The waters of the mighty Nile allowed the otherwise dry land of Egypt to become a cradle for one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations.  From the start of the Old Kingdom around 2686 BCE, an era of rule by pharaohs of more than 30 family dynasties continued almost unbroken for nearly 3000 years. Egyptian culture flourished during this long period and remained distinctively Egyptian in its religion, arts, language and customs. The civilization began around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia. Its history occurred in a series of stable periods, known as kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. After the end of the last kingdom, known as the New Kingdom, the civilization of ancient Egypt entered a period of slow, steady decline, during which Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers. During that time pyramids and works of art, wars and political influences, jewelry and mists’ s secrets, ancient Egypt kept its ability to fascinate and attract.