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Travel Newsletters > Amazing Egypt
1. Amazing Egypt - More than Just
the Wonders of Antiquity
Egypt is one of the most
fascinating destinations on the world tourist map. This extra ordinary
country is
today the favourite vacation spot for many, just like it was
in the days of the early Greeks and Romans. The thoroughly cultured
Greeks, in particular,
were fascinated by this civilization that
predated theirs by at least 2000 years. The biggest draw continues to
be the amazing abundance of historical
treasures- temples, pyramids and
museums -contained in this one country. But the destination offers more
than just the wonders of antiquity. Your visit
to Egypt can be rounded
off by a cruise down the Nile and a beach vacation at the top notch Red
Sea and Sinai resorts.
The
unification of the Kingdoms of Lower and Upper Egypt around BC 3180
marks the point from when Egypt became a significant power.
This event
is credited with Menes, who thus became the first Pharaoh. Menes went
on to establish a new capital at Memphis, just to the south of
where
Cairo stands today. For the next 3000 years and under 30 dynasties of
the Pharaohs, a dynamic and culturally sophisticated
civilization
flourished. It was not however smooth sailing for the descendants of
Menes and power was for short periods in the hands of
foreigners.
Historians as usual want to simplify things and have now divided up the
reign of the Pharaohs into three periods: the Old Kingdom (2575-2134
BC), Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 BC) and New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC).
It
is a curious fact that most monuments of the Pharaohs relate to
death.
Though moderns may see this as an unhealthy preoccupation with death,
some scholars see it as an indication of the ancient Egyptians
great
love for life and desire for continued existence. The pyramid was the
highest evolution in the practice of preparing elaborate tombs for
the
departed. Pyramids were the final resting place, from where the
Pharaohs enjoyed the afterlife. The most famous of these edifices are
the
Pyramids of Giza, built in the 4th Dynasty (2575-2465 BC), when the
power of these ancient kings was at its peak.
Religion was
another reason
for the great monuments of ancient Egypt. The deities
found deserving of worship were truly diverse. And many, many temples
were built in honour of
these gods. Temples for the most esteemed gods
were quite elaborate and were administered by high priests. Auxiliary
buildings housed libraries,
granaries, and what may today be considered
as research laboratories for astronomers, biologists and other
scientists. Most gods were linked with
specific animals and to whom
special powers were attributed. Some gods came and went but the sun god
was one of the most enduring. It has been
suggested that the design of
the pyramids had some association with practices of the sun cult. The
Pharaoh was considered to be a living
god.
The Greeks, in the
name of Alexander the Great finally brought the Age of the Pharaohs to
an end in 332 BC. He founded that city that
bears his name, Alexandria.
The Greeks ushered in a period of comparative prosperity and stability
under descendants of Ptolemy. Ptolemy was the
Macedonian general who
was appointed by Alexander as governor. The Pharos Lighthouse, one of
the seven wonders of the ancient world and the Great
Library of
Alexandria were built in this era.
As the Greeks declined, so
did the Romans rise, and they too cast a covetous eye upon Egypt.
The
last of the Ptolomies was the notorious Cleopatra, lover to both Julius
Caesar and Mark Antony. The Roman Empire too declined Egypt was
torn
apart by foreign armies. The most significant event at this time was
the invasion of the Arabs in 462 AD. Though other foreigners
including
Ottoman Turks, French and British, subsequently ruled the country, it
is the Arabs who brought Islam whose legacy has been the most
enduring.
Egypt
is today a modern vibrant nation that carries the burden of its
5,000-year history graciously. Just like in ancient times, the
Nile
sustains the country and upto 95% of the population live in close
proximity of the river. The rest of the country is desolate desert,
mitigated
only by a few isolated oases and the habitable narrow strips
along the African Red Sea and the Mediterranean coastlines. According
to the tourism
ministry, Egypt for the visitor is best seen as six
tourist super-sites. This covers the most popular destinations and
excludes off-the-beaten-track
locations. The six super-sites are
anchored on: Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada on the Red Sea
and Sharm El Sheikh in Sinai. Except for
Luxor, none of these
destinations relies entirely on ancient monuments to attract visitors.
See the
Egypt Tours and Vacations page of our website to view info and make a reservation for these
destinations.
Cairo
is a huge, sprawling and chaotic metropolis. It has all the amenities
of a modern city and is the usual gateway for the
visitor to Egypt.
Cairo is a young city relative to nearby Heliopolis, Giza and Memphis
that are associated with the Pharaohs. The city began as a
Roman
trading post called Babylon- in the area now referred to as Coptic
Cairo. This area was a settlement of one of the world's first
Christian
communities. This predominantly Christian locale houses a museum that
is a repository of religious art, manuscripts, paintings and
pottery.
But
it is the Arab invaders who arrived in the 7th century who can be said
to have founded the city. They settled just north of the
area referred
to as Old Cairo. The medieval district of Islamic Cairo is densely
packed with people and lots of mosques and temples. This is where
many
still go during the month of Ramadan to eat and spend the night after a
days' fast. Giza on the Niles' west bank is where you will find
the
Great Pyramids. These truly magnificent monuments were one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World. You will appreciate the achievement of
the
builders of these edifices when you reflect on the fact that until
the 19th century they were the world's largest buildings.
The
visitor to
Cairo will easily tuck in trips to see museums, mosques and
monuments such as Pyramids and the Sphinx. To commemorate your visit to
this unforgettable
city, visit the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. The wide
array of souvenirs on sale here includes jewelry, brass, silver and
copperware, carpets, perfumes,
alabaster and soapstone carvings. You
will also find reproductions of antiquities, which you are advised to
buy as opposed to anything presented as
original. Such "originals" are
usually counterfeit, and it is in any case illegal to export the real
article.
Help and More Information for Egypt!
Are you
planning to go for a tour of Egypt to see the pyramids and other historic sites?
Contact
us
today and we will assist you in picking and booking the best hotel and
flight, and all your other Egypt travel arrangements.
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