She's not as famous as Cleopatra, but Hatshepsut's rise to power in ancient Egypt has the makings of a movie. Add the fact that her name was effectively erased from history after a prosperous reign of 20 years, and this compelling saga takes on the aura of mystery.

The timing couldn't be better. The actual mummy of the world's first great female ruler was found [Hatshepsut's mummy found] during preparations for "Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh," a blockbuster show that opens today at the Kimbell Art Museum.

Hatshepsut ascended the throne about 1473 B.C., in a manner that would hardly be approved of nowadays. As the eldest daughter of King Thutmose I, she married her younger half brother, Thutmose II, serving first as queen and then, following his death, as regent to her young nephew and stepson Thutmose III...

She Who Must Be Obeyed, Janet Kutner, WFAA-TV, Texas, USA, August 27, 2006.

As well as savouring an array of artistic and architectural delights, visitors to Siena can now learn how to make the cosmetics of the Pharaohs.

The Tuscan city's Santa Maria della Scala complex is holding workshops on preparing ancient Egyptian make-up, skin creams and beauty potions.

The initiative is accompanying an exhibition at the complex entitled 'Igiene e bellezza nell' antico Egitto' (Hygiene and Beauty in Ancient Egypt).

"Oils, perfumes and beauty products were used daily in ancient Egypt for aesthetic and hygienic reasons, but also to protect people from the sun, sand and wind," organizers said...

Ancient Egyptian beauty lessons, ANSA, Italy, August 29, 2006.

BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART

Old-fashioned museological Egyptology meets state-of-the-art, user-friendly installation in the permanent exhibition “Egypt Reborn.” The sunny, spacious galleries present thousands of objects, tracing an evolution from the pre-dynastic period in 3500 B.C. to the era of Roman influence. Wonders include a lavishly painted cartonnage with matching interior coffin lid, a frog-shaped childbirth amulet in brilliant blue faience, and a mummified crocodile from the crocodile cemetery at Kahun. An almost infinite listing of favourites is possible — just don’t miss the bird-headed terra-cotta figure thought to be a fertility goddess, one of the oldest, most renowned, and most beautiful artefacts in the world. A new section of the exhibition, a set of thirty old and rare books assembled under the heading “Egypt Through Other Eyes,” documents Western fascination with ancient Egypt over the last couple of centuries. Through Nov. 12 [2006]...

Art: Museums and Libraries: Brooklyn Museum of Art, The New Yorker, New York, USA, August 28, 2006.

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets to bid farewell to the 3,200-year-old red granite statue, which weighs 83 tonnes and was wrapped in plastic and thick padding for the painstakingly slow 35km journey, which took 10 hours.

Only the face was visible.

"We are going to miss you. Cairo will never be the same again," shouted 23-year-old Ahmad Sami as the statue started moving...

Thousands bid adieu to 3,200-year-old statue, Reuters via Gulf News, UAE, August 26, 2006.

Along with the Suez Canal and oil and gas revenues, tourism is one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency and, as the number of tourists increase every year, so does the importance of the money they pump into the national economy.

Patterns, however, are shifting, with tourists looking for something more than just the traditional tour of the monuments or cold drinks on a hot beach. With a little bit of development and forethought, Egypt has the potential to meet the new demands of worldwide tourists.

The scale of the industry is impressive. Last year, the number of visitors to Egypt increased from 8.1 million to 8.6 million, with Germany provided the largest number of visitors, 979,000, more than any other European country.

Egypt has always been famous as the land of the Pharaohs, and has relied on this for its tourism for a long time. But Egypt has much more to offer than the Valley of the Kings and the Giza Plateau...

Egypt more than just the land of Pharaohs, African News Dimension, August 27, 2006.

The red granite statue of Ramses II now stands before Babul Hadid Train Station in downtown Cairo. It is one of the most splendid statues carved for this renowned pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, who lived for 90 years and ruled Egypt for 67 years. The statue was discovered in 1882, broken into six pieces, in a palm jungle at Mit Rahina village in Saqqara, almost 30km away from the Giza Plateau. All attempts to restore the statue in situ failed until 1954, when it was transported to its current location at Babul Hadid where it was restored and reassembled by inserting iron bars inside the body. The statue of Ramses II soon became one of Cairo's most famous landmarks and a symbol of the ancient Egyptian civilization in the capital city of Cairo — the square bears his name.

But throughout the decades, urban development, housing expansion, traffic congestion, and the increasing rate of pollution in the square has affected the statue. To protect such a great colossus from decay, a decision was made by the minister of Culture and approved by the Supreme Council of Antiquities' Permanent Committee to relocate the statue to the location of the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Plateau...

Good Move for Ramses II in Egypt, Hazel Heyer, TravelVideo.TV, Ontario, Canada, August 29. 2006.

The red granite statue of Ramses II now stands before Babul Hadid Train Station down- town Cairo. It is one of the most splendid statues carved for this renowned pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, who lived for 90 years and ruled Egypt for 67 years.

This statue was discovered in 1882, broken into six pieces, in a palm jungle at Mit Rahina village in Saqqara, almost 30km away from the Giza Plateau. All attempts to restore the statue in situ failed until 1954, when it was transported to its current location at Babul Hadid where it was restored and reassembled by inserting iron bars inside the body. The statue of Ramses II soon became one of Cairo's most famous landmarks and a symbol of the ancient Egyptian civilization in the capital city of Egypt, even the square bears his name. But through out the decades, urban development, housing expansion, traffic congestion, and the increasing rate of pollution in the square has affected the statue. To protect such a great colossus from decay, a decision was made by the Minister of Culture and approved by the Supreme Council of Antiquities' Permanent Committee to relocate the statue to the location of the Grand Egyptian Museum overlooking the Giza Plateau...

The removal of Ramses II Statue, Zahi Hawass, The Plateau, Guardians.net, August 27, 2006.

Tourist artistic "Charming Egypt" exhibition was opened in the Chinese capital Beijing on Sunday 27/08/2006 as part of Egyptian tourist promotion efforts.

The exhibition houses 150 artistic paintings depicting the history of Egypt and the way of life of Egyptians over the various historical eras.

The exhibition was held on the occasion marking the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Cairo and Beijing.

Attending the exhibition were Egyptian ambassador in China Mahmoud Allam along with other Egyptian embassy staffers and representatives of Arab and diplomatic missions.

Egyptian exhibition opens in Beijing, Egypt State Information Service, Egypt, August 28, 2006.