There are a number of historical figures from Egypt that will be very present during your trip, especially if you book guided tours such as those provided by our agency. You will hear them in the explanations of monuments, you will come across them in large sculptures, you will see them evoked in establishments and you will even come face to face with their mummies. For this reason, in this and subsequent articles we have compiled some of the most famous ones so that you can start to familiarize yourself with them.
Amenophis IV, the heretic pharaoh
Yes, among all the historical historical personages of EgyptIf we had to choose the most mysterious and intriguing pharaoh, that would undoubtedly be Amenophis IV, also called Amenhotep IV, although he himself changed his name to Akhenaten (Akhenaton). A member of the 18th Dynasty, he lived in the 14th century B.C. and caused the greatest religious schism in the history of Ancient Egypt: he established the cult of the solar disk (Aten), displacing the other gods and establishing
de facto
a monotheism unheard of until then.
In addition, he promoted a change in the arts, with a marked naturalistic tendency, as can be seen in his own sculptural portraits. Portraits that nourish her mystery, as she had herself represented with voluptuous forms more typical of a woman. He founded a new capital, Amarna, but at his death it was destroyed, like all his legacy. You can learn more about this character on the page dedicated to Amarna.
Nefertiti, “the most beautiful” of Egyptian royalty
On that page we also talk about Amenophis IV’s wife, Nefertiti, whose name means “the beautiful woman has arrived”. And her great popularity comes precisely from there: her famous bust, preserved in the Neues Museum in Berlin, still sets the canon of ideal beauty more than three millennia later. This Great Royal Wife, moreover, may have played a fundamental role behind Akhenaton and some Egyptologists believe that she may have reigned at his death, under the name of Semenejkara.
Cleopatra, the most cinematographic in History
Nefertiti may have been the most beautiful, but if we are looking for the most seductive, that honor goes to Cleopatra (1st century BC). And that has given rise to numerous films and novels about his figure, being one of the most important historical figures of Egypt that have been filmed the most in Hollywood. His biography usually highlights episodes such as his romances with the strong men of Rome at the time, as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, or his tragic death, committing suicide with the bite of a snake Naja Haje. But if we were to delve deeper into her life, we would discover a ruler (the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty) with extraordinary preparation and determination in her actions, who led the kingdom from Alexandria, the capital of the time.
Saladin, a warlord among Egypt’s historical historical figures of Egypt
It is not only Antiquity that has left us great historical figures of Egypt. So do the Middle, Modern and Contemporary ages. From the first we can rescue Saladin, often known as the “scourge of Christendom” for his resistance and victories over the Crusaders. A member of the Ayyubid dynasty, he lived in the 12th century and was originally from Tikrit, present-day Iraq. But he is inseparably associated with Egypt, for he was its sultan and undertook numerous improvements in the country. And its best example is part of our Cairo tours: the Saladin Citadel.
