Egypt’s Ancient Treasures
Ancient Egypt had always intrigued me, holding a certain romance and mystery - and now was the time to realise my dream of going there.
Since I was a child I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt and its exotic pharaohs, curses, strange gods and vast pyramids.
Finally choosing to go, I planned each stage of the trip as I had only ten days to see as much as I could of Egypt’s ancient treasures.
Because accommodation is relatively cheap, we were able to stay at the fabulous Le Meridien Pyramids resort near the pyramids, with comfortable suites, excellent staff, pool and a cavernous lobby.
The Pyramids of Giza, the last of the Seven Wonders of the World surviving, and the Sphinx take an entire day to visit and are more breathtaking than expected, despite their iconic nature. Each stone in the Pyramids at Giza is around the height of a human being, while the Sphinx is vast, enigmatic and beautiful all at the same time.
One of the chief joys of our trip was visiting the huge Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo and we managed to spend an entire day looking at its impressive collection of artefacts. Many of the household items look as though they could have been purchased the previous day, as the desert sand has preserved them so well.
We stopped and refreshed ourselves with a charming afternoon tea at the nearby Hilton Hotel and returned to the museum to see the Treasures of Tutankhamun, including the striking blue and gold death mask, and the mummies of the pharaohs.
During our time in Cairo, we also managed to journey into the desert to the Step Pyramid at Sakkara, built around 2630 BC and pre-dating the Great Pyramids, the Papyrus Institute and the Coptic Museum, which traces the roots of early Christianity in Egypt.
The next leg of the tour was a stay in Luxor and the easiest way to get there is by plane from Cairo. Luxor is a rather quieter place to stay along the Nile and our hotel offered views across the river.
The town of Luxor itself is built on the site of the ancient city of Thebes and the Temple of Luxor has a number of interesting features. However, it is the immense Temple of Amon at Carnac nearby that leaves one breathless and is a spectacular sight, rising majestically from the desert.
The Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Artisans, home to the ancient civilisation’s tombs, are all located close to Luxor. The Theban Necropolis takes a day to see and we took a tour, led by a very well informed guide, which took us around the best of the tombs.
One evening, we returned to the Great Temple of Amon and watched the impressive but kitsch sounds and light show. For our final day, we managed to book onto a Nile cruise, which meandered down the river and stopped at the stunning Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Temple of Hathor at Denderah.
We were up very early each morning during our stay in Egypt and went to bed exhausted and stunned in the evening after a day’s sightseeing, leaving little time for relaxing by the hotel pools. This whirlwind tour was enough for me to see all the things I had longed to look for years, but I am eager to return and see more, particularly Alexandria, Aswan and Abu Simbel.
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