|
|
|

|
| Information |
![]() |
Egypt,
the land of the Pharaohs,
of the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Egypt sits on over 100,000 square
miles of oases and deserts, with the Mediterranean and the
Red Sea as borders, the and the silvery green waters of the
Nile spanning its length. Egypt
can boast one of the greatest heritages from the ancient
world and has an unparalleled wealth of archaeological and
historical sites. It
is enough to mention just a few: the Pyramids, the Sphinx,
the temples of Luxor and Karnak, the Valleys of Kings and
Queens and Abu Simbel.
The
capital of the ancient kingdom was Mempis, located quite
close to Cairo. Near here we find the step pyramids of the
early dynasties at Saqqara. The
capital of the Middle Kingdom was Thebes, on the site of
today Luxor, named after the splendor of the old capital
full of palaces. The New
Kingdom also sees Thebes as capital along with the
greatest period of Egyptian splendor with rulers as Ramses
II and queens like Nefertari. The era of Pharaos
ended with
the arrival of Alexander the Great who moved the capital
to the newly founded city of Alexandria. Afterwards,
empires came and went: first Rome, then Byzantium, then
the Arabs who founded Cairo as the new capital, the
Mamlukes and, finally the Ottoman Empire. When in 1798 Napoleon landed
in Egypt, the country was put into contact with Europe and
the rest of the world. The era
of the Sultans started and lasted till 1936 when the
British occupied Egypt and with the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty
King Farouk was given the reins of power. In 1954 Nasser became the full
leader of Egypt and entered Egypt fully in the modern
world.
Egypt is
a land of climatic contrast with marked differences between the coastal Mediterranean climate and the hot dryness of the interior. In desertic areas there is also
a great difference between day and night temperatures.
It is sunny for
most of the year and rain falls only in a few places
and not more than 40 days a year at that. June, July and August are hot but
with cooler evening due to the desert breezes that blow
into the Nile Valley.
Egypt
is probably one of the oldest vacation spots. Early
Greeks, Romans and others went there just for fun,
and to see the wonders of some of mankind's earliest
triumphs. But
Egypt is much more than Pyramids and monuments. It
is also Red Sea scuba diving, hot night spots,
luxury hotels and five star restaurants. It is
romantic cruises down the Nile on festive river
boats, a night at the grand opera and it is a
cultural experience like none you have ever
experienced. Egypt is a land bustling with life,
sound, visual beauty and excitement. |
|
|
|
|