Land of Pharaohs and Prophets
The mere thought of ancient civilizations is enough to drive one’s thoughts to the Pyramids in Egypt. Inevitably a manmade wonder, history has carved itself deep into the roots of these timeworn deserts. The beauty of this land has been visualized in films of our childhood, such as “Raiders of the lost Arc”- Egypt’s been on my bucket list since forever.
My journey started off in the South of the region, and I made my way up through the river Nile in a cruise to the North. The towns of Luxor, Edfu, and Aswan tell so much about the times gone by. These ancient cities are lined along the banks of the sacred River Nile, as other ancient cities along the Indus River and Mesopotamia of Euphrates and Tigris. Those are contemporary to Nile Valley Civilization.
To gain more insight into these ancient cities, I made my way to the National Museum of Cairo to actually see artifacts from this civilization leaving one to only wonder how these individuals, living thousands of years prior to any sort of industrial revolution, were able to move gigantic stones to build pyramids and temples, renowned as architectural masterpieces to this day. Cairo is home to the first university of the islamic world, Jamia Alazhar within the ancient bazaar of Khan Al Khalili. The trip to Cairo would be incomplete without a visit to Citadel Salhuddin Ayubi, the great Muslim conqueror. The Museums of Cairo are a must in addition to the Pyramids of Giza. I recommend visiting Pyramids around sun set to capture the best shots in the golden light. Another town worth mentioning is Alexandria built by Alexander, as the name suggests.
Ancient Roman and Greek monuments are all over this Mediterranean coastal city. Fresh catch from the sea is the mouthwatering variety of seafood right besides Mediterranean. The best views of the sea are from atop another fortress by Salahuddin Ayubi.
The people of Egypt are the most friendly towards tourists. There’s also tourist police and mostly travellers are not allowed to venture out on highways or out of town after sunset for safety reasons.
Organized tours are recommended to this part of the world to get the best of your buck and time.
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