell who he was and why he was important

Where Did Menna’s Face Go?

Why is Menna's face erased from history?

Is Your Heart as Light as a Feather?

In order to get to the afterlife, the Egyptians had to pass a very unusual test

Why is This Tomb Blue?

Conservators used a special technique to understand these 3,400-year-old paintings

Online Exhibit

What do the walls say?

Images from daily life in ancient Egypt

Discover more tombs

From A to Z of an ancient Egyptian tomb

TT110: A Private Tomb with Royal Depictions

From A to Z, all about this ancient Egyptian tomb, the final resting place of an important official who served under two influential rulers

Online Exhibit

Travel to the Tomb of Djehuty

Explore the tomb of Djehuty, an official who lived during a unique time in ancient Egyptian history

Take a tour around Egypt

From its staggering views to ancient art

ExploreWalk around Deir El Medina

ExploreExplore Abu Alhajjaj Mosque

ExploreEnjoy the Spectacular Views of Old Cairo

ExploreStand at the Bottom of The Grand Pyramids

ExploreThe Beautiful Artwork in the Coptic Monastery

The mosque of the Sword-Bearer

Discover the secrets of 600-year-old Mamluk architecture

The history

The Story of the Aslam al-Silahdar Mosque

Find out why the mosque is named after the Sword-Bearer

The architecture

The Anatomy of a Mosque

Explore the ins and outs of a Mamluk-era mosque

The art

The Trend-setter

View the artistic wonders up close

3D Model

View the Mosque in 3D

When was the Aslam al-Silahdar Mosque built?

1344

The world's oldest coptic monastery

Explore the history of the Red Monastery of Saint Anthony

Preserving Jewish heritage

Explore Egypt's Jewish cemeteries

Virtual Tour

Tour Leishaa Cemetery

Walk through a unique Karaite Jewish Cemetery in the heart of Cairo

Virtual Tour

Take a Tour of Menasha Cemetery

Walk through one of the few surviving Jewish cemeteries in Egypt

How the Romans lived

Ancient Alexandria was the Roman centre of philosophy, art, and culture

There's No Place Like Home

Early roman domestic architecture in Egypt

A Tour of the Kom el Dikka Ruins

These ruins were once a bustling Roman-Egyptian city

Indoor bird watching

A closer look at Roman interior design

The Villa of the Birds Mosaics

How did the ancient Romans decorate the floors of their homes?

Can You Name These Birds?

Which birds decorate this ancient Roman villa?

What was Alexandria's most famous building?

The library

Roman Statues (Kenneth Garrett)

Unearthing Egypt's secrets

Meet the women Egyptologists digging into history

4 Leading Egyptologists Share the Secrets of Their Field

Louise Bertini, Yasmin ElShazly, Monica Hanna, and Alex Woods on the little known facts about Egyptology

Are you a teacher or parent?

Downloadable lesson plan