Imagine standing in a cave with an art form as ancient as history itself. You'll wonder how shapes, curves and paints survived all those years. Join Mohamed El-Hebeishy as he rediscovers prehistoric rock art.

Al-Gilf Al-Kebir (The Black Escarpment) is a gigantic plateau the size of Switzerland. It is located in the south west of Egypt's Western Desert, with Dakhla Oasis being the closest urban centre. Though this part of our planet is characterised today as hyper arid, thousands of years ago it flourished with water.

Humans as a race have a tendency to record; be it events, occasions or perhaps keeping a diary. Our early ancestors were no different and they too recorded their life, habits and surroundings in general, all in the form of rock art. Al-Gilf Al-Kebir might be all barren and deserted but it is rich with rock art.

The history of discovering such a priceless art started with Count [László] Almásy, the Hungarian aristocrat renowned as one of the early explorers of Al-Gilf Al-Kebir. In 1933, Almásy was the first modern-day man to set eyes on drawings of cattle, human figures and that of swimmers in Al-Gilf Al-Kebir. No wonder the cave was named The Swimmers Cave...

Snap Shots, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 784, March 02 - 08, 2006.

cf. The Gilf Kebir, Part I, Allan Watson, Tour Egypt, Texas, USA, August 19, 2005.

cf. The Gilf Kebir, Part II, Allan Watson, Tour Egypt, Texas, USA, August 22, 2005.

Count László Almásy and The Cave of the Swimmers were made famous recently in the 1996 film The English Patient which can be obtained on DVD from .

Follow Amira El-Noshokaty's footsteps to discover the wonders of Cairo on a winter day.

Walking through the streets of Cairo is, without doubt, a unique experience. Here, the streets have lives of their own, and history is very much alive. Indeed, it constitutes part of the daily rituals of local residents. And it is only on foot that one can gain a truly close feel of what lies behind the heritage — the people. Without doubt, winter is the best time of the year to enjoy a softer Cairene sun, as its golden rays promise warmth and company as one wanders through the streets of this wondrous city...

Walk like an Egyptian, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 784, March 02 - 08, 2006.

Serene Assir is moved by the monumental beauty of all that Luxor has to offer.

There is little that can calm the restlessness of the human spirit more than the direct experience of a location whose very soul speaks of eternity. Once known as Thebes, the ancient capital of the Pharaonic New Kingdom, Luxor transcends the limits of time and power, revealing, with astounding artistry that when all things come to pass, only beauty remains. Luxor also serves as a fascinating testament to different civilisational trends infusing with each other in a way which is as uncanny as it is vivid and extraordinary.

Situated south of Egypt, the small Upper Egyptian province of Luxor is home to a phenomenal 45 per cent of the world's ancient ruins. Indeed, according to Egyptologists, what has so far been uncovered makes up only about 10 per cent of what actually lies under the sand. The city, inhabited by just 150,000 people, sits on the east bank of a bend on the Nile, the last before the world's longest river reaches out into Sudan. The main sites are the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, as well as the quaint Luxor Museum. But there's more — the Museum of Mummification, which provides visitors with unique research into mummification methods and into this fascinating aspect of life in Ancient Egypt — as well as the Museum of Nubian Culture are also must-sees.

But it's across the Nile, on the west bank, that Luxor unveils its true magic...

The best remains, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 784, March 02 - 08, 2006.

An Ancient Egyptian sun temple has been found in Matariya, reports Nevine El-Aref.

During a routine excavation to inspect the site of Souk El-Khamis in Matariya, an Egyptian-German team uncovered the remains of a sun temple dating back to the reign of King Ramses II. This site is believed to be an important part of the ancient city of Iunu (ancient Heliopolis), which was one of ancient Egypt's three main cities. In addition to being the city of sun worship, Iunu was an astronomical centre and a literary hub, where intellectuals, including Greek philosophers, studied.

Among the unearthed artifacts were a pink granite colossus, weighing five tonnes, whose features resemble those of Ramses II, and a 1.5 metre sandstone headless statue of a Pharaonic figure, whose back is engraved in hieroglyphic text. While brushing the sand off, three cartouches of Ramses II were also uncovered, scattered on the temple ground, along with an unidentified pink granite royal head wearing a nemes (head dress).

Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Al-Ahram Weekly that further excavations revealed a number of talatat (small painted stones) bearing the name of Queen Nefertiti. "This suggests that the monotheistic King Akhenaten once built a temple or a shrine in this area," he said, adding that archaeological evidence of massive constructions of sun temples had been carried out much earlier that the 19th Dynasty...

Empire of the sun, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 784, March 02 - 08, 2006.

Archaeologists announced Sunday that they have discovered an ancient sun temple containing large statues of the pharaoh Ramses II under an outdoor marketplace in Cairo, Egypt.

The temple was found in a suburb of Cairo called Ain Shams. The site was once part of the ancient city of Heliopolis, which served as the center of sun worship in ancient Egypt. The chief sun god, Re, was the patron sun god of Heliopolis.

Ramses II, who is believed to have ruled Egypt from around 1279 to 1213 B.C., is known for his military exploits and monumental building projects. To celebrate his victories, he erected statues and temples to himself all over Egypt.

"The area where we are excavating now is where Ramses II of the 19th dynasty [1320 to 1200 B.C.] built an enormous temple for Re, the largest temple of Ramses II ever found," said Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo...

Giant Ancient Egyptian Sun Temple Discovered in Cairo, National Geographic News, District of Columbia, USA, March 01, 2006.