Lifting the Mysterious Veil of a Thousand Years, Find your Way to Egypt!
Egypt is a country with a story, a civilization with a history of 7,000 years unparalleled, and today's Egyptians live in an Islamic world under the Quran and the bent moon. Shuttling just in the moment of walking into it, so every person facing it seems to feel the breath of Egyptians 30 centuries ago, this ancient civilization nurtured by the Nile, experienced the glorious pyramid period of the ancient kingdom, also had the heyday of the New Kingdom, several wars, and finally opened another page of her by Napoleon.
l Why we choose to visit Egypt?
For the morning sun of the Nile and the starry sky of the Sahara? For the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza? For the ghastly mummies or the holy texts that are as hard to understand as a book in heaven?
Apart from temples, tombs and mysteries, what else attract us to visit this land of sand and wind?
When the last mammoth on earth died, the pyramids have been standing in the sand for a thousand years. When Europeans are still wearing animal skins, the Egyptians have begun to look up to the stars.
This is one of the four ancient civilizations, the oldest and most mysterious kingdom, with a history of more than 5,000 years, it is too old.
The great civilization that was once unattainable is now dissipated in the mists of history, and the magnificent sanctuaries of the past have been reduced to crumbling ruins.
Five thousand years of glory, 1/3 was buried in history, 1/3 was buried in the yellow sand, the last remaining 1/3, has been enough to call you the reason to embark on the journey.
And in Egypt, there are many ways to discover the history, you can be like the British aristocracy in the last century, aboard the triangular sail passenger boat, down the Nile River, the Nile in the early morning and dusk time, the scenery is indescribable.
You can also ride in a hot air balloon, like the sun god Ra overlooking all life, to see a magnificent sunrise, the Imperial Valley is dyed with a layer of gentle gold, the "world of the dead" in the morning sun also has a vibrant side.
Egypt is not stuck in the past, there are also a variety of ways to play outside of archaeology, camping in the empty and silent Sahara to see the stars, the deep blue sky, the Milky Way dazzling, starry.
Or dive to the bottom of the sea and be an uninhibited fish, rubbing shoulders with thousands of tropical fish and witnessing coral colonies comparable to the Great Barrier Reef in that Red Sea of "Operation Red Sea".
Perhaps the BBC and Discovery have uncovered Egypt's past over and over again, but you can still discover new things on your journey. In addition to the remaining ancient Egyptian culture, you can find traces of Arab, Turkish, Syrian and even French culture here.
The Mummy series, The Nile Tragedy and Cleopatra have made Egypt a destination on many people's minds, but none of these movies tell you that Egypt's five-star hotels are unbelievably good value for money!
Whether it's a river view hotel on the Nile, a resort on the Red Coast, or a Cairo hotel under the Giza pyramids, Marriott, Kempinski, Le Meridien... The price per night is basically 200 USD or less, for a double occupancy, only 100 USD per person!
The Mina Palace is a testament to Cairo's modern history, with the huge Giza Pyramids just beyond the curtains. It was originally built as a palace for Egyptian kings and princes, and is now the first choice for prime ministers, presidents and idol stars.
The legendary Luxor Sofitel Hermitage on the Nile, where Agatha Christie wrote the famous "Tragedy on the Nile" and where Count George Herbert, the first explorer to enter Tutankhamun, stayed, is only 450 USD for one night, not too much of a burden, and you can also go to the room where Ms. Agatha punched the clock.
By the way, this is also a paradise for cat slaves, in Egyptian mythology, the cat is the incarnation of the goddess Batth, the image of cute and righteous, if the Egyptians choose the same animal as a pet, the vast majority of people will definitely choose the cat.
l Why do not recommend Independent travel in Egypt?
Why do not recommended to travel in Egypt on your own, because Egypt is not a country with developed travel service for indepedent travelling and stable social security country.
Egypt is a big tourist country, is a dream destination for many people, but this country also has a lot of imperfections, such as that many places can not keep up with the tourist support services, such as the emergence of many tourists cheated experiences. All this seriously affect the travel experience in Egypt. First of all, the most strange phenomenon in Egypt is that Egyptians have no concept of time, their mantra is often "One minute", "Five minutes", if you believe it, it can be miserable, may be forced to wait a long time, of course, they will give you a lot of reasons.
In Egypt, incidents of provocation of foreign travelers also often occur. The scene in the movie "Cairo Time" where Juliet is followed and harassed by someone walking alone on the road is not a fiction.
