Egypt is, indeed, the gift of the Nile. The serene Nile flows through most of its major cities, lending them a unique charm. Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is also blessed with the Nile. It is a modern city retaining its old world Arab charm.
Cairo, Old and New
Mosques and minarets dominate the landscape of old Cairo while plush buildings and ancient monuments like the Citadel stand together in modern Cairo. The Cairo museum, with its stunning section on Tutankhamun, unfolds the interesting history of Egypt.
The Pyramids of Giza:
Giza is 20 km. from the capital city and is separated from it by the Nile. The great pyramids and the imposing sphinx are Giza’s wonders. Laid out on an area of two thousand square meters, these man made marvels are a testimony to time. The light and sound show in the evenings, interestingly unravel the history of the pyramids and Sphinx through a riveting audio-visual presentation.
Sailing on the Nile
Cairo to Aswan is an overnight journey by train. Aptly named as the ‘sleeping train,’ the train reaches Aswan the next morning. Aswan is a small sunny city in the south of Egypt. From here sail on the Nile, the longest river in the world stretching north for approximately 4000 miles from East Africa to the Mediterranean.
Felluca ride to Philae
Take a ride on the traditional ‘felucca’ or row boat to reach the island of Philae known for its ancient temple. Rebuilt on the bank of the Nile, this imposing stone temple with massive pylons is dedicated to goddess Isis. You can drive down from here to the Aswan High Dam.
Kon Ombo and Edfu
Aswan to Luxor on a Cruise liner is a scenic journey passing through Saharan hills, fertile fields and date palms swaying in the groves. The temples of Kon Ombo and Edfu, nestling on the banks of the Nile, are stopovers on this journey. The Kon Ombo temple stands majestic with pillared halls and bass relief on its columns.
The Edfu temple, on the other hand has imposing pylons and pillared courtyards leading to the sanctum sanctorum. The two well-sculpted granite statues of the god, Horus, in the form of falcon at its entrance are architectural masterpieces.
Passing through the Sluice Gates
The journey from Esna to Luxor is exciting. You can view the entry and exit of the ships as they pass the sluice gates. It is fascinating to watch the water level going down before your ship crosses the gates. Finally you reach Luxor, once known as Thebes. It is an ancient city of heritage monuments.
Luxor and KarnakTemples
The renowned Luxor temple is in the centre of the city. This temple is a multi-structured temple with huge statues, obelisks, columns and minarets of a mosque. It is connected to the temple of Karnak by rows of sphinxes with the heads of ram.
3km from Luxor temple, Karnak temple is one of the oldest in Egypt and world’s largest temple. The truly amazing feature of the temple is its spacious hypo-style hall containing 134 columns rising to a height of 23 feet.
Valley of the Kings
Other ancient monuments worth visiting here are the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the colossal statues of Mammon and the Valley of the Kings housing the tomb of the renowned King, Tutankhamun. It is exciting to explore the valley and reach the narrow passage leading to the tombs.
Egypt is a treasure house of monuments in stone. Visiting its cities along the Nile is to travel back in time to the era of heroic Kings, their mythical gods and exploits. For memento, take back home alabaster statues of gods, Kings and their mummies and also paintings in papyrus.
Egypt Fact file:
To Reach: Egypt Air and other international flights fly to Cairo. From Cairo you can reach other cities through road, rail or air.
Best time: November to March
Preferred clothing: Cottons.
Currency: Egyptian Pounds.
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