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Explore with Sven: Egypt

I was recently in Cairo, Egypt for my third time in eight years. The country has undergone lots of change from the revolutions of the Arab Spring beginning in 2011. 

I was recently in Cairo, Egypt for my third time in eight years. The country has undergone lots of change from the revolutions of the Arab Spring beginning in 2011. Tourism is down substantially, but now is a good time to go to Egypt , and there’s always SOMETHING new to be discovered.

The Great Pyramid, within the pyramid complex in Giza (a suburb of Cairo) is the last standing of the seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It was built in the Fourth Dynasty for the Pharoh/King Cheops (Khufu) over 4,500 years ago as a funerary temple. It was built just to house his remains for the afterlife.

The great sphinx is nearby and is believed to be represent Khufu (Cheops) with the body of a lion.

Walid El Batoutyand Sven

"It still has lots of secrets," explains Walid El Batouty. He is a renown Egyptologist and deputy to the Minster of Tourism in Egypt. "We are still finding things. There’s more studying to be done.”

One of the latest projects is the SCAN project where they are discovering possible previously unknown chambers in the vast Great Pyramid.

"We found four blocks with 5.8 degrees less, so there’s more extensive study being done,” Walid continues.

Egypt is moving full speed ahead with the construction of the Great Egyptian Museum (GEM). It will be the world’s largest museum and the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts. It will also have over 5,300 King Tut pieces, making it the largest King Tut exhibit in the world. The museum is expected to have a partial opening in early 2018.

“Go to a friend or relative or cousin or somebody who’s been to Egypt. They’ll tell you the truth, they felt great, safe and had a good time.” Walid tells us.

The people of Egypt are ready and waiting to share what they consider the world’s heritage, not just their own.

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