A tourist perched on a camel, a Bugatti

at the foot of the pyramids, high tea served

in jasmine-draped gardens ... these are

the images of Egypt under the last kings,

Fuad and Farouk, in the first half of the

twentieth century. This era saw the birth

of organized tourism on a grand scale,

under the guiding genius of Thomas Cook,

with fifty thousand wealthy adventurers

boarding boats each year for the Nile.

Among this throng, however, were those

not content to be simply photographed

in front of the ruins and then return home.

In a country looking towards Europe and

"protected" by the British army, a very

particular social set formed in Cairo

and Alexandria. Within this cosmopolitan,

ephemeral world, cinema and avant-garde

theater flourished, featuring such stars

as dancer Samia Gamal, director

Youssef Chahine, and actor Omar Sharif.

Fascinating and often witty accounts

of these times have been left by Egyptian

writers and celebrated travelers to the

country, including Rudyard Kipling,

Jean Cocteau, and André Gide. Extraordinary

period photographs also survive, from tourists

in white suits and panama hats to exotic

local dancers. Together these accounts

and photographs offer us a rare glimpse

of another era, bringing alive once again

the fragile and effervescent glamour

of Egypt under the last kings.