Pharaoh (Fir'auna) stands tall in the annals of the history of man's interaction with power. On Monday, April 24, 2006, I found myself in the presence of the remains of the famous Pharaoh Rameses II (Rameses the Great), who arguably had his reign during the period of Prophet Musa (AS).

To this very day, the experiences within it restate the vanity of man. In that small corner of Cairo Museum lies helplessly the once great man, who wielded so much power and influence. Where is the power or influence-? The answer is not far fetched. Power, except that of Almighty Allah, is ephemeral no matter the length of time.

Apart from Rameses the Great, a good number of Pharaohs reigned in ancient Egypt. It is widely believed that about 7000 years ago, a young prince called Narmer or Menes, unified the northern (Red) and southern (White) ancient Egyptian territories to become Egypt's first Pharaoh. Subsequently, many other Pharaohs emerged including Djoser, Khufu or Cheops, Khafre or Chephren, Menkaure or Mycerinus, Unas, King Ahmosis, Tuthmosis III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamen or King Tut, and others...

At Home With the Pharaohs, Abdullahi M. Gulloma, allAfrica.com, July 07, 2006.

A report released recently by the Central Agency for Public mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said that the total number of tourists who visited Egypt from January to April 2006 hit about 3 million with an increase of 13% against the figure of the same period in 2005.

The report added the tourist nights reached about 21 million in the same period.

Tourist number increased by 13% in 4 months, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, July 06, 2006.

This Sunday — July 9, at 9:00 pm ET/PT — Discovery Channel will air "King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened." The program is about the recent discovery and opening of KV63, the first tomb found in the Valley of the Kings since the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb (KV62) in 1922.

KV63 seemed to have coffins but no mummies. The finds included embalming supplies (natron and linen), sealings (linking the tomb with Tut), pillows, oil and storage jars, and a miniature coffin of pink gold ... At the beginning of summer, there was still hope that the coffin farthest from the entrance might contain a mummy.

The new Discovery Channel documentary covers the opening of that coffin, what was found inside it, and what archaeologists thought of the tomb. The raw footage I was able to view showed an on-site interview with Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities; discussion between Hawass and project director Otto Schaden about the pink gold coffinette; and the opening of the coffin. The film of the opening is amazing: conservator Nadia Lokma seems out of her mind with worry, Hawass is giving orders, and Hawass and Schaden can't help but pitch in with the lifting...

The Final Coffin, Mark Rose, Archaeology Magazine, Archaeological Institute of America, New York, USA, July 06, 2006.

On our way back to the hotel we passed by the Cleopatra baths, a natural basin of immense beauty, fit only for the mysterious queen that has captivated minds for centuries. A natural sea water entrance and exit that has been chiselled into rectangles, allows the water inside the basin to renew itself depending on the level of current. Just sitting inside, one hears the echoes of waves while the rays of sunlight illuminate its entrance like a star-lit tomb. The sounds and smells of the Cleopatra baths provide an intimate experience with nature in its most rudimentary form. Some daredevils were diving from the top of the basin's alarmingly high structure, as an elderly man fished for crabs in the surrounding rocks.

In terms of archaeological finds, Matrouh might not stand out yet it has had its fair share of historical events partly due to its geographical importance to Egypt as one of its major western entry points. It is from Matrouh that Alexander the Great embarked on his quest for the Oracle of Amun in Siwa in 331 BC so as to confirm his divinity. Its coastal route represented the safest passage way across North Africa for everyone from the Greeks, Romans and Arab merchants to pilgrim caravans. According to Harvard scholar Oric Bates, Matrouh came to be known as Paraetonium during the time of Alexander. Bates says the name came after one of Alexander's men shot an arrow at a gazelle which missed, prompting Alexander to say, "fellow you have shot wide of the mark," which evolved into "wide of the mark", paraetonium in Latin.

Paraetonium also witnessed the romantic saga of Anthony and Cleopatra versus Octavian, later to become Emperor Augustus. Cleopatra anchored her fleet in present day Matrouh, where she directed part of her military campaign. After Anthony's men mutinied against him in Paraetonium, siding with Cornellius Gallus, he again rallied some of his fleet hoping to re-enter Paraetonium and bring his men back under his leadership. As Anthony called to his men across the walls to return to his allegiance, Gallus sounded trumpets so that his voice could not be heard. After Gallus destroyed most of his fleet, a weary Anthony headed east to fight Augustus in Pelsium, where he met his final defeat. According to some accounts the two lovers may have spent their last hours together in Paraetonium...

Where Cleopatra loved, Pierre Loza, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 802, July 06 - 12, 2006.

The pearl of the Mediterranean, Alexandria is not only renowned for its Bibliotheca, the Great Lighthouse and its sunken treasures but also hidden archaeologies obscured amidst bustling streets of Egypt's second largest city.

The tallest monument still standing in Alexandria is Amoud Al-Sawari (Column of the Horsemen). This is what the Arabs called the granite monolith of Aswan with a shaft 30 metres high, better known as Pompey's Pillar. Pompey was one of Julius Caesar's bitter foes. Having lost the civil war to the renowned Caesar, he fled to Alexandria. In 48 BC and once Pompey reached Alexandria, he was decapitated, with his head being sent to Rome as a token to gain the emperor's favour. It was believed that Pompey was buried where the pillar stands today. However, this is not true and the name Pompey's Pillar is a misnomer as the pillar was erected in 293 AD in honour of Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Pompey's Pillar is the obvious remains of what was once a religious complex dedicated to the cult of Serapis. Ptolemy I, founder of the Greek dynasty of rulers, formulated an Egyptian-Hellenistic God. His objective was to melt the ancient Greek and Egyptian religions into one and thus unit the two civilisations; he named his newly invented God Serapis. Ptolemy's plan worked and soon Serapis' cult not only spread across Egypt but the entire Mediterranean area. Soon, each Greek city was building its own Serapeion. Alexandria was no different and it also built its Serapis-dedicated temple in the area of Pompey's Pillar. Unfortunately, the whole complex was laid to ground in 391 AD when Bishop Theophilus decreed the eradication of paganism. Only the pillar and a couple of sphinx-like statues remain.

Snap Shots, Mohamed El-Hebeishy, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 802, July 06 - 12, 2006.

... While brushing the sand off the discovery, Hawass announced that he believes the tomb originally belonged to Tutankhamun's mother Kiya, who died while giving birth to him. In antiquity the tomb was robbed and used by embalmers to store their materials. Hawass's belief is based on initial findings which include seals, inscriptions, and a ceremonial bowl similar to one found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Hawass added that what gave his theory more credence was that the face depicted on top of one of the sarcophagi was very similar to the face of the boy king as we know it, especially the nose and the cheeks. "Such a tomb could never belong to Tutankhamun's wife," Hawass insisted. He explained that as the wife of Tutankhamun for 10 years, and afterwards the royal wife of his successor, Iye, for two more, she had enough time to carve a large, beautiful tomb for herself that would be fitting for a royal burial.

Hawass also promised that in September, after complete cleaning, all the hieroglyphic texts engraved on the seven sarcophagi would be studied in an attempt to reveal more secrets of the tomb, or even help solve one of the mysteries of Tutankhamun...

... Hawass continued that inscriptions had been found on some of the pottery shards, one of which said: "Year five, wine of Tjaru, a place in Sinai." A beautiful alabaster jar that was found inside one of the coffins bears the remnants of a faint text, but again no royal names were found...

A thing for ever, Nevine El-Aref, Al-Ahram, Egypt, Issue No. 802, July 06 - 12, 2006.