Discover GEEO’s recommended books to read before you travel to Egypt. Our book club is a way for travelers to learn through literature about the places they’ll be visiting.

These are some of our favorites about Egypt, so if you’re heading there, take a look (the GEEO book club is not a required element of our programs, just a bit of added fun)! We hope you will enjoy the books we have selected and they will enhance your experience.

You should be able to find most of our selections through the links below and in your local library system as well. Do you have any feedback on our selections or suggestions for additions? Contact us and let us know!

Recommended books to read before traveling to Egypt:

Fiction:

• The Yacoubian Building: A Novel by Alaa Al Aswany (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Non-Fiction:

• The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

More book suggestions:

• Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt by Emily Teeter (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Story of Egypt: The Civilization That Shaped the World by Joann Fletcher (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Egypt: The World of the Pharaohs by Regine Schulz and Matthias Seidel (Amazon)
• A History of Ancient Egypt by Marc Van De Mieroop (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The World of the Pharaohs: A Complete Guide to Ancient Egypt by Christine Hobson (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak by Tarek Osman (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh by Joyce A. Tyldesley (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Days: His Autobiography in Three Parts by Taha Hussein (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Cairo: The City Victorious by Max Rodenbeck (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Ancient Evenings: A Novel by Norman Mailer (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Palace Walk: The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Smiles of the Saints: A Modern Arabic Novel by Ibrahim Farghali (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters (#1 of a series of mystery books) (Amazon)
• River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel by Margaret George (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Nefertiti: A Novel by Michelle Moran (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Karnak Café by Naguib Mahfouz (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif (Bookshop.org | Amazon)
• Taxi by Khaled Al Khamissi (Amazon)
• Beer in the Snooker Club by Waguih Ghali (Bookshop.org | Amazon)

Recommended films and videos to watch before traveling to Egypt:

GEEO travelers can register with SIMA Academy for free using a unique access code that we provide after our programs end. Feel free to contact us if you would like to receive the access code early. For this program, we recommend watching Nefertiti’s Daughters. SIMA Academy utilizes the storytelling power of award-winning global short documentaries to nurture globally competent and socially active learners worldwide.

Other films and videos:

• Nile: 5000 Years of History miniseries (2018)
• National Geographic: Lost Treasures of Egypt series (2019–2020)
• The Square (2013)
• Cairo Station (1958)
• The Yacoubian Building (2006)
• Agora (2010)
• Death on the Nile (2022)
• Al-mummia – The Night of Counting the Years (1969)

GEEO utilizes both Bookshop.org and Amazon Associates links for the above-suggested books. If you purchase a book through one of the links above, you’re supporting us as a nonprofit and helping more teachers travel through GEEO!