World Heritage Sites in Egypt | Discover How many , Which city has UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Egypt’s Monuments, Pharaonic Civilization and more…
Must-See Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, Historic Cairo, Nubian Monuments…
Known as a country with a long and fascinating history, Egypt was home to one of the earliest human civilizations.
Its famous pyramids and tombs from the old kingdom are monuments to that past. Some of them are among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Egypt.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, better known as UNESCO, designates various places around the world as World Heritage sites because of their cultural, historical, scientific or natural significance. These sites are protected by international treaties.
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World Heritage Sites in Egypt
First, let’s briefly go over what exactly a UNESCO World Heritage Site is, as I’ve personally always had a vague idea (was it something old and cool?) without knowing the precise definition.
To quote the United Nations itself: “UNESCO seeks to promote the identification, protection and preservation throughout the world of cultural and natural heritage considered of outstanding value to humankind.”
To be a World Heritage Site it must meet one of these ten criteria and Egypt is the proud home of 7 of these sites.
So let’s go through the list together:
Memphis and its necropolis – the pyramid fields from Giza to Dahshur
Memphis was founded in 3000 B.C. It was the first capital of ancient Egypt, and its necropolis is near present-day Cairo. Memphis was not only the home of the pharaohs and the center of state administration, but was also considered the holy place of the ancient Egyptian gods.
Today, many temples and monuments remain in Memphis, as well as evidence of the evolution of the royal tombs from their original “mastabas” forms to the final pyramidal form.
There are more than 38 pyramids in the Memphis Pyramid Field: the Pyramids of Giza and the Pyramids of Abusir, Saqqara and Dahshur.
Historical Cairo
Originally founded in the 10th century, Cairo quickly became the new center of the Islamic world and reached its heyday in the 14th century. Modern Cairo developed around historic Cairo or, as we locals call it, “Old Cairo”. The most famous street in Old Cairo is Moez Street, described by the United Nations as “the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world.” Here is our in-depth local guide to Moez Strait.
Currently, the historic city of Cairo or Islamic Cairo consists of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Al-Azhar University, the oldest university in the world, and Al-Hakim Mosque, among others. Neglect, decay and overcrowding are major threats to the preservation of this site, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The theft of some monuments, particularly in mosques, has also jeopardized conservation efforts.
El Moez street
El Moez Street (also spelled Muizz or Muiz) is the shortened version of its real name: El Moez Li-Deen Allah Al-Fatimi Street. You can probably see why we locals shortened it.
It is a 1 km long pedestrian street and has, to quote the UN, “the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world”.
It might not be the pyramids, but it’s definitely a must-see to get a real sense of Cairo’s history as a city and to see frankly mind-blowing medieval Islamic architecture and art. And not in a stuffy, museum-like setting behind the glass — it’s free pedestrian with the architecture all around you, so you don’t have to worry about paying money to stare at super-curated things you a) don’t really want understand and b) are kind of boring. One thing we can promise about Moez Street – it certainly isn’t boring.
El Moez Street is in an area of Cairo officially known as Historic Cairo, but we locals refer to it as “Old Cairo” (masr el adeema in Arabic).
Cairo was officially founded in AD 969 by the Fatimids (a North African Shia Muslim caliphate) and today’s Old Cairo area consists of the remains of the pre-Cairo cities (Fustat, Al Askar, Al Qatta’i). , as well as Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo. Moez Street is named after the 4th caliph of the Fatimid dynasty.
Old Cairo/Historical Cairo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and is considered “one of the
test Islamic cities in the world with its famous mosques, madrasahs, hammams and fountains” and “the new center of the Islamic world” describes its heyday in the 14th century”.
The Moez street today
Moez Street is now a mix of medieval mosques and buildings alongside modern merchants and shops in an old Cairo neighborhood called Gamaleya, and the street borders the world-famous Khan el Khalili bazaar (for more information you can read our full Khan el Khalili guide here).