In addition, Egypt is a big tourist country, engaged in tourism, many people, English is very good, but this type of people compared to others, to be much more than smart, some of the domestic long eliminated cheating, in the tourist areas of Egypt is often seen even at daytime. So if you encounter good English person who take the initiative to talk to you, with all due respect, not your special charm, nine out of ten, he is a liar. Especially in the Pyramids area, I praise is basically the world's most fraudulent place, but do not believe anyone who says" free things" . Just stay away,! Without a guide, do not ride Camel, as on the camel easy, off the camel difficult ~~~
SO, if you've read those travelogues that make you yearn for more, touched by those travelers who are known for their free travel and various experiences walking in the jungle, but I'm sorry, in Egypt, these wonderful budget travel stories are often close to fairy tales. I am not trying to say that there are no good people in Egypt, just for you a normal tourist, the probability of running into good people in the attractions is too low, most or a variety of drivers pitted, sexual harassment, by the hawkers of various schemes to cheat the story around.
If it's not easy for you to take a big annual vacation to Egypt and your want to feel the life of the trip, then it's better to try to avoid or reduce all the unpleasantness of the trip. Then I still suggest you find private tours or other reliable travel agency to customize your trip to Egypt.
l Destinations:
1. Cairo - One Cairo, Half Egypt. Where Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Meet
"People who have never seen Cairo are the same as people who have never seen the world" said in "One Thousand and One Nights". As early as the Middle Ages, this was the capital of Egypt, from the Pharaonic era, Greco-Roman era, to Christianity and Islam, leaving here the ancient and glorious mosques, 19th century palaces, magnificent mausoleum complexes, so that you trance a foot into a thousand years of history.
a. The Pyramids of Giza - the starting point of a journey to explore the ancient civilizations of Egypt
A trip to Egypt begins in Cairo, a trip to Cairo begins with the pyramids, and a trip to the pyramids begins with the Giza pyramid complex.
The Giza pyramid complex is located in the suburbs of Cairo and the starting point of the Sahara. Driving all the way out of the city, the nearly 150-meter-tall Pyramids of Khufu gradually become clear and three-dimensional in the view.
As the oldest and only surviving building among the Seven Wonders of the World, there is no shortage of tourists cheering and lining up to take pictures.
Looking up, the tip of the pyramid is unreachable, which accentuates the smallness of human beings, and the head keeps popping up with amazement and curiosity: how exactly did man build this magnificent wonder? Who built all this? Who transported and built these giant stones?
Imagine, 4500 years ago, this just laid the foundation of the building surface is still covered with a layer of smooth white limestone, in the hot North African sun gleaming, there is really a sense of future technology, no wonder people always imagine that this is from the hands of aliens.
b. Egyptian Museum - Preserving thousands of years of Egyptian history
In the Giza pyramid complex, is not to see the mummy, want to feast your eyes, but also need to go to the Egyptian Museum.
This is definitely one of the highest gold museums in the world, more than 300,000 collections, 63,000 exhibits, any one collection taken to other small museums, will be held as a town treasure.
From the time of the ancient kingdoms to the rule of Rome, the Egyptian Museum has distilled the 5,000-year history of this ancient civilization into this 15,000-square-meter pink building in one place.
The Narmai palette of ancient Egypt's unification witness, the statue of King of Kings Ramses II, the seated statue of King Lahtip and his consort, the lotus and salvia seeds from 3,000 years ago that can still sprout now ...... you are just 30 centimeters away from these.
It is almost impossible to brush through the 50 exhibition rooms here in one day, and if you have limited time, you should definitely not miss the mummies and Tutankhamun's display.
The former not only contains the mummies of more than 20 pharaohs and princesses, including Ramses, but also the mummies of various animals, such as snakes, crocodiles, cats, etc. Incredibly, the contours of the mummies' faces and the elasticity of their skin can still be felt today.
The Tutankhamun showroom is full of extravagant gold, the world's shocking gold mask and weighing two hundred and forty-two pounds of solid gold human coffin is the most well-known Egyptian national treasures, the teenage king has more exquisite jewelry and furniture, definitely worth your second brush, or even three brushes.
c. Al-Azhar Mosque - an ancient institution of learning, isolated from the hustle and bustle of time
Strolling through the streets of Cairo, any time you look up, you can find staggered minarets in the ancient Islamic capital, there are about 1100 mosques with a history of more than 100 years, worthy of the title of "City of a Thousand Towers" in Egypt.
The Al-Azhar Mosque, the front of the Egyptian currency 50 piastres, was built in 975 and is one of the oldest mosques in the whole of Egypt, and is also home to Al-Azhar University, the leading university in the Arab world.
Although the bustling market is right next door, Al-Azhar is insulated from the noise and bustle of the outside world, so if you're looking for a quiet place, this is the perfect place to go.
Outside the Fatimid-era arcade is a marble-paved, mirror-like courtyard where you can take a break.
To find this mosque is also very simple, look up, find the five minarets with different styles, and you will find where Al-Azhar is located.
d. Khan Al-Khalili - Where Cairoites go on weekends
Khan Al-Khalili is the bazaar a street away from Al-Azhar, the name sounds strange and lovely bazaar has actually aged, medieval existence, now with a strong Arabian flavor to attract tourists from all over the world.
