Introducing Egypt
The land that gave birth to the first great civilisation needs little introduction. The pyramids, the minarets, the Nile – the scope of Egypt is magnificent.
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Visitors are surprised to discover that those legendary pyramids are merely the tip of the archaeological iceberg. Pharaonic nations, ancient Greeks, Romans, Christians and Arab dynasties have all played their part in fashioning Egypt’s embarrassment of architectural wealth.
Cairo’s chaos whirrs around a medieval core that has remained unchanged since the founding days of Islam. Upriver, Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes, is lined with warrens of opulent burial chambers and boasts some of the most formidable monuments in all antiquity. Further south at Aswan, even more geometrically imposing temples write a testament to the power of archaic gods and omnipotent pharaohs. It is here that the Nile is best explored by ancient sail, on a felucca (Egyptian sailing boat) at the hands of the prevailing currents and winds.
Out west, Egypt’s ocean of sand stretches infinitely to the Sahara, with a handful of oases feeding solitary islands of green. Hivelike, medieval fortresses cower out here, interspersed with bubbling springs and ghostly rock formations. Meanwhile, the deep, crystal waters of the Red Sea lie brilliantly awash in coral, surrounded by an aquatic frenzy of underwater life. In the deserts of Sinai’s interior, visitors can climb the mount where God had word with Moses, and spend their remaining days in halcyon bliss at coastal Dahab’s backpacker Shangri-La.
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
- From Cairo to Amman on a shoestring
- Explore Egypt in 15 days
- Take a private tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
- Trek the Sinai peninsula with Bedouin guides
Last updated: Jan 17, 2013
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Egypt
Things to do
- All things to do (1,037)
- Activities (194)
- Entertainment (104)
- Restaurants (245)
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- Sights (339)
- Tours (51)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Egypt
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1 Cairo
For a glimpse of the more recent past, wander through the dusty, decrepit glamour of Garden City, a labyrinth of crumbling 19th and early-20th-century mansions
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2 Alexandria
Sip coffee, smoke sheesha (water pipe), or join in on the heated debates that take place in the many antique coffee houses that dot this hip metropolis
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3 Pyramids of Giza
You haven't been to Egypt unless you've stood at the base of these megaton monuments
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4 Abydos
Make a pilgrimage to the supposed burial site of the god Osiris, one of the most revered sites in antiquity, and now one of the best-preserved temples
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5 Great Sand Sea
Skirt the edge of the vast sand dunes that make up one of the most impenetrable deserts in the world
Fast Facts about Egypt
- Area
997,739 sq km
- Capital
- Country code
20
- Population
81.7 million
- Money
Egyptian pound (E£); US$1 = E£5.55; €1 = E£7.81
- Official name
Arab Republic of Egypt