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Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة,al-Qāhirah) is
the capital of Egypt and, with a total population in
excess of 16 million people, one of the largest
cities in both Africa and the Middle East (which
regions it conveniently straddles) - it is also the
13th largest city in the world. Situated on
the River Nile, Cairo is famous for its own history
- preserved in the fabulous medieval Islamic city
and in Old Cairo - and for the ancient, Pharaonic
history of the country it represents. No trip to
Cairo would be complete, for example, without a
visit to the Giza Pyramids, to nearby Saqqara, or to
the Egyptian Museum in the center of town. Though
firmly attached to the past, Cairo is also home to a
vibrant modern society.
Saqqara is the name given both to a
village 32 km to the south of the Egyptian capital
of Cairo and (more particularly) to the
extensive ancient necropolis on the plateau above
the Nile Valley, the location of tombs and pyramids
dating to the Predynastic, Old Kingdom, New Kingdom
and Late Periods of ancient Egyptian history. By
taxi / cabGiza (الجيزة al-Gīza)
is an important western district of the Egyptian
capital Cairo - a city in its own right, but for a
long time now absorbed as part of the
heavily-populated and sprawling Cairo metropolis.
Giza is best known as that part of Cairo closest
to the world-famous Pyramids of Giza, situated high
on the desert plateau immediately to the west of the
urban district, itself located in the valley and
centred around the Pyramids Road, linking central
Cairo with the ancient wonders. One of the premier
attractions of Egypt, if not the world, the Pyramids
of Giza represent the archetypal pyramid structures
of ancient Egyptian civilisation and - together with
the Sphinx at the base of the Giza plateau - are the
iconic image of Egypt.
Dahshur (Arabic
دهشور Dahšūr, often incorrectly rendered in
English as Dashur) is an Egyptian
archaeological locality some 10 km to the south of
Saqqara and therefore 35 km south of the Egyptian
capital Cairo. It is best known as a more tranquil
(if also more isolated) location in which to visit
several very large pyramids - at least, when
compared to Giza and Saqqara. Visitor numbers are
much smaller, queues are way shorter and there is
far less hassle.
Alexandria (الإسكندرية
al-Iskanderiyya), Egypt's second largest city
(after the capital Cairo) and the country's window
on the Mediterranean Sea, is a faded shade of its
former glorious cosmopolitan self, but still worth a
visit for its many cultural attractions and memories
of a glorious past. Alexandria nonetheless remains
an important city, as Egypt's chief seaport on the
Mediterranean and a home to at least 3.5 million
Egyptians.
Luxor is the premier
travel destination in Upper (southern) Egypt and the
Nile Valley. The dynastic and religious capital of
Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom Egypt, Luxor has much
to offer the traveller, from vast temples, to
ancient royal tombs, via spectacular desert and
river scenery and a bustling modern life.
The Valley of the Kings (Arabic: Wadi el-Muluk,
وادي الملوك; also known as Biban el-Moluk, the
"Gates of the Kings")) is an Egyptian archaeological
locality in the hills immediately behind the West
Bank of Luxor. As such, it is one of the most
remarkable archaeological destinations in the world
- the burial place of most of the pharaohs of Egypt
of the New Kingdom period.....
Aswan is located in the south of Egypt,
some 680 km (425 miles) south of Cairo, just below
the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser. Compared to Cairo and
Luxor, Aswan is a far more relaxed, if smaller,
alternative as a traveller's destination.
Abu Simbel in Egypt
was saved from the rising waters of Lake Nasser,
growing behind the Aswan Dam, in a massive
archaeological rescue plan sponsored by UNESCO in
the 1960s. The complex of temples dedicated to the
Pharaoh Ramesses II "the Great" remain an evocative
and unforgettable destination.
2 of 4 immense statues of Ramesses II (looking up
from the entrance) at the Great Temple.
The Sinai peninsula is the easternmost part of
Egypt between the Mediterranean and the Gulfs of
Suez and Aqaba, both forks of the Red Sea. The
western and northern coasts are practically
uninhabited, but several Bedouin
settlements-cum-tourist attractions dot the eastern
coast.
Above ground is a harsh, forbidding and (in
summer) brutally hot desert of parched rock. The
reason most tourists come here is the vistas
underwater: the Sinai coast offers some of the best
diving in the world.
Dahab (دهب) is a
town in Egypt, located some 85 km (53 miles) north
of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Gulf of Aqaba, near the
southern tip of Sinai.
Sharm
el-Sheikh is one of the most
popular tourist destinations in the
Arabic world. But there are also
some very good reasons to visit it
if you are not the common tourist,
who likes to lay on the beach all
day. It is one of the finest diving
spots in the world and a trip into
the desert is an unforgettable
adventure.
The Sinai Peninsula is a remote
desert mountain range. The rocky
mountains are parted from the
deep-blue sea by a flat desert
strip. This combination of desert
and sea is an incredible sight and
makes you believe you are on a
different planet.
Hurghada is a resort town on the Red Sea
Coast of Egypt, The town of Hurghada
has a small market street for
tourists, but otherwise doesn't
offer much for visitors to the Red
Sea resorts--except for a taste of
the way typical Egyptians live.
Most of the hotels along the Red
Sea are self-contained resorts,
ideal for families who don't mind
being isolated from authentic
Egyptian culture for the duration of
their trip. Some resorts connect, so
it is possible to visit the shops
and restaurants of other resorts if
you tire of the same buffet dinners
offered by your hotel night after
night.
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Mohamed Aly Mosque at the Citadel
The Great Pyramid and the Sphinx
Hurghada
Beaches
Luxor Temple at Night.
Alexandria: New Library of
Alexandria
Abu-Simbel Statues |
