ANCIENT • MAGNIFICENT • FASCINATING
Few countries present an awe in beauty, history, and culture as Egypt. Thousands of years of history is presented in magnificent monuments, archaeological wonders, legendary places, and ancient sites.
Cairo and Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx
With more than 20 million inhabitants, Cairo has an energetic pulse as a result of its varied cultures, social classes, and a natural environment. Opening June 2021, the Grand Egyptian Museum will be the world’s biggest archaeological museum at 500,000 sq. m. It will house 100,000 Egyptian artefacts ranging from pre-history to Greco-Roman period.
The last surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs, the Sphinx being the guard. Their extraordinary shape, impeccable geometry and sheer size ask the questions: “How were we built, and why?”.
Luxor
Located on the great Nile River, surrounded by both lush and desert topography, Luxor is considered the “world’s greatest open-air museum.” It houses some the largest and most striking ancient monuments ever constructed.
Abu Simbel
This is Ramses II’s greatest temple, adorned with colossal statues standing guard outside, and beautifully wall paintings inside. The colossal stone statues that grace the facade are Pharaoh Ramses II’s attempt to achieve immortality.
Valley of the Kings
From the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and privileged nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley contains 63 tombs and chambers, ranging in size from a simple pit to a complex tomb with over 120 chambers. The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period.
Nile Cruise
The Nile stretches more than 6,650 km between Lake Victoria in Uganda and the Mediterranean Sea. Sailing the relatively short sail from Luxor to Aswan is a fascinating way to trace the passage of Egypt’s history and it is the most intriguing part of the Nile.