▁out ▁rest oration ▁work ▁in ▁Egypt . ▁ ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁Through out ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges ▁travel ers ▁on ▁pil gr images ▁to ▁the ▁Holy ▁Land ▁would ▁occasionally ▁det our ▁to ▁visit ▁sites ▁in ▁Egypt . ▁Dest in ations ▁would ▁include ▁C airo ▁and ▁its ▁en vir ons , ▁where ▁the ▁Holy ▁Family ▁was ▁thought ▁to ▁have ▁fled , ▁and ▁the ▁great ▁Py ram ids , ▁which ▁were ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁Joseph ' s ▁Gran aries , ▁built ▁by ▁the ▁Heb rew ▁patri arch ▁to ▁store ▁gra in ▁during ▁the ▁years ▁of ▁plenty . ▁A ▁number ▁of ▁their ▁accounts ▁( It iner aria ) ▁have ▁surv ived ▁and ▁offer ▁ins ights ▁into ▁conditions ▁in ▁their ▁respective ▁time ▁periods . ▁ ▁Abd ul ▁Lat if ▁al - Bag hd adi , ▁a ▁teacher ▁at ▁C airo ' s ▁Al - Az har ▁University ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 3 th ▁century , ▁wrote ▁detailed ▁descri ptions ▁of ▁ancient ▁Egypt ian ▁monuments . ▁Similarly , ▁the ▁ 1 5 th - century ▁Egypt ian ▁historian ▁al - Ma q ri zi ▁wrote ▁detailed ▁accounts ▁of ▁Egypt ian ▁anti qu ities . ▁ ▁European ▁expl or ers ▁European ▁expl oration ▁and ▁travel ▁writ ings ▁of ▁ancient ▁Egypt ▁comm enced ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 3 th ▁century , ▁with ▁only ▁occas ional ▁det ours ▁into ▁what ▁could ▁be ▁considered ▁a ▁scientific ▁approach , ▁not ably ▁by ▁Claude ▁Sic ard , ▁Ben o ît ▁de ▁Mail let , ▁Freder ic ▁Louis ▁Norden ▁and ▁Richard ▁P oc ock e