Culture

In the Cairo Region

Giza is home to one of the seven Wonders of the world: the “Great Pyramid” of Cheops,(137 m). Chephren and Mykerinos pyramids, the Sphinx, a man’s head with a lion’s body, at the entrance to the Royal Necropolis. Nearby, the Solar Boat. Saqqarah, the Royal site (over 8 km). A wealth of decorations and the beauty of sculpted bas-reliefs that evoke the daily life in ancient Egypt. Pyramids, such as the ones known as “step-pyramid”.

Middle Egypt

Minia, a city with a lively market, is the ideal departure point for exploring Hermopolis Magna, Tuna el-Gebel, Tell El-Amarna, Beni Hassan etc. Beni Hassan, on the right bank of the Nile, has 39 well preserved rock tombs, some of which are decorated with brightly coloured drawings (the tombs of Khnumhotep, Kheti etc.). Tuna el-Gebel, a rich site where, among other attractions, the stele of Akhenaton (memorial stone), the mummies of the sacred Ibis Necropolis and the tomb of Petosiris are not to be missed. Tell el-Amarna, a wonderful desert site where only a few ruins of Akhenaton, the capital built by Amenophis IV, remain (temple of Aton, royal palace, necropolis). Assiut, a pleasant town with white houses, minarets, bazaar etc. The large dam on the Nile and the beautiful Princes’ tombs on the edge of town must be seen.

Upper Egypt

Temple of Ramses II (bas-reliefs).

Luxor is a small town in Upper Egypt, on the East bank of the Nile. A peaceful place, it was nevertheless the site of the Pharaoh’s capital during the famous 18th dynasty.

The temple is in the town centre, beside the Nile. The Sphinx Valley (2.5 km) to the Karnak sanctuary. The Sphinx alley stretches between the Luxor temple and the Karnak temple complex. This was the most important Pharaonic complex in Egypt, with 13 temples covering an area of 125 hectares. The Valley of Kings, with its dominant rocky mountain. About sixty Pharaoh’s tombs cut into the rock, including that of Tutankhamen. The Valley of Queens, eighty tombs including those of Nefertari and Amon Her-Khopshef. The Valley of Nobles, over four hundred tombs of high-level dignitaries and state officials. Magnificent wall-paintings showing the daily life in ancient Egypt. Deir el-Medina, village of craftsmen who work on the sites of the tombs. Edfu, impressive sandstone temple, dedicated to Horus “the Falcon God. Kom Ombou. Abydos, tomb of Osiris, temple of Seti I, artistic jewel of the New Empire. Dendera, the temple of Hathor, a large and well preserved area, dedicated to the beautiful Goddess with cow ears.

From lake Nasser to Aswan, on the road to Nubia: Abu Simbel, transported in its entirety to make way for the construction of the Sadd el-Ali Dam. The decorated temples of Ramses II and Nefertari overlooking lake Nasser. Ramses II acceded to the throne of Egypt while still a young man and undertook the building of many monuments including his temple now known as Ramesseum. It was given this modern name by Jean-François Champollion in 1829. "Lake Nasser is about 300 mi (480 km) long, it was formed in the 1960s by the construction of the Aswan High Dam in order to control the annual floods of the Nile River, whose waters now feed the lake. Its waters, when discharged downstream, have brought some 1,250 sq mi (3,240 sq km) of additional land under irrigation. Its formation flooded a number of archaeological sites, including those found at Abu Simbel". On the islands of Lake Nasser: Kalabcha, home of the Mandoulis and Beit el-Wali temple. The island of Philae, with its temple dedicated to Isis, the Egyptian mother goddess, “is situated about 8 km south of the Aswan Dam in Upper Egypt, in an area which in ancient times made out the border to Nubia”.

GRECO-ROMAN REMAINS

In Alexandria (amphitheatre, catacombs). In the oases of the Western desert: the Kharga oasis and the Bagawat necropolis, (2nd century). Greco-roman villages in Douch and Aïn Umm El-Dabadib, famous for its square towers. The complex of temples on the island of Philae includes

the main temple dedicated to the Goddess Isis, built by Pharaoh Ptolemy XI, as well as the Pavilion of Nectanebo I, dedicated to Hathor, and Trajan's Pavilion, rebuilt by the emperor Trajan and with reliefs showing him offering gifts to the Egyptian Gods. Then between Qena and Port Safaga is Mons Claudianus, site of Roman stone quarries.

COPTIC AND ORTHODOX SITES

The Coptic churches and the Coptic museum in Old Cairo.

The convents of Wadi Natrun. In the Eastern desert, the monasteries of Saint Anthony (361 A.D.) and Saint Paul. In Aswan: monastery of Saint Simeon.

LEGENDARY SITE

From Sinai to the Red Sea: Mount Moses (2,285 m high).

ISLAMIC SITES

There are so many sites and monuments that it would be impossible to list them all. Among the most important, in the city of Cairo: the mosques, the Khan el-Khalili medieval bazaar quarter, Wakala el-Ghouri, el-Qalaa ramparts and citadel etc.

In Alexandria: Fort Qaytbey. In Rosetta: the Al-Amasyali house. In Quseir: the Ottoman citadel and the museum.

Worth seeing in Cairo

City of contrasts, constructed in 969 A.D. by Gohar El-Siqqili ; a Middle-Age citadel (1171 A.D.) on one side and very modern buildings on the other (convention centre, big hotels, etc.). In the middle is the Isle of Roda opposite the Coptic churches of Old Cairo across the river. The great Khan el-Khalili bazaar with its narrow streets, the grand mosques and the Egyptian museum created in 1857. More than 100,000 objects are on display, including busts of Nefertiti and Merytamon, the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun, statues of Ramses II as a child, of King Djoser and of the goddess Taoueret (with the body of a hippopotamus and the snout of a crocodile), reliefs from the Mererouka mastaba (tombs) decorated with hieroglyphs.

Worth seeing in Alexandria

Founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria is a varied and cosmopolitan city with a pleasant sea front. Also worth visiting are the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria Library), many Greco-Roman museums and interesting bazaars.

Also worth seeing

Rosetta, where the famous stone was found. It was later deciphered by Champollion. Damietta, the ‘furniture capital’ of Egypt, Ismailia on the bank of lake Timsah, the Suez canal, 162 km from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

Discovering sites of natural beauty

Egypt has 21 national parks where wildlife and plant life are protected.

  • The Ras Muhammed National Park, a coastline with very beautiful sea-beds. Along the mangroves, there are exotic fish, manta rays and turtles. On land, there are foxes, gazelles and many birds of prey.
  • The White Desert: sand, springs and oases, from the Nile to the Libyan border, large expanses of black or white sand, dotted with rocky landscapes and oases: Cleopatra-Siwa (baths), Bahariya with its hot water springs, Farafra, the gateway to the White Desert, Dakhla and the medieval village of El-Qasr, etc.
  • Lake Nasser, take a peaceful cruise and discover the islands.