Of all the countries of the Middle East, the one that attracted the most visitors from Britain was, of course, Egypt. The attractions of the pyramids, tombs and monuments drew tourists in droves. Cairo offered luxurious amenities for the western traveler, with lavish hotels that catered to the needs of Europeans who might want to explore another country but preferred to dress and dine as if they were still at home. The Nile offered a means of travel through the country by luxurious dahabeah boats, which might be furnished in such western style as to even include a piano! (For an excellent fictional representation of travel and exploration in Egypt in Victorian times, see Elizabeth Peters' excellent series about Amelia Peabody - a character based on two real-life female Egyptologists.)

Grotto of Samoun (Godey's, 1833)

[Egypt] At the Gates of the East, by Charles Dudley Warner (Atlantic Monthly, 1875)

My Real Turkish Bath: A Lady's Experience in Egypt (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Passing the Cataract of the Nile, by Charles Dudley Warner (Atlantic Monthly, 1875)

Up the White Nile (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

Elephant-hunting in Egypt.

Egypt of Today, by Arthur Arnold (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

One of the major exports of Egypt in 1877 was mummy bones, ground up to be used as fertilizer in English fields!

A Wedding in Egypt, by A.H. Wall (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

[Ras-el-Birr] An Egyptian Watering-Place, by M.L. Whately (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1882)

The War in Egypt, by George B. McClellan (Century Magazine, 1882B)

Degree Day in Cairo, by R.E. Johnstone (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

My Journey with the Khedive (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

A voyage up the Nile.

A Persian Orgy in Cairo, by A.J. Butler (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

"Orgy" in the sense of "frenzy" - a ritual celebration of the death of Hoseyn, grandson of the prophet, which often included ritual violence and bloodshed.

Diary of an American Girl in Cairo, During the War of 1882, by Fanny Stone (Century Magazine, 1884B)

Experiences of an American family following the British bombardment of Alexandria.

Lake Moeris and the Greeks, by James Herbert Morse (Century Magazine, 1884B)

A look at engineering on the River Nile.

The Winter Climatic Resorts of Three Continents, by William Smith Brown (Harper's Monthly, 1887B)

The winter resorts of the Nile; Southern France, Italy and the Riviera; and Algiers.

The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx at Gizeh, by the Rev. Thomas Jackson (Quiver, 1876)

Egypt, by Charles Dudley Warner (Harper's Monthly, 1891A)

An editorial look at "modern" Egypt.

The Spoiling of Egypt by L. Edwin Dudley (Century Magazine, 1891A)

The exportation of Egypt's antiquities to other parts of the world.

Egypt by Charles Wood (Argosy, 1893)

This lengthy series looks at the pyramids, Cairo, Memphis, Sakkarah, and the people of Egypt.

Egypt of To-Day (Windsor, 1897A)

From Cairo to Cataract, by Sir George Newnes, Bart. (The Strand, 1898A)

The Scramble for the Upper Nile, by E. Dorsey Mohun (Century Magazine, 1898B)

The Seven Wonders of the World, by Benjamin Ide Wheeler (Century Magazine, 1898B)

A look at the historic seven wonders of the world, including the Pyramids of Gizeh.

From the Cape to Cairo, by C. De Thierry (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

"A description of Mr. Rhodes' great scheme of building a railway from one end of Africa to another. This railway will pass through districts inhabited by very strange tribes, some of which are here depicted by photographs taken by different travelers."

The Cape to Cairo Railway, by W.T. Stead (Windsor Magazine, 1899B)

The Pharaohs Have Vanished, the Pyramids Remain (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

[Aswan Dam] Old Egypt and Its Newest Wonder, by Jennie Day Haines (St. Nicholas, 1900A)

My Museum of Eastern Curios, by Mrs. Eliza Brightwen (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

The author provides many insights into Eastern life through her collection of objects.

The Anglo-Egyptian Army, by Alured Gray Bell (Windsor Magazine, 1902A)

Round the Pyramids, by John Ward (Windsor Magazine, 1902A)

Up and Down the Nile, by An Ordinary Girl (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

A Journey by the Way of the Philistines, by Mrs. Gray Hill (S. Sibthorp) (Windsor Magazine, 1903A)

Traveling through "The Little Desert" between Egypt and Syria.

See also

• Archaeological Discoveries in Egypt

• The Middle East

• Morocco, Algeria & Tunis

• Persia

• Turkey

• "The Holy Land"