A guided tour of Old Cairo may include the Cairo Citadel, Coptic churches and Muhammad Ali Mosque, plus the ancient collection at the Papyrus Institute. A favoured activity is to dive into the chaos of the souk markets and shop for wares at Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, a 14th century souk established as a centre of trade in the Mamluk era.
Giza: Pyramids & Sphinx
The Pyramids of Giza (Al-Jīzah) are located on the outskirts of Cairo, 13 kilometres southwest of the city centre. There are three Giza Pyramids, each named after the pharaoh who ordered its construction, erected during the 4th Dynasty (c.2575-c.2465BCE) on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile.
Pyramids were burial places for Egyptian royalty during the Old Kingdom; the three large ones at Giza were built for three generations of Egyptian kings: Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkaure.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man- made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. It’s estimated to have taken 20 years to build and involved 2.3 million stone blocks. The pyramids were originally covered in smooth, shining limestone and aligned with the stars; additionally, the Great Pyramid houses three chambers, including the King’s and Queen’s Chambers. They share the same site, the Giza Necropolis, as the Great Sphinx, a huge limestone statue of a reclining sphinx – the mythical creature with the head of a human (the face appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre) and body of a lion.
Aswan High Dam
The Nile city Aswan is known for its stunning river views and ancient temples. Aswan is Egypt’s main source of pink and black granite, highly prized for monuments and shrines – the pyramids of Giza among them. Take a tour of the Aswan High Dam, one of the world’s most expensive projects
Abu Simbel & Philae Temples
Across the desert from Aswan Dam, the famed temples of Philae and Abu Simbel (280 kilometres by road, 3-4 hours by car) were relocated in 1968 above the new water line of Lake Nasser (the Aswan Dam reservoir). Abu Simbel comprises two massive rock-cut temples originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BCE, during the 19th Dynasty reign of pharaoh Ramesses II.
Entry is under towering external rock relief figures of Ramesses; his wife Nefertari and children feature as smaller figures by his feet. Sculptures inside the Great Temple commemorate Ramesses II’s heroic leadership at the Battle of Kadesh – between Egyptian forces led by Ramesses and the Hittite Empire led by king Muwatalli II along what is today the Lebanon-Syria border; dated 1274BCE, it is the earliest pitched battle in recorded history for which details of tactics and formations are known, and is believed to be the largest battle ever fought involving chariots (a total of 5,000-6,000). The Abu Simbel complex and other relocated temples from Nubian sites such as Philae, Amada and Wadi es-Sebua are part of the Nubian Monuments UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Valley of Kings & Karnak Temple
Luxor, on the east bank of the Nile in southern Egypt, stands on the site of ancient Thebes, the pharaohs’ capital at the height of their power during the 16th–11th centuries BCE. Today’s city features two huge, surviving ancient monuments: Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. Luxor Temple (construction began around 1400BCE) is dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu and served as a place of worship, where pharaohs were crowned and was considered a place of ‘rebirth’. The Karnak Temple complex involves walking along a sphinx-lined avenue to enter a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, vast colonnaded halls and a towering obelisk.
Across on the river’s west bank are the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens; they served as burial ground for many ancient Egyptian pharaohs during the New Kingdom period, from the 18th-20th Dynasties (approximately 1539-1075BCE). The tombs (including Tutankhamun) were carved into the cliffs and often elaborately decorated with scenes from the pharaohs’ lives and religious imagery. Admire the terraces of Hatshepsut’s magnificent temple and glimpse the famous Colossi of Memnon.
Nile Cruise & Edfu Temple
A leisurely Nile River cruise passes changing landscapes, lush riverbanks and timeless villages. Along the way, you’ll explore monumental temples, including the Temple of Horus in Edfu dedicated to one of Egypt’s most important historic deities (it’s one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt) and the twin temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods Sobek, the crocodile god, and the falcon- headed Horus on the island of Kom Ombo. A stop in Esna (55klms south of Luxor) allows a visit to the Temple of Khnum, dating back to the Greco-Roman period.
