Recommended Reads for Family Travel to Egypt
Discover the best books for family travel to Egypt, from Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile to The Yacoubian Building and The Cairo Trilogy. Perfect pre-trip reads for all ages, this curated list blends fiction, history, and culture to enrich your journey through the land of the Pharaohs. Dive into recommended reads that bring Egypt’s past and present to life before you go.
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The Cat of Bubastes
by G. A. Henty
In 1250 B.C. the teenaged son of the Egyptian high priest sets off a series of harrowing events when he accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes and, accompanied by his sister and two foreign slaves, embarks on a dangerous journey to find safe havenbeyond the borders of Egypt.
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Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie
A murder on a cruise ship on the Nile baffles everyone except ace detective Hercule Poirot.
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The Cairo Trilogy
by Najīb Maḥfūẓ
A series of historical fiction based on the life of a family living in Cairo during the British Colonial period and afterward.
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The Yacoubian Building
by Alaa Al Aswany
This controversial bestselling novel in the Arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of Egypt today. All manner of flawed and fragile humanity reside in the Yacoubian Building, a once-elegant temple of Art Deco splendor now slowly decaying in the smog and bustle of downtown Cairo: a fading aristocrat and self-proclaimed "scientist of women"; a sultry, voluptuous siren; a devout young student, feeling the irresistible pull toward fundamentalism; a newspaper editor helplessly in love with a policeman; a corrupt and corpulent politician, twisting the Koran to justify his desires. These disparate lives careen toward an explosive conclusion in Alaa Al Aswany's remarkable international bestseller. Teeming with frank sexuality and heartfelt compassion, this book is an important window on to the experience of loss and love in the Arab world.