Pharaonic Village is located on a smallish Nile River island known as Ya’aqoub Island not very far from downtown Cairo, and covers an area of approximately 490,000 square meters. The aim of this delightful attraction is to provide visitors with the opportunity to see what village life was like in ancient Egypt during the Pharaonic era. This is accomplished with the use of a wide range of replicas, along with the services of numerous actors and actresses.

Pylon at the Pharaonic Village in Cairo.

Pharaonic Village is a very popular venue for school outings in Egypt because it serves as a wonderful introduction to the history of Ancient Egypt. In fact, if you are travelling with children, and particularly children who have recently started learning about Ancient Egypt, then Pharaonic Village is definitely one of the Cairo Tourist Attractions you should consider visiting.

Admittedly, Pharaonic Village may not appeal to all adults, especially if they have already visited many of Egypt’s ancient attractions such as the Giza Pyramids; Valley of the Kings; Karnak Temple; Abu Simbel Temples; Luxor Temple, and etc. However, for people who are new to Egypt and the history of Ancient Egypt, then the Pharaonic Village can be a great starting point.

Pharaonic Village – More Than Just a Pantomime

While it is true that you’ll see numerous actors and actresses pretending to be doing various tasks that would have been a part of daily village life, the site does also have more to offer visitors. For example, there is a fabulous replica of King Tutankhamen’s tomb showing exactly what the tomb looked like when it was first discovered in the early 20th century. In fact, some visitors believe that this replica of his tomb is even better than his real tomb which is located in the Valley of Kings on Luxor’s West Bank.

The site also has a petting zoo, although at the time of this post being written, the petting zoo is still a work in progress. There is also a delightful arts and crafts market at Pharaonic Village where visitors can buy a wide variety of goods which are very reasonably priced.

There are also a number of small museums at the village, along with a very reasonably priced restaurant that sell both local and international dishes. Lastly, there’s a nice play park as well which is ideal if you are traveling with kids. It is worth noting that some tours also include a short cruise on the Nile which allows you to see the island from a different perspective.

A Brief History of the Pharaonic Village

The original concept for a Pharaonic Village occurred to Dr. Hassan Ragab sometime around 1997/8, and he and his son, Dr. Abdelsalam Ragab, would later work together in order to establish the Pharaonic Village that one can see today. Dr. Hassan Ragab originally went to the island in order to grow papyrus, with the desire to revive papyrus paper production, an art which at that time had been lost for around 1,000 years already.

While on the island, he had the idea to recreate a typical village as it would have been in Pharaonic Egypt; a village that would represent arts, games, industries, and daily life as it was all those thousands of years ago.

Our Final Conclusion

While you may not see Pharaonic Village mentioned in most of our Egypt Tour Packages or our Cairo Tour Packages, we do however believe is a great attraction to visit, particularly if you are traveling with kids who have just started learning about Ancient Egypt, or if you yourself are not all that familiar with Ancient Egypt’s history. It’s a great starting point from which to begin you journey of discovery into the country’s fascinating past.