| Egypt |
| Egypt Travel - For more information on Egypt, visit http://www.willgoto.com/260/1/categories.aspx |
| Egypt is one of the most popular destinations in Africa, and with good reason. Its ancient history and influence from some of the most powerful empires such as Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire are still seen centuries later in different parts of the country. Today Egypt is still a poor third world nation, but has a very strong tourist infrastructure with all types of accommodations for travelers. Considering the thousands of years that have passed, most of the ancient ruins are in fairly good condition. |
| Cairo is considered by many to be Africa's most populated city with over 10 million people. Ancient people first began to live in the area because of the Nile river which guaranteed water and food. As the longest river in the world, the Nile runs straight through Cairo before continuing on to a delta that empties in the Mediterranean Sea. Almost all of Egypt's major cities and ruins, with the exceptions of the ones on the coast, are along the Nile river. On the lower left is a photo of the nice restaurants and large buildings that have been constructed along the Nile in Cairo. You can find just about every type of food in this part of the city, and even many famous international restaurant chains. Since Cairo is such a big city, there is also a big diversity of people unlike some neighboring countries. On the right is a photo of some Egyptians in Cairo wearing traditional clothing. |
| The famous great pyramids in Egypt are actually giant tombs. They were built to keep the body of the deceased Kings, who people believed would later return to life to rule again. The pyramids were filled with treasures and items they believed the kings would need once they returned to life. Because of the threats posed by thieves, many of the pyramid doors were hidden or followed by dangerous traps. |
| Egypt also has many great statues in addition to its famous pyramids. On the left is a small statue that was built inside a pyramid, with two eye holes to look inside. On the right is the head of the famous Great Sphinx. It is one of the earth's largest and oldest statues. |
| The oldest known pyramid in Egypt is the step pyramid seen to the right. It was originally only a few steps but was extended over time. The left side was added on also, making it lopsided as you can see in the photo. The pyramid to the left is so old that it is almost reduced to a pile of bricks and sand. Egypt has all types of pyramids, some of them are tiny while the ones in Gaza tower over the modern city of Cairo. There are said to be over 100 known pyramids in all of Egypt with occasional discoveries of new ones occurring every few years. |
| Above is the second most visited site in Egypt, the temple of Luxor. The first photo on the left is the temple entrance that is guarded by statues and an obelisk. On the right is a photo of some the giant columns on the inside. This temple has seen influence from many other religions and people. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and instead of converting the people to a his religion, he allowed them to keep their current faith. He also had a mural of himself put inside the temple with his name in hieroglyphics. Later Muslims built a mosque, and Christians also painted a mural of the Last Supper that is still visible on the walls. |
| Another temple built by ancient Egyptians but with a very different style is Hatshepsut temple; actually built by a Queen. She claimed her father was a god, and therefore she as a descendant she should be king. Later on, she became unpopular with the rest of Egypt and eventually was overthrown with armies taking over the temple and destroying any images of her. On the right you can see an example of some of their ancient alphabet. The first symbol is the key of life, one of their most important hieroglyphics. |
| Ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun, believing that the rising sun represented birth, while the setting sun represented death. Because the sun rose and set each day, they believed the same was for life, and that they too would die and then later return. Above is the setting sun, which of course takes place on the west. All tombs were built on the west side of the Nile River since death was related to the sundown. Life is associated with the rising sun, so their cities and homes were built on the east side of the Nile. On the upper right is one of the largest temples in the world. It is called Karnak, and it was used for centuries by the ancient Egyptians. Over 30 pharaohs had used it and added new projects to it, making it the largest temple in Egypt. Directly to the right is another picture inside of Karnak, an Egyptian man walks past the giant columns. |
| Aside from the city life and ancient pyramids and temples in Egypt, people also come around the world to visit the Red Sea. The Sinai peninsula is known for its great weather and beaches. Above are photos of the city Dahab, which is one of the resort cities in Sinai. Filled with some exotic shops to visit and nice night life to keep you entertained after hours, it's a great place to visit. Alcohol is available in almost all restaurants here. Unfortunately Sinai has been the target of terrorism and even some western countries suggest not visiting this region at all. |
| The terrain in Sinai is mostly mountainous with very little vegetation. The left photo shows some of the lifeless mountains that look like giant piles of dirt and on the right is where these mountains meet the Red Sea. By walking around the coast, you would never imagine that the red sea is one of the best places in the world to go scuba diving and is filled with all types of exotic life. Below are some photos I took while scuba diving. A large school of fish is on the left, and on the right is one of my favorite fish, the emperor angel fish. |
| Above are two photos of species of angel fishes, below on the left is a parrot fish and a large puffer fish on the right. I came across dozens of other species of fish, and I even saw a small octopus on the ocean floor! Unfortunately I didn't realize what the octopus was until it swam away so I didn't get any photos of it. |
| Egypt Links |
| Post a question or comment about traveling in Egypt. |
Rachel from UK: This is amazing!
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Afrin from India: These pictures are very beautiful.
| A quick side note; I hate to say it but Egypt was one of the most annoying countries I ever went to in regards to tipping and bothering you for money. The guy on the left tried to give me a 5 minute camel ride for $25! It's understandable to try to make money, but almost everyone I encountered expected a large tip or donation and would be offended if you said no. Of course not everyone is like that, the guy on the right is cool and even though he didn't speak English he tried to talk to me and was just being friendly. |
| On the left is some coral formations closer to the surface so the colors came out better. On the right is the famous poisonous lion fish. I'd often seen them in pet stores growing up, but this was the first one I encountered in the wild. |
Mayssr from Iraq: I love Egypt