| Egypt |
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| Egypt is one of the most popular destinations in Africa, and with good reason. It has an ancient history and influence from some of the most powerful empires such as Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Today Egypt is a modern country with most of its old ruins in excellent condition considering the thousands of years that have gone by. |
| The longest river in the world which is the Nile, runs through Egypt's capital of 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 right is a photo of the nice restaurants and large buildings that have been constructed along the Nile in Cairo. Since Cairo is such a big city, there is a big diversity of people unlike some neighboring countries. On the right is a photo of some Egyptians in Cairo wearing traditional clothing. |
| The 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. |
| There are also many statues in Egypt. 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 world's largest and oldest statues. |
| The oldest 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 a very old one that is almost reduced to a pile of bricks and sand. Egypt has many types of pyramids, some very small and others huge. There are said to be over 100 known pyramids in all of Egypt. |
| Above is the second most visited site in Egypt, the temple of Luxor. The temple is a large one with many rooms on the inside. The first photo is the entrance that is guarded by statues and an obelisk. On the right is a photos of some large 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. |
| On the left is another temple built by ancient Egyptians but a very different style. Hatshepsut temple was actually built by a Queen and not a King. She claimed her father was a god, and therefore she as a descendant she should be king. Later on, other Egyptians ended up taking over the temple and destroying any images of her. The hieroglyphics were left behind, and on the right you can see some. The first is the key of life, one of their most important hieroglyphics. |
| Ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun, believing that the rising sun was being born, 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 river. 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 Sinai and the Red Sea. The Sinai peninsula is known for it's great weather and many beaches. Above are photos of the city Dahab, which is one of the resort cities in Sinai. As you can see it has some exotic shops to visit and nice night life to keep you entertained after hours. Alcohol is available in almost all restaurants here. |
| The terrain in Sinai is mostly mountainous with very little vegetation. On the left photo you can see some of the lifeless mountains that look like giant piles of dirt. On the right is where the red sea meets land. By walking around the coast, you would never imagine that the red sea is one of the best places in the world to go diving in. Below are some photos I took while scuba diving. The right one is some of the coral, while on the left is one of the many tropical fish. |
| Above are some more angel fishes, on the upper right is the royal angel which was my favorite fish in the Red Sea. I saw many lion fishes and even an octopus. Below on the left are many species of fish, with the very colorful one in the center being a parrot fish. On the right is a large puffer fish passing by. |
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