The street begins at the northern Bab El Fotouh (one of the original gates of the old city wall) and then meanders a little south until it intersects with Al Azhar street. Cross Al Azhar and El Moez continues through the El Ghouri Complex (El Ghoureya in Arabic) and ends at Bab Zuweila and the Tent Makers’ Market to the south.
You can either walk down the street and just admire the buildings from the outside, or you can explore some from the inside. Most mosques have free entry, but some of the other medieval buildings require a ticket and have opening hours
From the El Ghouri complex the street gets pretty chaotic with all the different shops and vendors so just don’t expect a quiet stroll and you’ll be fine.
Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis – Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Thebes, now Luxor, was the second capital of ancient Egypt after Memphis during the Middle and New Kingdoms.
Remnants of this Nile capital in Upper Egypt are world-famous temples such as Luxor Temple (the world’s largest open-air museum), Karnak, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut and the necropolises of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.
Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae – Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites
This stunning archaeological site was actually saved by UNESCO in an international effort to move the vast ancient Egyptian monuments away from the 1960-1980 Nile flood.
The now safe temples of Ramses the Great at Abu Simbel are still as spectacular as when they were built some 3200 years ago and the sanctuary of Isis at Philae Temple serenely overlooks the Nile from Aswan.
Wadi el-Hitan (Waltal) – Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Wadi el Hitan (Whale Valley) in Fayoum, Egypt is home to something very strange and very cool – whale fossils, but no ordinary whale.
According to UNESCO: “These fossils represent one of the most important stories of evolution: the emergence of the whale as a marine mammal from a previous life as a land animal. This is the most important place in the world to demonstrate this stage of evolution.”
Saint Catherine Area (Saint Catherine) – Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Mount Sinai, or as it is called “Gebel Moussa” (Moses’ Mountain) in Egyptian Arabic, is located on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. It is here that the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) believe that Moses encountered the burning bush and received the Tablets of the Law.
At the foot of Mount Sinai is the Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine which was founded in the 6th century and is the oldest Christian monastery in the world still in use for its original function.
According to UNESCO: “Its walls and buildings are of great importance for studies of Byzantine architecture and the monastery houses outstanding collections of early Christian manuscripts and icons. The rugged mountainous landscape with numerous archaeological and religious sites and monuments forms a perfect backdrop for the monastery.”
Abu Mena – Egyptian UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Abu Mena is the remains of an early Christian holy city built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria, some 50 km south of present-day Alexandria. Menas is believed to have died in either the late 3rd or early 4th centuries. Not much remains of the ancient Christian city today except for the foundations of some of its grand buildings, such as the basilica.
However, local agricultural developments and land reclamation efforts have caused the water table to rise, making the ground around the site wet and unstable. Some buildings in the ancient city have collapsed and there are ongoing concerns about the site’s stability.
In 2001, Abu Mena was placed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in Danger and steps were taken to reinforce the foundations of important structures with sand. Drainage ditches were dug and pumps added to remove water from the ground. The site was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009 painted.
Abu Mena was placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list due to a rise in the water table that made the foundations of the remaining structures unstable or collapsed.
How to Visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Egypt
To visit all of Egypt’s World Heritage Sites, you need to travel to different parts of the country. Abu Mena is in the north near the Mediterranean coast, while Abu Simbel is in the far south of the country near the border with Sudan.
Cairo is a good starting point as the historical center itself is one of the attractions. The city is well connected to an international airport and is also close to the Giza pyramid complex and Memphis.
Whale Valley is also only a 2 hour drive from town and visitors can take tours to see the fossils.
To visit Abu Mena, it is advisable to drive to the coastal city of Alexandria, which is about 50 km northeast of the town, and visit the ruins from there.
The Saint Catherine area of South Sinai can be reached by road from Sharm-El-Sheikh. There are minibuses from the nearby town of El Tur. There is also a bus service from Cairo which takes about 8 hours.
Written by: Tamer Ahmed Abdel-Fattah | Tourism Expert
World Heritage Sites in Egypt | Discover How many , Which city has UNESCO World Heritage Sites
