Description
Dubbed the ‘cradle of civilization', a trip to Egypt is like a journey into the roots of humanity where some of the earliest works in literature, agriculture, religion and urbanisation took place. A country with one of the longest histories and an equally deep cultural heritage, it is no wonder that one of its pyramids - the Cheops Pyramid - is regarded among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Egypt's strategic location in the northeast of Africa with the Mediterranean Sea to its north, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba to its east and an eastern portion, the Sinai Peninsula, falling in Western Asia, makes it a significant country in the Arab world aside from being an extremely fertile piece of land owing to the Nile River that cuts through its length before draining into the Mediterranean Sea. And as you round up its iconic monuments from the Pyramid complex of Giza and the Great Sphinx, the ruins of Thebes, Memphis, the Valley of the Kings, to the Karnak temple complex, you will realise that there is much to reflect and absorb.
The old adage that Egypt is the gift of the Nile still holds some water. The ancient civilization came up and thrived around the Nile which gave the country most of its fertile land, some wholesome food, and not to mention, a lot of electricity. To get into the heart of Egypt and see the stunning ancient ruins along the way while taking in its quaint palm-fringed setting, a cruise down the Nile River is much needed. There are cruises between Luxor and Aswan as well as Lake Nasser. Along the Luxor and Aswan route, you get a glimpse of the Ancient Upper Egypt which comprises Luxor Temple believed to be the world's largest outdoor museum, the Karnak temple complex, Philae temple dedicated to the pharaoh who came into prominence in the Ptolemaic dynasty, the Hatshepsut temple dedicated to one of Ancient Egypt's most successful pharaohs. Else choose to head into the luxuriant south by careering down Lake Nasser and viewing the grand monuments of Ancient Nubia. With your boat moored beside the Abu Simbel complex, marvel at the colossal rock-cut temples that denote Egypt's southern boundary. On an Egypt tour, there is no better way to get a sense of the landscape and its history than a Nile River cruise.
Among other things, Egypt holidays are primarily about visiting the pyramid complex in Giza, which is about 18 kilometre from the capital city, Cairo. Looming out over a plateau on the west bank of Nile is the ancient Egyptian pyramid complex, one of the world's most visited monuments and the greatest in the country. The Pyramids of Giza are dedicated to its three important pharaohs of which the smallest is the Pyramid of Menkaure built around 2510 BC. Only 213 foot tall, Menkaure is believed to be the fifth pharaoh from the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The subsequent is the Pyramid of Khafra, the second smallest structure built by the predecessor of Menkaure. He too was a pharaoh from the Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and also the one to build the Sphinx (around 2500 BC), the Sphinx Temple. The legendary Great Sphinx of Giza made of bedrock limestone is easily the world's oldest and largest (239 foot) statue representing a reclining Sphinx, a mythical creature with a human head and a lion's body, one who guards treasures. The greatest of all pyramids, the Cheops Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and one of the biggest buildings on earth. The pharaoh Khufu's architect was Hemiunu, his nephew, who planned the pyramid on a core of bedrock and added around 2.3 million hunks of limestone with each weighing up to approximately two and a half tonne.
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