The streets are lined with small stores selling souvenirs, but don't worry, this is not a shopping mall for tourists, many Cairoites also like to come here on weekends to pass the time.
This is a must-visit bazaar in Cairo, because the goods here are too complete: gold, silver and copper ware, exquisite shape of the water pipe, colorful papyrus paintings, snow plaster pyramids ......
There is also the smell of spices in the air, the ears are full of various accents and vendors to kill the voice of the only guide to survival here is the word: bold kill the price!
There is also a cafe named after Egypt's most important writer and Nobel Prize winner, Naguib Mahfouz, in the heart of the market, so don't forget to order yourself a drink.
2. Luxor - You haven't been to Egypt until you've been to Luxor
Luxor, the capital of Egypt's pharaohs under the new kings, was once known as the "capital of a hundred gates" and the "palatial city", the center of ancient pharaonic power and therefore fortunate to have many tombs, temples and pyramids. The mayor of Luxor called the city "the greatest open-air museum in the world," and the Nile River runs through the city, dividing Luxor into an east bank, a land of the living and the gods, known for its temples and modern cities, and a west bank, a kingdom of the dead, known for its pharaonic tombs and temples.
a. Temple of Karnak - the most ancient Egyptian temple
The Temple of Karnak, the rightful king of Egyptian monuments, is magnificent to the point of exaggeration, whether it is the tall and thick walls at the entrance of the temple, the whole row of sacred sheep statues guarding in front of the walls, or the colonnaded hall made up of 134 giant 22-meter stone columns.
It is the oldest temple in Luxor, the grandest temple in Egypt, the center of worship of the sun god Amun, and the most important place of worship for the pharaohs during the time of the new kings, and there is more than one temple of Amun here, but what really made Karnak famous was the movie "Tragedy on the Nile".
From the start of the temple's construction in about 1991 B.C. to the 1500 years that followed, almost every pharaoh left his mark on the site, renovating and
expanding it, imprinting their achievements on it, and eventually expanding Karnak into a superb body of architecture that combines a sanctuary, a holy pavilion, a tower gate and an obelisk.
Perhaps some sites you can walk around to see a glimpse, but Karnak requires you to slow down to read, where the essence of the past 15 centuries of art, to tell you silently the distant and glorious past.
b. Luxor Temple - Travel through a thousand years of time
The temple of Luxor was actually originally attached to the temple of Karnak. In the past, there was an avenue consisting of two rows of 730 sphinxes leading to Karnak, 3 km away, but this road, now lost to history, and only 58 sphinxes remain of the formerly mighty sphinxes.
Like Karnak, it is also home to the remains of many pharaohs. Amenhotep III and Ramses II originally built it, and later Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut, and Alexander the Great all participated in its construction. Through the many temples, stone pillars, obelisks, and walls, statues and reliefs praising the great achievements of these pharaohs are found everywhere.
Most notable is the towering obelisk, where Ramses II built two obelisks, nearly 3,000 years old, one of which remains alone in Luxor, while the other was given to France and stands in the Place de la Concorde, probably the oldest structure in all of France today.
c. Valley of the King- the great tomb of the Pharaohs of the ages
The tomb of Tutankhamen was found here, which is one of the most important discoveries in the Valley of the Emperors. In addition to the young king, more than 60 famous pharaohs such as Amenhotep II, Seti I and Ramses II also rested here.
Unlike the popular pyramid tombs of the ancient Egyptian kingdom, the pharaohs of the New Kingdom period chose to hide their past lives in the deserted canyon on the west bank of the Nile in a low-profile manner, excavating burial chambers under the bluff to build their underground palaces.
Although these tombs are no longer as large as the pyramids that awe-inspiring, the magnificence is far better than the pyramids, each tomb canals and ceilings, as far as possible, are carved with reliefs and frescoes. Because of the dryness and lack of light damage, the frescoes here after more than 3,000 years, the color is still as bright as new.
d. Temple of Hatshepsut - the only female pharaoh's shrine in Egypt
Cleopatra was not the only pharaoh in Egypt. In terms of merit, Queen Hatshepsut was enough to overshadow Cleopatra, the first female pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 22 years and ushered in the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt, whose story is depicted on the reliefs inside the Temple of Sacrifice.
The male pharaohs in the Valley of the King, in order not to be robbed of their tombs, invariably built the entrance to the mausoleum hidden and narrow, but in the end still can not escape the robbery over and over again, while the Queen will be built separately from the mausoleum and the temple, this is where the Queen's temple, with the pattern and vision of the other pharaohs do not have.
The temple is built near the cliff, high above the valley in the distance, with a total of three floors of colonnaded buildings, with a modern architectural simplicity and sharp, but these colonnades are not the temple, the real temple is hidden behind the top colonnade, deep in the mountain cliff.