| Top Things to See
• In Islamic (Medieval) Cairo, wander around narrow congested streets filled with donkey carts, spice traders and imposing mosques. A central landmark is Midan Hussein, a large open square with tea houses around the perimeter, and dominated by the sacred Mosque of Sayyidna Al-Hussein. The Al-Azhar Mosque contains the oldest university in the world (AD 970). The pre-Ottoman Madrassa and Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri, has Sufi dancing, and opposite is Wakala of Al-Ghouri, an attractively preserved cultural centre. Exhibits in the Museum of Islamic Art bring Islamic Cairo to life, with arts, ceramics, mosaics and calligraphy. The Citadel was home to Egypt’s rulers for 700 years; an imposing medieval fortress offering sweeping views of the city. Within is the Midan Salah al-Din with the unmissable Sultan Hassan and Rifai Mosques. The Mohammad Ali Mosque has classic Ottoman minarets and interior. Other attractions within the Citadel include the Military National Museum, Al-Gawhara Palace and Museum and the National Police Museum. City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery) is a Mamluk necropolis with hundreds of thousands of tombs dating from the 12th century. In Sharia Talat Harb street and Midan Tahrir (Liberation Square) spend time at one of the country’s greatest attractions; the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities housing over 130,000 exhibits, including Pharaonic and Byzantine art and sculpture, the Mummy Room and the celebrated Tutankhamun exhibition. In the south of Cairo, home to the Coptic Orthodox Christians, visit the Coptic Museum which has the world’s greatest collection of Coptic art. The Hanging Church, Monastery of St George and the churches of St Sergius and St Barbara are all in the same area. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of the oldest in Egypt, and represents what remains of the Jewish community. • The small island of Gezira is a modern upmarket area with the Opera House (a US$30 million arts complex) containing the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cairo Tower with great city views. • Cairo is most famous for the Great Pyramids, Egypt’s most visited monuments. Of the three main pyramids (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus), the largest is 137m (449ft) high and contains some three million blocks of stone. Exploring the interiors is possible via labyrinthine tunnels and staircases. • Adjacent is the bewitching Sphinx, as named by the ancient Greeks, with the head of a woman and body of a lion. In the evening there are son et lumière performances - extravagant sound and light shows telling the story of ancient Egypt. Camels, horses and donkeys can be hired to explore the site. • See the remains of the Old Kingdom’s capital Memphis; at Saqqara the necropolis and the Step Pyramid - the latter is older than those at Giza, with well-preserved wall reliefs and royal tombs. Dahshur has only been open to foreigners since 1996, and is famous for its Bent Pyramid and a huge field of royal tombs. • In Luxor, once the ancient city of Thebes, the highlight is the Karnak Temple, covering an immense 100 acres (40.5 hectares). The whole site has colossal statues, reliefs, obelisks and halls and the Avenue of the Sphinxes. There are nightly son et lumière shows. Along the riverbank, Luxor Temple is guarded by a huge statue of Ramses II. A pleasant walk north along the corniche brings you to the Luxor Museum where a small, interesting collection of relics from the Theban Temples and Necropolis can be viewed. The Mummification Museum has exhibits of human, reptile and bird mummies, as well as explanations of how they are made. • On the West Bank of the Nile is the vast Theban Necropolis, containing some of the world’s finest tombs: the Valley of the Kings; Valley of the Queens; and Tombs of the Nobles. Highlights include the Tomb of Tutankhamun; Ramses II; and the Tomb of Nefertari, reputed to be the country’s finest. • A beautiful winter resort, relaxing Aswan is the gateway to Africa, and steeped in Nubian culture. The corniche provides attractive riverside walks, and a stop-off for many cruise ships. In the evenings, floating restaurants provide a lively gathering place, and a folkloric dance troupe performs nightly during winter months at the Cultural Centre. The Old Cataract Hotel is famous as the location of the film Death on the Nile. • Elephantine Island is easily accessible by river taxi from Aswan. Formerly Egypt’s frontier town, recent excavations of this ancient site have revealed temples and a fortress. Aswan Museum contains exhibits found in Nubia and Aswan. • Head south to the the tiny Island of Plants, presented to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s in recognition of his military services. Importing exotic flowers and plants from India and Malaysia, he created a beautiful botanical garden, attracting a wide variety of birds. • On the West Bank of the Nile lies the Monastery of St Simeon, which resembles a fortress. Nearby is the domed granite and sandstone Mausoleum of Aga Khan. • Be impressed by the sheer size of the Aswan Dam, built by the British at the beginning of the century. It is 11,811ft- (364m-) high and provides electricity and irrigation for the whole of Egypt. • Also near Aswan is the Temple of Philae, on the Island of Philae. The Temple is one of Egypt’s most famous attractions, and after being under threat from flooding from the High Dam, UNESCO moved it stone by stone to a higher point on the island. • Do not miss Abu Simbel, the magnificent Sun Temple of Ramses II, also rescued from flooding by UNESCO. Ramses had four gigantic statues of himself built in order to intimidate travellers entering Egypt from Africa, especially the Nubians. • Kom Ombo ('The city of gold'), 30km (18 miles) north of Aswan, is a largely Nubian settlement, known for its Temple of Haroeris and Sobek. • Edfu is famed for the largest and best preserved Pharaoronic Temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus. It is a favoured start/end point for felucca trips to and from Luxor. • In Alexandria, Egypt’s second city, see relics from the third century BC in the Graeco-Roman Museum. See also the Roman Amphitheatre. Fort Quait Bey is a 15th-century fort built on the foundations of the long-gone Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The modern Mosque of Abu al-Abbas Mursi dominates the main square on Sharia Tatwig, and other places of interest include the Museum of Fine Arts, and Montazah Palace with attractive gardens, often the summer venue of theatre performances. • The ancient city of Rosetta, 65km (39 miles) away from Alexandria, is famed for being where the Rosetta Stone was discovered (now housed in the British Museum) and has attractive Ottoman, ‘Delta Style’ architecture. • El Alamein is a small coastal village 100km (60 miles) west of Alexandria and an easy day trip. Famous as the scene of a decisive Allied victory, which determined the fate of Egypt and Britain’s Empire, there is a War Museum, Cemetery and Memorial to the soldiers who died in battle. • A great example of modern engineering, the Suez Canal links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Completed in 1869, it has repeatedly been the cause of dispute, most recently when blocked during the 1967 war with Israel. Port Said is the main city. Anyone travelling to Sinai by road would cross the Suez on a small shuttle boat, or under the tunnel.
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Egypt Recreation
There are numerous cruise steamers on the Nile, the majority of which provide a very high standard of service. Vessels usually carry between 50 and 100 passengers, with the facilities varying according to the size of the individual vessel. Contacting a specialist operator is recommended for choosing a Nile cruise. Normally visitors can only book the complete package through a tour operator. Traditional feluccas may also be chartered.
