
While it’s forbidden for tourists nowadays to clamber up Egypt’s pyramids to take a snap, back in Victorian times it was all the rage.

European holidaymakers clad in three-piece suits or long formal dresses and hats had their photographs taken while climbing landmarks and sitting on top of camels at the country’s most recognisable icons including King Khufu’s tomb and the sphinx in Giza.

A series of astonishing vintage photographs from the 1890s to the 1930s capture tourists enjoying picnics and having an after-lunch nap, inside a temple with hieroglyphics.

In the images, mostly taken during the British occupation of Egypt, locals are depicted serving tourists wine, attending to camels and assisting visitors scaling the ancient structures including the 139-metre high Pyramid of Giza.

Fascination with Egypt’s antiquities is well documented during this period, with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 sparking further interest.

The adventurous tales of archaeological digs and the mysterious relics unearthed during the 30s have inspired numerous books and films including Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Mummy. The lingering intrigue that surrounds the Egyptian Empire still attracts modern visitors to these haunting 4,500-year-old sites.

Tourists brave the heat in long skirts, jackets and hats while sitting atop camels attended to by locals. In the background of this shot from 1900 is the pyramid and sphinx at Giza

This astonishing vintage photograph from circa 1898 shows European tourists enjoying a meal inside a temple with a backdrop of hieroglyphics while a local waits on them with a bottle of wine

In this capture from 1898, formally attired Victorian holidaymakers nap after having a wine-fuelled picnic inside a temple

Many of these images were taken during the British occupation of Egypt from 1882 to 1914. European holidaymakers clad in three-piece suits or long formal dresses and hats had their photographs taken at the country’s most iconic landmarks including the Sphinx of Giza. This shot is from circa 1880

While it’s forbidden for tourists nowadays to clamber up Egypt’s pyramids to take a snap, back in Victorian times it was all the rage. These holidaymakers, right and left, are scaling the 139-metre high Great Pyramid of Giza

Fascination with Egypt’s antiquities is well documented during this period, with the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 sparking further interest. This image at Giza dates back to 1905

Two women stand beside palm trees at the island of Philae at the side of the Nile in 1900 (left). A group of holidaymakers - dressed for a summer party - are helped as they climb up a pyramid to get the ultimate vantage point (right)

The Sphinx before excavation with tribesmen, a tourist and camels and the pyramids of Kephren (left) and Cheops (right) beyond at Giza circa 1890

Adventurous travellers: A Victorian tourist party riding camels at the Temple of Karnak in Luxor

The royal seal of approval: An archive snapshot of Prince Abbas Halim of Egypt visiting The Great Pyramid Of Giza

These two snaps from 1900 show the photo equipment and guides who helped Victorians achieve such impressive travel photographs

Pictured in 1867, even a young child makes the climb up the pyramid (left). A group of men rest at the top (right)

Two men watch a Zeppelin airship hover over the 4,000-year-old pyramids in 1931 (left). Visitors ride camels by King Khufu's tomb and the Great Pyramids in 1905 (right)

Hands on tourism: Egyptians climb The Great Pyramid in 1905 (left) and tourists clamber up it in 1867 (right)