When Yuri Gagarin visited Egypt

From 60 years ago, a Russian young man called Yuri Gagarin succeeded in go into Space and the rest was a world-known history.

The Soviet Cosmonaut truly made history in Space despite his short life that ended in a tragic accident on earth

The first man to go to space in recorded history. It was a huge moment but unfortunately, it was covered or stained by politics, West/East Space race or rather the US/Soviet race

Only now we look to it beyond that stupid polarization and propaganda machine I suppose. Or not so much as the tensions are still there. 

Anyhow in Egyptian Chronicles, we will not look into Gagarin's historical trip to space but rather at his trip to Egypt.

Yuri Gagarin in one of his coolest poses ever
in front of the Sphinx

Yes, Yuri Gagarin visited Egypt in 1962 as part of that world tour following his historical space flight and he had a blast in Egypt visiting Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and Luxor. 

He went to Giza plateau and took that amazing photoshoot. 

Yuri Gagarin at Giza pyramids 

Yuri Gagarin at Giza pyramids 

He was received and honoured by officials above them President Gamal Abdel Nassar. Gagarin met with the Nassers family too. 

Gagarin with the Nassers 

He also attended that Soviet-style celebration of the Youth Day in Egypt along with Nasser and Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat. 

Nasser decorated Yuri Gagarin the Order of the Nile. 

Nasser with Gagarin who was wearing the order 
of the Nile 

The leftists and socialists memorized the visit to Cairo and we have got poets like Abdel Rahman El-Khamsi writing poems about him. Khamsi wrote "Gagarin in my village" 

Gagarin between late president Nasser and to 
President Sadat along with the rest of Nasser
statemen "who were not statemen actually"

It is not a secret that the whole tour was soviet propaganda on steroids likewise on the American side years later. Yet despite the political use of those space achievements, one can't do anything except admire those early cosmonauts and astronauts and their courage to venture to the known. 

Here is also the State Information Service’s Newsreel about his visit and reception in Cairo.

Here is a coloured version of the visit’s footage from Getty Archives.

Now here Yuri Gagarin’s only interview with the Egyptian State TV.

He was interviewed by Egyptian TV host Tamder Tawfik, who became the first woman to head the Egyptian State TV years later.

Here is another footage filmed by the Russians themselves from the Soviet archives.

Yuri Gagarin died tragic accident in March 1968 that thanks to the secrecy of the Soviet Union created conspiracy theories that are still alive till now.