Egypt – the land of the pharaohs and rich in history – definitely my favourite country I have visited so far.
Cairo is a huge, bustling city where drivers continually press down there horns and drive like maniacs. I spent over a week in Cairo, using it as a base to visit nearby sites. The number one must see is of course the Great Pyramids at Giza. Seeing the pyramids of TV does not do them justice – you need to there to get a sense of the place and be amazed of these fantastic stone structures, the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World. People can actually go inside one of the main three pyramids here (they rotate which one is open during the year), and some of the smaller pyramids for queens can also be entered but are not as good. The Sphinx is just down from the path and seems to be there to stand guard over the pyramids. There is a Light and Sound show that runs most nights but make sure to come when the show will be in a language you understand..I didn’t as it was in Spanish when I went.. but I didn’t care as I just came to see the Sphinx and Pyramids lit up in the different colours. The other big tourist attraction in Cairo is the Egyptian Museum. Highlights of the museum are Tutankhamun’s treasures (especially the death mask), the Mummy Room (costs extra but well worth it..seeing the mummies of famous pharaohs is an eerie experience), the Animal Mummy Room (has cats, birds, snakes, donkeys and more all bandaged up), and the Tomb of Tanis Treasures.
Not far outside the Cairo is the ancient site at Saqqara, the site of the first ever pyramid built in ancient Egypt – the Step Pyramid. Other pyramids nearby include the Bent Pyramid, which was the first attempt at a true pyramid – where ancient builders had to change the angle of the pyramid half way up as they realised the had made a mistake, and the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid, where not many tourists go, and where you can climb into the pyramid and go into various chambers. Another place near Cairo to visit is the ancient capital of Memphis, home of the second biggest Sphinx in Egypt, and some very impressive giant statues of the pharaoh Ramses the Great.
After Cairo I caught an overnight train to Aswan. From Aswan you can make your way to Philae Temple, an ancient temple built on its own island and in an excellent condition. It’s quite a beautiful temple built to the Goddess Isis and was the last place ancient Egyptians could worship their gods before the Romans took over the temple and used it as a place to worship Christ. Just across the river from Aswan are a bunch of holes in a mountain that might not look much.. but they contain the Tombs of Nobles. Inside some of these tombs are hieroglyphics that are still in colour (a rare thing in Egypt due to pollution problems). Aswan is also used as a base to make the three hour bus journey (shorter by plane) to the site of Abu Simbel near the bottom border of Egypt. This place was built by the famous pharaoh Ramses the Great (or Ramses II) for his wife, Nefertari. The site has two temples built into the sides of mountains, one for Ramses that has four giant statues at the front, and one for Queen Nefertari that has six slightly smaller statues at the front. Both temples have chambers inside the mountains with fantastic reliefs and carvings, with Ramses’ temple giving his bias account of the famous ancient Battle of Kadesh.
Temples I visited between Aswan and Luxor are Edfu and Kom Ombo. Edfu is the most intact temple in Egypt as it was buried by sand for many years and still has its roof. Kom Ombo appears to be a place where they worshiped crocodiles as there are some crocodile mummies that can be seen at this site.
Next stop for me was Luxor. Home to the largest number of ancient sites discovered in Egypt, as this was the principle area of worship in ancient times. The most famous site here is the Valley of the Kings. Here when visitors purchase a ticket the can visit three of the open tombs but Tutankhamun’s tomb is an extra cost to visit. Some people say Tutankhamun’s tomb is not worth a visit as it is a lot smaller than other tombs – but this tomb still stores the mummy of Tutankhamun in his sarcophagus and has excellent wall paintings.
Luxor is also home to two very large temple complexes – Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.. both are very impressive. Both temples have giant statues and huge obelisk (giant, pointed columns made from single pieces of rock and covered in hieroglyphics). Karnak Temple also has a Sound & Light show at night where people walk around in a tour as various parts of the temple are lit up.
Also on the west bank, no far from the Valley of the Kings, are other interesting places to visit including the Ramesseum, Temple of Seti, Medinet Habu, the Colossi of Memnon and the ancient workers village at Deir Al-Medina. On the opposite side of the mountain to the Valley of the Kings is the temple at Deir Al-Bahari, a well restored temple carved into the side of the mountain, built for the ancient female (yes, female) pharaoh Hatshepsut.
After Luxor I made my way back to Cairo and then went to Alexandria, a city established by Alexander the Great, and an interesting place to visit as it has Egyptian, Greek and Roman influence in its ancient sites and modern ones.
Hope this gives people some ideas of places to visit! I’m going back again sometime soon I hope!
