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We booked a desert stargazing tour from Hurghada because we wanted to experience more than the beaches and the Red Sea. We wanted to see the Egyptian desert, watch the sunset, and spend an evening under the stars.
Our adventure began with a 4×4 ride through the desert, accompanied by seven other travelers. There were ten of us in total with a driver, and the drive was quite an experience. Anyone who has been on an African safari probably knows the famous African massage — a bumpy ride where you feel every stone and uneven stretch of the road. It was certainly not the most comfortable journey, but it was worth it.
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A Bedouin Village and a Desert Sunset
Our first stop was a Bedouin village, where we were welcomed with a cup of traditional tea. The village seemed to be set up mainly for visitors, but I didn’t mind that. We could get an impression of Bedouin traditions and daily life, while the people living in actual villages could maintain their privacy.
After the adventurous drive, we had some time to rest and enjoy our tea. The sun was already getting lower, so we soon headed toward a nearby hill to watch the sunset.
We climbed onto the rocks, and the view was incredible. The desert stretched out around us, with mountains and rocky landscapes in every direction. As the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon, the colors of the sky and surrounding landscape began to change.
Sitting on those rocks, watching the sun set over the Egyptian desert, was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip.
Climbing the rocky hills of Egypt’s Eastern Desert to watch the sunset. The views from the top were worth every step.
Bedouin Bread and Dinner Under the Tent
Once the sun had disappeared, we returned to the camp, where a local woman showed us how traditional Bedouin bread is prepared. We even had the chance to try making it ourselves. Luckily, the dough was rolled out in a way that reminded us of making traditional Bosnian pita, so handling a rolling pin was nothing new to us!
The woman also offered handmade creams and herbal teas for sale, and we each bought something to take home.
Later, we gathered under a large tent for dinner. We were served what our hosts described as a traditional Bedouin meal, enjoying the food and the peaceful desert atmosphere as darkness settled around us.
But the part of the evening I had been looking forward to most was still ahead.
The Night Sky Through a Telescope
After dinner, it was finally time for stargazing. Our guide set up a telescope, and the first thing we observed was the Moon. I had seen the Moon countless times before, of course, but never like this. Through the telescope, its surface appeared incredibly detailed. I could actually see the craters, something I had previously known only from photographs. I had never felt so close to the Moon.
From the craters of the Moon to the Milky Way above me — one of the most magical nights of my Egyptian adventure.
We also observed Venus, Antares, Arcturus, and other stars visible in the desert sky that evening. Away from the bright lights of Hurghada, the night sky was an experience of its own. Looking up at the stars from the middle of the desert felt very different from looking at them in a city.
And then our guide began telling us stories.
Not just about the stars we could see through the telescope, but about the people who had watched the same sky thousands of years before us. He spoke about the ancient Egyptians, their understanding of the Sun and the stars, and the important role the sky played in their beliefs about life, death, and the world around them.
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We had come to the desert to enjoy the sunset and see the stars. What I hadn’t expected was that this evening would also introduce me to a interesting part of ancient Egyptian history.
And that is where the next part of this story begins.
When the Sky Guided Ancient Egypt
For the ancient Egyptians, the sky was much more than something beautiful to look at. The movements of the Sun, Moon, and stars were closely connected to their religious beliefs, calendar, agriculture, and understanding of life and death.
01 The Setting Sun and the Afterlife
One of the first things our guide explained was why the famous pyramids of Giza were built on the western side of the Nile. For ancient Egyptians, the Sun represented the cycle of life. It rose in the east, bringing a new day, and disappeared in the west, symbolizing death and the journey into the afterlife. They believed that the Sun god Ra traveled through the underworld during the night before being reborn at sunrise.
This connection between the setting Sun and the afterlife helps explain why so many ancient Egyptian tombs and burial sites, including the pyramids of Giza, were located west of the Nile.
02 Orion and the Three Pyramids of Giza
Our guide also told us about a fascinating connection between the three great pyramids of Giza and the stars. The three stars of Orion’s Belt — Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka — form a recognizable line in the night sky. According to a popular theory, the three main pyramids were positioned to reflect the arrangement of these stars.
Although this theory has never been scientifically established, the connection between Orion and ancient Egyptian beliefs is real. The ancient Egyptians associated Orion with Osiris, the god of the afterlife and resurrection.
Looking at the stars that evening, I was amazed to think how much those same constellations had meant to people thousands of years earlier.
03 Sirius and the Flooding of the Nile
Another important star in ancient Egypt was Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky. The Egyptians associated Sirius with the goddess Sopdet. Its first appearance in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise, after a period when it could not be seen, traditionally coincided with the beginning of the Nile’s annual flooding season.
These floods brought fertile soil to the surrounding land, making agriculture possible in an otherwise dry environment. Observing Sirius helped the ancient Egyptians follow the seasons and played an important role in their calendar.
04 Constellations and the Egyptian Calendar
Long before modern clocks, ancient Egyptians used the sky to measure time. They observed groups of stars known as decans, which appeared at different times throughout the night. These helped them divide the night into hours. Their calendar had 365 days, divided into 12 months of 30 days, with five additional days at the end of the year.
The zodiac signs we recognize today became part of Egyptian astronomical traditions much later, particularly during the Greek and Roman periods.
For ancient Egyptians, observing the sky was both a practical way of organizing everyday life and an important part of their religious world.