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Back in Cairo for the final few days of our tour, our goal was to visit two of the most important museums- the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Grand Egyptian Museum, to wrap up our trip. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is a carefully and excellently curated set of artifacts that cover the entirety of Egyptian history from the early dynasties until present day. Most importantly the museum hosts… Read More
The temple at Abu Simbal is a must-see when visiting Egypt. Abu Simbal sits on the Nile (now Lake Nassar) roughly 140km south of Aswan and about 40km from the border with Sudan in the heart of Nubian Egypt. The temple, built by Ramses II, was cut into the rock and served as a warning/reminder to the region about his might and power. Near the main temple he also built a smaller… Read More
We sailed into Aswan mid-morning, arriving a bit later than anticipated because at our request the crew unfurled the sail and disconnected us from the tugboat for part of our journey, slowing us down considerably. It was worth it though to have a glimpse of how the ships sailed the Nile before the invention of the steam (or diesel!) engine. Our mooring point was slightly south of the main part of the… Read More
When I researched Nile cruises, the amount of information available was almost overwhelming- tons of companies offering all kinds of experiences at different price points are available. One of the top items on my “must do in Egypt” list, however, was to sail the river in a traditional Egyptian sailing ship, a dahabiya. The shallow bottomed boats, hosting two sails, one fore and one aft, have been sailing the Nile for thousands… Read More
Even though we moved to our dahabiya the day before in preparation for our Nile cruise, we had one more day to spend in the Luxor area before heading up the river. In truth, you could probably spend a week based in Luxor and have plenty to see. I had worked with Hossam to extend our stay a few days to visit a few more places than the standard cruise tours encompass. … Read More
The Valley of the Kings is one of the highlights of a visit to Luxor and therefore high on my list of priorities to visit. The valley was used primarily by the 18th-20th dynasties, spanning approximately 500 years, to hide the kings’ tombs in the hopes of keeping the graves safe from grave robbing. Despite its barren appearance and challenging terrain – high cliffs with steep sides cutting through a warren of… Read More
Today we took a road trip north to visit Dendera and Abydos, and two temples dedicated to the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor and god Osiris, respectively. The drive to Abydos, our first stop, took a little over two hours providing a glimpse of the countryside. The roads were generally in good shape, at least until we got to the village near the temple when pavement turned to packed dirt and lanes became… Read More
We left our hotel in Cairo three hours before the flight and it was a good thing too- it was raining and the traffic was incredibly messed up. Apparently Cairo only gets rain a few days a year and when it does rain, because road drainage is poor in some places, deep water puddles form on some of the major roads, slowing everyone down. Thus we sat for a long time in… Read More
Today was a big day and the theme was pyramids. Our first stop was Dashur, which is located about 40 minutes south of Giza and like Saqqara, served as a necropolis for the capital city of Memphis. A UNESECO World Heritage site (sense a theme?) it hosts the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, two of the best preserved pyramids, built around in 2600BC. As I mentioned previously the Step Pyramid at… Read More
Today was a packed day full of tombs, pyramids and narrow alleys. Our day started at Saqqara, a UNESCO world heritage site, roughly 30 minutes south of Giza. Saqqara was used by the early and middle pharaonic dynasties as a necropolis and as such plays host to a number of tombs and pyramids. The site was particularly active when Memphis served as the capital of Egypt; most Pharos and royal households had… Read More
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