Early tourists clambered to the top of Egypt’s pyramids in fancy dresses and suits
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1938
Tourists take tea atop the Great Pyramid.
Image: Bettmann/Getty Images
Since the visit of Herodotus in the 4th century BC, the enduring monuments of Ancient Egypt have drawn tourists across the Mediterranean from Europe, most of all to the towering pyramids of Giza.
With the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, visits by wealthy tourists increased. That same year, travel mogul Thomas Cook offered his first tour of Palestine and the Nile, and launched regular steamer trips on the great river in the following years.
The discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 spurred a renewed Egyptian fascination among Europeans.
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