His lineage goes back to the time of the “Pharaohs“.

With their large numbers and diverse colors, stray dogs are one of the main features of Egyptian streets and squares. While repeated incidents of biting in many Egyptian areas cause panic among citizens, a large segment of them are familiar with them and provide them with food, drink and medicine, as they consider the Egyptian local dog to be loyal and intelligent.
Alexandria Governorate (north of Egypt) witnessed last September the stray dog ​​biting 30 people.
After the negative news resulting from these incidents and the successive chases of stray dogs in Egypt, stray dogs in the Giza Pyramids area (west of Cairo) received wide attention after a paragliding enthusiast captured a photo of a dog on top of the Great Pyramid; this dog and its peers in the archaeological area turned into “stars” and a source of tourism promotion.
The dog climbed the Pyramid of Khufu, which is about 146 meters high and was built during the era of the Fourth Pharaonic Dynasty around 2560 BC. It is the largest pyramid among the three famous pyramids that are world-famous as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” and are registered on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The current Egyptian local dog breed descends from a pharaonic breed called the “Pharaonic dog”. According to archaeologist Dr. Abdel Rahim Rayhan, a member of the History and Antiquities Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, this type of dog is one of the oldest dog breeds, as it was used to hunt gazelles and other prey. Resemblances of these dogs were found on the walls of the tomb of Pharaoh Antifa II, which dates back to 2300 BC. In the sixteenth century BC, the Phoenicians brought a pharaonic dog to the island of Malta, and settled there until modern times. Pharaonic dogs are characterized by a length of between 53 and 70 cm at shoulder height and weigh between 15 and 23 kg. They are famous for using their senses of sight and smell in hunting, and they move with speed and agility that matches the fitness of a pyramid dog.

“Dogs were beloved in ancient Egypt and had a religious dimension due to their association with the god Anubis, the god of death, mummification and the afterlife. He was usually depicted as a dog or a man with a fang-headed head, and it was believed that they served as companions and guides for humans in the afterlife,” Dr. Rehan told Asharq Al-Awsat.

In ancient Egypt, dogs came in seven distinct types: Basenji, Saluki, Ibizan, Pharaonic, Saluki, Whippet and Molossian.

Recently, Nada Zein El-Din, an antiquities restoration expert and an activist in the field of dog care and treatment, contributed to changing the societal view of local dogs, which were chased by some in the Khalifa area of ​​Cairo and other areas. Her photos and videos with two domesticated dogs from the area surrounding the Sultan Hassan Mosque yielded positive reactions and remarkable praise.

Nada told Asharq Al-Awsat: “After vaccinating the area’s dogs against rabies and sterilizing them, everyone accepted their presence and took care of them after they were exposed to bad behavior from some boys.”

Nada and some of her colleagues collect financial donations to buy “rabies serum”, “sterilization” and food meals for dogs in remote areas such as the Saqr Quraish area adjacent to the desert.

Veterinary experts consider the local dog to be one of the smartest, most loyal and most disease-tolerant types of dogs. It is one of the most widespread and popular breeds in Egypt. It can rely on itself for food and drink, and many people use it to protect and guard their homes on an ongoing basis.

A large number of celebrities interacted with the “global fame of the Pyramids Dog”, including artist Salah Abdullah, who described the dog as “the dweller of hearts” and that it is much more beautiful than other phenomena that dominate social media platforms, according to him.