Egypt ABC

A is for Arabic, the language of Islam

B is for Baksheesh, extortion… or a tip

C is for Camel and Cow, riding in a pickup together

D is for Donkey, carrying small boys and grown men and pulling heavy loads

E is for Egypt, of course

F is for Feta, a pungent and salty cheese

G is for Gods and Goddesses, of which there are many

H is for Hathshepsut, the powerful woman who locked up her son and became emperor

I is for Isis, Goddess of Love and Beauty

J is for Jewelry, which the child vendors try very hard to sell to you

K is for Kom Ombo, a massive and impressive Temple

L is for Lapis Lazuli, a beautiful blue stone

M is for Market, also known as The Souk

N is for the river Nile, source of life

O is for Osiris, God of heaven, killed by Set (God of Hell) and chopped into pieces, twice

P is for Pound, the currency of the country

Q is for Queen Nefertari

R is for Ra, half of the Godly duo known as Amon-Ra

S is for Sugarcane, piled high on donkey carts and loaded on to trains

T is for Tutmosis III, the aggrieved son of Hathshepsut

U is for Upper Egypt, which is south of Lower Egypt

V is for Valley of the Kings, where the bigshots were buried

W is for Wow, something we find ourselves saying a lot

X is for “this marks the spot” of a tomb or a temple or a sphinx

Y is for yell, over loudspeakers at 5am, calling the faithful to prayer

Z is for Zebra, which are not found in Egypt