Egypt is a popular tourist destination with its rich history and culture. During the early 1800s a stream of intrepid travelers visited the country, their accounts of the sights and people finding fascinated readers back in England. Artists such as David Roberts visited and produced art that still stands as a record of Egypt’s past.
Adventurers took art home, and some of the original pieces can still be found in the British Museum, the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Around 1860 Thomas Cook started leading organized tours down the Nile while Cairo attracted a large number of foreign businessmen eager to conduct trade and make a huge profit.
Lynx to the Pharaoh takes place in 1835, Egypt in the fictitious oasis of Patria. Lady Charlotte Webster has accompanied her stepbrother William and his friend Justin to Egypt after the death of her husband. Sethmet, our hero suspects the men are searching for the tomb of the cat and want the pharaoh’s treasure—the treasure that he has sworn to protect.
One of the best known tombs is that of Tutankhamun, which Howard Carter discovered in 1922. Archaeologists are still finding lost tombs and other interesting finds, and I’m sure they’ll continue to do so for some time.
There has always been talk of curses involved when it comes to disturbing tombs. In Lynx to the Pharaoh, Sethmet’s family is charged with protecting the pharaoh and his tomb. Failure means death at the hands of a curse and the entire family will lose their feline shape shifter powers.
I can imagine the lure of finding treasure and can understand that experts would discount talk of curses. William and Justin certainly don’t believe in the curse and are determined to find the tomb of the cat. They want the riches and fame the discovery of the tomb will bring.
Imagine you’re a 19th century adventurer and you’ve traveled to Egypt, determined to find a lost tomb. Would a curse scare you off? How long would your determination last? How long would you continue your search before you gave up and went home? And what do you think of Tutankhamun’s mask?
Source: Lonely Planet, Egypt
Both photos taken at Egyptian Museum
Photo 1: jars containing organs i.e. mummy’s organs.
Photo 2: Tutankhamun’s Golden Mask
Note – I’ll announce the winner of the ARC at the end of the day (my day in NZ)
