Africa is anyway a good choice if you’re an explorer. Almost every country in the continent is ethnically different to the point that it is almost impossible to distinguish them belonging from the same geographical region. If somewhere its lush green, then it is the driest of deserts in some other place. Mountains and seas can be seen within the same borders is not very difficult scenery to find in this region. Egypt is no different in that respect either.
Egypt is a country which is a perfect spot for a travel explorer or adventurer who wants to discover his way around the world. It is not only rich in its historical and architectural glory, but it is a very important political center as well. Egypt is the connecting terrain between northeast Africa and the Middle East. The country has one of the longest histories around the world dating as far back as the 6th-4th millennia BCE.
When it comes to exploring Egypt, the country is strewn with so many options around that it is easy to not get overwhelmed if you don’t have an exact idea of what to look for. So, might I suggest preparing an itinerary before you start your journey in the first place? And of course, do so by visiting more than one travel website. I, on the other hand, am going to prepare you another short and succinct list of places you have to go, and things you have to see, if you’re in the country as in today’s age it is overly important to not get bored with an overly long piece of reading material, article or blog. Trust me, I understand, I am a Millennial after all.
Pyramids of Giza
The last remaining spectacles of the ancient world the Pyramids have passed the test of time for nearly 4000 years. The extraordinary shape, impeccable geometry and sheer bulk of the Giza Pyramids have invited the obvious questions that how come the people of that age managed something that hasn’t have been possible till mow the modern age guys.
These Pyramids are originally built as massive tombs by the orders of the Pharaohs. Today they stand as an awe-inspiring tribute to the might, organization, and achievements of ancient Egypt.
Excavators have found evidence of the organized way of work of the workers who have built the architectural wonders and you’ll be pleased to know they were nothing like the Hollywood portrayals would have made us believe.
Luxor
How many museums you have been to where you get to explore the ancient artifacts at its very haven? That too, under the sky, in the open air and not breathing in the artificial air of the AC? Well, you find it in Luxor. Nothing compares to the scale and grandeur of the monuments that have survived from ancient Thebes.
In the setting of the Nile flowing between the modern city and the Necropolis, the city is a scattered and beautiful picture of the old days’ charm.
Saqqara
It stretches 7kms of the Western Desert, and the huge cemetery of ancient Memphis, which was an active burial ground for over 3,500 years and presently is Egypt’s largest archaeological site. The Necropolis is situated high above the Nile Valley’s cultivation area, and it is the final resting place for the departed pharaohs along with their families. The name ‘Saqqara’ is most probably came from ‘Sokar’, the Memphite god of the dead.
Western Desert
Another part of with stretches of sand dunes and vast, sweeping beauty is the Western Desert. You will also get to see surreal rock formations of many kinds when you visit this portion of the country. It is a continual beauty one has to acquire a taste for.
Khan Al Khalili
If a mall in the by-lanes is an idea that intrigues you, then Khan Al Khalili is a place for you to visit. This cluster of shops many of which are simply spread across small courtyards got everything in store from soap powder to semiprecious stones, not to mention cheap toy camels and alabaster pyramids (must have seen this coming given that you’re in Egypt). Most shops and stalls open from 9 in the morning till sundown, though the market remains closed during Friday mornings and Sundays.
Bahariya Oasis
Bahariya is one of the places in the country you will feel you have reached closer to nature when you get there. The eye-catching desert circuit oases are just within a stone’s throw from Cairo, which is around 365kms is a place you must visit. Expansive shady date palms speckled with a number of natural springs, are very persuasive in making you plunge into it. Part of the Western Desert that I have mentioned before in the article the sandy ‘mesas’ are supposedly a grand introduction to a part of the abovementioned barren beauty.
Temples of Abu Simbel
The Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor overlooks the iconic lake of Nasser. In a modern marvel of engineering, matching the original building technique of the Ramses II, the temple complex was once saved from being swallowed whole by rising waters and ceases to exist in its original spot when the High Dam was built.
Red Sea Coast
On first look, the location of Red Sea Riviera may look unattractive to you with all its overdeveloped resorts and other sorts of constructions for mostly tourism purposes, the region has more to it than meets the eye.
Some of the most significant sites of early Christianity lie on the barren mountains of the northern Red Sea coast. When you travel south you reach Hurghada and you will not only find some of Egypt’s best diving spots but also the vast and wild expanse of the Eastern Desert.
Traverse through by trade routes dating back as far back as the prehistory, and scattered with ancient rock art and ghostly ruins, this seldom-visited spot is an understated but significant place of visit during Egypt trip.
