Fond remembrances, a February 2024 Pyramids Temples Alive Egypt Tour Recap – and a Few of My Favourite Things! by Laura Ranieri Roy Call me obsessed, addicted, stark raving mad – I have travelled to Egypt 16 times – or is it 17 now? I can’t stop. Though ancient, Egypt never gets old! Every time I touch down in vibrant Cairo with its seething traffic, towering minarets, blaring horns, soot, smoke, slums and scintillating energy my heart comes alive. I dream regularly of the arrival in Cairo -it is in my soul. Fond memories of my first trip in 1993! My first trip to Egypt was when I was just ou ..read more

By Laura Ranieri Roy  (All photos c. Laura Ranieri Roy) It was ten years ago last February that I escaped wintry Toronto and flew to Egypt – to lend an ‘amateur’ hand to the new excavation and restoration project at Akhenaten’s great temple of Aten. Much exciting work has transpired at the Great Aten Temple site in a decade!  I was fortunate enough to make a return visit with a tour group in November 2022. Professor Barry Kemp generously toured us around the site – bounding up steps and inclines with the agility of a 30-something. We got a rare look at progress on the Great temple wi ..read more

Newly Opened Tombs in Luxor By Laura Ranieri Roy By guest contributor, Egyptologist and photographer Sharon Davidson  Recently opened tombs in Dra Abu el-Naga These two richly decorated tombs were opened in September 2019, but due to COVID I was only able to visit them recently.  The ticket was originally for three tombs located in this area (close to Carter house):  Roy (TT 255), Shuroy (TT 13), and Amenemopet (TT 148), but now there is the addition of these two newly restored tombs belonging to the two noblemen included on this ticket.   The two additional tombs ar ..read more

Hair and moustaches in Ancient Egypt By Laura Ranieri Roy Did ancient Egyptians have fancy hair stylists and barbers – even at the dawn of their civilization? Was it considered cool to follow the latest trends set by the kings and the elite? What about having groomed moustaches and the latest wigs… were they de rigueur in ancient Egypt? A resounding yes to all! My first fascination was not with hair… but with the little moustaches that seem to appear only on the art and statuary of the old Kingdom. I found it interesting that the “stache” pretty much disappears by the Middle Kingdom. Why – and ..read more

     A new experience awaits travelers in 2022 and beyond  By Laura Ranieri                                                                            The Great Pyramid of Egypt of King Khufu and the pyramids of his son, grandson and queens on the Giza Plateau is perhaps the most famous historic site in the world. Tens of thousands flock here each year to behold that last surviving wond ..read more

Elizabeth II and Ancient Egypt’s Kings: how they compare by Laura Ranieri Roy The death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth has plunged Great Britain and most of the world into a long period of mourning. This extraordinary Queen, with us throughout our lifetimes, has withstood wars, scandals, deaths – even our recent plague – with uncommon grace and character. She has been a comfort and inspiration to so many and may indeed go down in history as the greatest Queen of all. When it comes to Egypt, I wish I could show you pictures of the Queen touring the pyramids, riding a camel – or shaking hand wi ..read more

Image: Immersive Room, courtesy of Beyond King Tut  How this new virtual reality, tech-driven show brings Tut’s treasures alive. By Eric Vasallo (for Ancient Egypt Alive) On July 6, 2022, we had our roving reporter, Eric Vasallo attend the world premiere of Beyond King Tut in Boston. Here is his story on the show, the ideas behind it, and what he experienced. Since COVID changed our lives forever, life on Earth has become increasingly meta and online as social distancing has become our new normal. Blog sites such as Ancient Egypt Alive have evolved to offer a variety of opportunities to l ..read more

By Virginia Martos Armenteros Vox, “Barcelona”, Vox, recovered from https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/4/8/18266760/barcelona-spain-urban-planning-history Have you ever visited the great city of Barcelona in Spain? Whether yes or no, you’ve surely heard of its great monuments like the Sagrada Familia and its famous soccer team, FC Barcelona. Maybe you’ve tasted its delicious food, scrumptious Spanish dishes like crema Catalana. But on my visit to Barcelona a few years ago, there was one not-to-be-missed attraction… its famous Egyptian museum! “Museu Egipci”, Wikipedia htt ..read more

Charles Currelly and The Hathor Shine from Deir el Bahri  By Laura Ranieri Roy For more than a century, the Hathor shrine with its cow statue has been a unique masterpiece within Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, with its dramatic scenes within a sandstone vault, beautiful cow statue, and stunningly preserved, painted reliefs. But who first discovered and retrieved this treasure… from deep in a dark deep shaft in the western mountains of Thebes? Who slept at its side all night to protect it from would-be treasure seekers? Who first published this masterpiece? It was Charles Currelly:  a gre ..read more

Immersive Tut in Toronto: A cinematic trip to the Afterlife No Tut, no golden mask  – but a fun, evocative ride to the Egyptian afterlife. by Virginia Martos Armenteros (& Laura Ranieri Roy) On Tuesday, August 9, 2022, Ancient Egypt Alive attended the Toronto premiere of the Immersive Tut exhibition, an initiative of Lighthouse Art Space, Coco Labs, IFFDA and the Egyptian Tourism and Affairs Council. Virginia Martos Armenteros. Banner from Immersive Tut in Toronto. The show runs in Toronto at Lighthouse Artspace (1 Yonge Street) from August 10 to October 30 – and is also slated to c ..read more