In photos: Pharaonic celebrations of Valentine’s Day

CAIRO - 14 February 2019: The ancient Egyptians were the first to present flowers to their wives on the 282 annual celebrations known to the ancient Egyptians, according to a recent historical study by Director of the Gharabli Center for Research and Development of Egyptian Women, Shirin Gharabli.

Gharabli also revealed the existence of dozens of Pharaonic texts, showing what ancient Egyptians wrote to express their feelings for their lovers.In an ancient manuscript an ancient Egyptian lover wrote, "My unique beloved is of incomparable beauty. She is a star shining on the outskirts of a good new year."



Gharablialso said that ancient Egyptians used to give the lotus flower to their lovers,which is the symbol of the country.

She added that the Pharaohs' literary texts show the poems of gram and pointed out that there are texts of ancient Egyptian women expressing their feelings for their lovers.

“Women in ancient Egypt enjoyed personal freedom. The husband shared with his wife his house and tomb and the statues of the couple were placed side by side.The ancient Egyptian was loyal to his home and was attentive to the needs of his wife,”Gharabli added.

Gharabli said it would surprise the modern world that women in Pharaonic Egypt enjoyed rights that women in European countries do not enjoy today.

Lovers exchange flowers and greeting cards on Valentine's Day, which is celebrated annually on February 14 and coincides with St. Valentine's Day.

St. Valentine was called the martyr of the lovers, their patron and their protector; he helped hundreds of lovers get married secretly at a time when Emperor Claudius II, in 296 AD, forbade Rome's soldiers to marry in order to continue defending the empire.




Ankhesenamun: King Tut’s Wife

The story of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari is one of the most famous love stories of ancient Egyptians. The story was engraved on the walls of Nefertari Temple in Abu Simbel. Ramses II describes his wife as a symbol of beauty and love. Nefertari was the only one of his wives to build a temple called Hathor next to his temple in Abu Simbel in Aswan, and erected statues of the same size as his statues in recognition of her and expressing his love for her.

Egypt, Abu Simbel, Temple of Nefertari and Hathor