Egypt Travel

Egypt

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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.

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 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 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 world'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 Sinai and the Red Sea. The
Sinai peninsula is known for its 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. 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. On the left photo you can see some of the lifeless mountains that look like
giant piles of dirt and on the right is where the 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
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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