Cairo: Highlights of the River Nile

The Nile is synonymous with Egypt. Almost the entire population of the country is crammed onto the narrow fertile plain fringing the river. It was the case since the ancient Egyptian era, when the temples and cities of the pharaohs rarely strayed far from the life-sustaining area of the Nile’s banks. Today, the best way to experience Egypt is to explore the Nile, from the awe-inspiring Pyramids on the outskirts of the capital of Cairo in the north, to the great temples in the far south of the country.

The Egyptian Museum

This is one of the world’s greatest museums, not least for the treasures in the Tutankhamun galleries, but for the exhibits from every period of ancient Egyptian history. It has been calculated that if a visitor were to spend just one minute at each item, it would take more than nine months to see everything.

The Pyramids of Giza

The only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid and its two companions are no less wondrous now than they were when they were built four and a half millennia ago.

Mosque of Al-Azhar

In addition to the monuments of the pharaohs, Egypt has an unrivalled wealth of historic Islamic architecture stretching back to the 7th century. The Mosque of Al-Azhar in Cairo is one of the jewels of this heritage.

Karnak

The mother of all ancient Egyptian temple complexes, Karnak was the powerbase of successive dynasties of pharaohs and the priesthood at the zenith of ancient Egypt’s military and artistic might.

Luxor Temple

Once connected to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes, Luxor is more modest in size than Karnak, but was built by two of the greatest pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Ramses II.

Valley of the Kings

The treasures are long gone from the tombs of the pharaohs, but it is possible to descend the dimly-lit passageways to underground chambers decorated with vivid scenes from the afterlife.

Temple of Hatshepsut

Among the many monuments at Luxor, the temple of Egypt’s only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, stands out for its almost modernistic design of ascending terraces.

Temple of Philae

A mix of Egyptian and Roman elements characterize this temple complex sited on a picturesque island in the middle of the Nile.

Cruising the Nile

When Cleopatra romanced Caesar she did so on a cruise down the Nile. It remains the most romantic and enjoyable way to view Egypt.

Abu Simbel

This is perhaps the temple that best symbolizes the grandeur of ancient Egypt. The Sun Temple is carved out of a mountainside and fronted by four towering colossi of its builder, Ramses II.