ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys some South African examples of the Egyptian Revival. It indicates, for the first time, the way in which Ancient Egypt has served as a source of inspiration for South African architecture. Egypt can act as a source of inspiration over a variety of spheres. Although the examples from South Africa are limited in number and hardly comparable to those in Europe and the USA, it is noteworthy that the revival style still found expression in a place as far removed from Europe as the Cape of Good Hope at the most southern tip of the African continent. It is ironic that this inspiration came via Europe and not from the continent that it shared with Egypt. The Lighthouse of L'Agulhas, which was also called the Pharos of the South, was used from 1849 and is the second oldest lighthouse in South Africa. In each case, the obelisk was chosen to commemorate the memory of the dead.
