Egypt, Arab Rep.

Stairway and ramp leading up to Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri. Hatshepsut lived between 1508-1458 B.C. She was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I and married her half brother, Thutmose II. When he died, she became pharaoh. Her 22-year reign is known for bringing prosperity to her subjects.

The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three kings' pyramids on the Giza Plateau. The city of Cairo appears in the background.

Juba, a port city on the White Nile, is the capital of South Sudan and one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Juba's population is estimated to be roughly 350,000 to 400,000. The city has doubled in size since 2005, when a peace agreement ended the civil war in Sudan. Both hopeful immigrants and returning residents have created the population surge. The city was a central point for humanitarian aid, and the operations base for the UN and NGOs during the Sudanese conflicts. During the fighting, city infrastructure and main transportation arteries suffered heavy damage. The city is still surrounded by army camps and squatter settlements (labeled "informal built-up areas" in the image). They appear as muted gray areas extending outward from the center of the city. The city also hosts the Juba Game Reserve, a protected area of savannah and woodlands that is home to key bird species. Since independence, a variety of countries and international organizations have helped rebuild Juba's roads, railroads, and airport. Unfortunately, South Sudan continues to experience local wars with a variety of armed groups, including on-going conflicts with Sudan over oil-rich territories. Image courtesy of NASA.

Birth House at the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. A birth house or "mammisi" was associated with the nativity of a god. The birth house at Dendera was constructed mainly by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117.

The Sultan Hassan and Ar-Rifai Mosques as seen from the Citadel with Cairo in the background. The Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasah (religious school) is a masterpiece of Mamluk architecture that was begun in 1356 and completed in 1363. It contains the burial chamber of the Sultan's two sons and is featured on the Egyptian hundred-pound note. The Ar-Rifai Mosque was built between 1869 and 1912. It houses the tomb of King Farouk, Egypt's last reigning monarch, and other members of the Egyptian royal family, as well as the tomb of the last shah of Iran.

Djeser-Djeseru (the Holy of Holies) is Pharaoh Hatshepsut's mortuary temple in the temple complex of Deir el-Bahri near Luxor. Pharaohs of the 11th and 18th Dynasty's built their temples here. Hatshepsut's temple (the best preserved) was built into the cliff side on top of a series of colonnaded terraces in the classical Theban form; it includes a pylon, courts, a hypostyle hall, sun court, chapel, and sanctuary.