Discovering Egypt: 27 Fascinating Facts about the Land of Pharaohs

The Great Sphinx of Giza is so old that its first restoration dates to 1400 B.C. when it was already a thousand years old.

In Ancient Egypt, the deceased bodies of beautiful and high ranking women were left to decay for 3 to 4 days before being sent off for embalming. They did this to discourage necrophilia.

Despite his wealth, King Farouk of Egypt (1920-65) was a kleptomaniac, going so far as to steal a pocket watch from Winston Churchill. Once, having suffered a nightmare in which he was chased by an angry lion, he went to Cairo Zoo and shot all the lions in their cages.

Hatshepsut was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt who acted as a full pharaoh. In art, she had herself depicted as a male ruler; she wore a false beard, had her breasts reduced and de-emphasized, and her shoulders portrayed as broad and manly. She brought Egypt into a period of prosperity.

Cyril of Alexandria claimed that "camel" is a Greek misspelling in the phrase "it's easier for a camel to thread the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven." He claimed camel was actually "kamilos," meaning rope.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was once covered in highly polished white limestone before it was removed to build mosques and fortresses.

Egyptian pharaohs were often fat. They had high-sugar diets that were rich in bread, honey, beer, and wine. Examinations of various royal mummies show that many suffered from obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Hatshepsut, Egypt's most famous woman pharaoh, was obese and had tooth decay.

In ancient Egypt, men could take time off of work to care for menstruating wives and daughters.

Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)- located in the western desert in Egypt contains the fossilized remains of whales that show their evolution from life as a land-based animal to becoming an ocean-going mammal.

In ancient Egypt, couples were considered married whenever they moved in together. Wedding ceremonies were reserved for the upper classes.