Women Travelers on the Nile

Deborah Manley is the author of a number of books on Egypt and the editor of A Cairo Anthology (AUC Press, 2013) and co-editor of A Nile Anthology (AUC Press, 2015).

"I’d found kindred spirits in the women who chronicled their expeditions to Egypt in the 19th century, and spurred on by them, I’d planned my trip. . . . Beside my chair were collections of letters and memoirs written by intrepid female journalists, intellectuals and novelists, all British or European. Relentlessly entertaining, the women’s stories reflected the Egyptomania that flourished after Napoleon invaded North Africa in 1798."—Michelle Green, The New York Times

• Introduction Alexandria, the Delta, and Suez What You Need to Bring, 1861 M.L.M. CareyArriving in Egypt, 1779 Eliza FayEntering Alexandria, 1842 Sophia PooleThe Pacha’s Palace, 1861 M.L.M. CareyOnward to Cairo, 1988 Bettina SelbyWomen of the Delta, 1827 Anne Katherine ElwoodFirst Sight of the Pyramids, 1846 Harriet Martineau Cairo Arriving from the Desert, 1844 Countess Hahn HahnSo Much for an Artist to See, 1899 E.M. MerrickThe Scene from my Balcony, 1907 Norma LorimerPassing in the Streets, 1852 Ida PfeifferThe City at Night, 1870 Mary WhatelyOur Neighbours, May 25, 1863 Lucie Duff GordonProcessions Past the Window, 1842 Sophia PooleKhan El-Khaleelee, November, 1842 Sophia PooleBeautiful Architecture, 1907 Norma LorimerThe Cotton Bazaar—and the Water-carriers, 1914 E.L. ButcherThe Bath, April, 1844 Sophia PooleThe Environs of Cairo The Tombs of the Mameluke Sultans, 1828 Sarah LushingtonThe Pasha’s Country Palace, 1828 Sarah LushingtonThe Pasha’s Garden at Shoobra, 1853 Lady TobinAscending the Pyramid, 1845 Harriet MartineauA Trip into the Interior, 1938 Mary ChubbUp the Nile from Cairo Our Dahabieh, 1844 Isabel RomerA Prayer on Starting, 1842 Sophia PooleOur Boat from Luxor, 1827 Sarah LushingtonMet along the Way, 1875 Mary WhatelyNile Days—on the S.S. Ramses the Great, 1907 Norma LorimerMeeting Crocodiles, 1845 Isabel RomerMet on the Nile, 1827 Wolfradine MinutoliHarvest, January 1874 Marianne NorthNubia and Beyond and Turning North Approaching Nubia, 1861 M.L.M. CareyThe Nubian Women, 1827 Wolfradine MinutoliAssouan, 1844 Countess Hahn HahnThe High Dam, 2006 Rosemary MahoneyThe Adventure of the Cataract, January 25, 1882 Sophia de FranquevilleThe Temple of Isis, 1855 Lady TobinThe Tropic of Cancer, 1873 Amelia EdwardsDakkeh, Maharaka, Wady es Subua—and Abu Simbel, 1851 Emily HornbyA Mighty Abode, 1907 Norma LorimerThe Furthest Point, 1847 Harriet MartineauTwo Cultures to Wadi Halfa, 1988 Bettina SelbyDown the Cataract, March, 1874 Marianne BrocklehurstNorthward down the Nile North from Assouan, 1855 Lady TobinNight Noises on the Nile, 2006 Rosemary MahoneyRowing down the Nile, 2006 Rosemary MahoneyThe Alme Dancers,1861 M.L.M. CareyBack in Cairo, 1854 Lady Tobin7: Luxor and the West Bank—the Thebes of Old Arrival at Thebes, 1817 Sarah BelzoniLuxor Temple—Far and Near, 1843 Countess Hahn HahnTrade in Antiquities, 1874 Amelia EdwardsThe Unrivalled Ruins of Karnak, 1859 Emily Anne Beaufort Last Scenes at Luxor, 1847 Harriet Martineau“Belzoni’s Tomb,” 1824 Anne Katherine ElwoodPraise for the Paintings, 1828 Sarah LushingtonMummies, 1828 Sarah LushingtonEgypt Beyond the Nile—the Desert The First Day Out, 1899 Emily HornbyNo Water in the Desert, 1876 Isabella BirdThe Khamsin, 1848 Harriet MartineauBeyond the Desert—and an Afreet, 1911 Lady Evelyn CobboldThe Travelers: Brief Biographies BibliographyAcknowledgmentsIllustration Sources