- In the era of the Greeks, the ancient library of Alexandria was built. It was gigantic and soon filled with more than 700,000 rare books, but it burned down many times
The English Playgroup and Primary Schools in Salmiya was very proud to have two of its students’ work published in the COBIS WORLD STIJDENTS MAGAZINE.
The following article was written and published last year - 2016, when the student was in Year 5.
the first time I opened my eyes was in lovely Egypt in 200 5. I soon fell deeply in love with it, although I wouldn’t understand that until much later. In 2007 my family moved away to Kuwait for work, and we have happily adapted to life here.
Although I grew up in Kuwait, go to school here and have many friends, I can’t wait for the moment that my family decides to return to my home country for good. Let me explain why. Let me take you on a tour of Egypt!
We begin our journey in the city of Luxor, a city of almost half a million people beside the Valley of Kings and the Valley of Queens. When the winter brings cold weather to other places in the world. beautiful Luxor stays warm and sunny.
Did you know that the ancient Egyptians had more than one thousand gods? This I learnt in the Al Karnak temple. Even though tourists may only see the Locals in the city, many farmers work close by, on the River Nile, growing food for the city.
Next, get ready for an amazing time as we head to Cairo, the capital of Egypt! The famous city is the largest in Egypt. It is full of people, crowded, and noisy, but this is the very reason some people fall in Love with the city. Cairo has many modern features including the largest Islamic university in the world, Al-Azhar University. Students come from all around the world to attend it!
Next, off we go to the nearby pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx.
These are among the wonders of the ancient world. Nobody is Quite sure how they were built. Phew, all of this travelling is making me hungry! Let’s go take our lunch in one of the beautiful shops along the Nile. Here we go, back to the oldest streets in Cairo. On Hay Alhusayn Street you can almost smell the history.
You are invited to come in for a delicious Egyptian desert of rice pudding with nuts in one of the cafes of Hay Alhusayn Street. Afterwards, let’s go to Hay Khan Alkhalili for some souvenirs. Well, that was nice. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did!
Recently, I had a pleasant surprise back in Kuwait, after many months of hard work and studying, my parents decided to go on a trip to a relaxing and beautiful city. They selected Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.
I believe that Sharm EL Sheikh is the prettiest city on the Red Sea, It is famous for its beautiful coast, but what is really stunning is what lies under the water!
I went diving and was surprised by the many strange aquatic creatures that I hadn’t seen before, like green turtles, Lion fish, crocodile fish, eels, anemones, table coral, clown fish, blue spotted stingrays, small octopuses, and polyclads. Let’s go swimming alongside the fish, who are used to swimming with the humans and don’t swim away! Sharm El-Sheikh was a great place to have fun, relax and recharge, Once our vacation at this beautiful town was over, we were ready to go back to work at home!
Our tour ends in Alexandria, the ‘bride of the Mediterranean Sea: Alexandria was created by Alexander the Great, and was the capital of Egypt for nearly 1000 years. When it was the capital, it contained the Alexandria beacon, which was considered another of the wonders of the ancient world because it stood over 120 metres high. Unfortunately, it sank after an earthquake 700 years ago. Now in its place you can find the beautiful Bey Citadel.
In the era of the Greeks, the ancient library of Alexandria was built. It was gigantic and soon filled with more than 700,000 rare books, but it burned down many times! It was renovated in 2002 to be the new library of Alexandria, with a unique design based on the sun. It now allows sunlight to enter everywhere, over its 8 million books.
As you can see, Egypt has a lot to offer, and I haven’t even spoken of half of what there is! From culturally important and beautiful aspects at Luxor and Giza, to shopping in Cairo, to diving and sunbathing in Sharm El-Sheikh, and finally to book browsing in Alexandria, there is definitely something for everyone. I hope that after reading this, you can understand why I dream of returning to my home, to my country, to my Lovely Egypt.
By: AI Saeed Wael AI Saeed AI Baqri