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Cairo is the captial of Egypt and home to 18 million people and
some unrivalled history. The Cheops (Khufu)
pyramid in the Giza necropolis is the largest pyramid ever
built. Located nearby are the smaller pyramids of Khafre
and Menkaure and the Great Phinx of Giza - one of the
oldest known statues. Not far from Cairo and Giza are Memphis and Saqarra which were
once part of the kingdom
of Lower Egypt. |
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Luxor was once the capital of the new kingdom of upper Egypt.
The temples of Luxor and Karnak are very well known tourist
attractions. Across the Nile on the west bank the Thebes
necropolis includes some of the most famous tombs and the temple
of Hatsheput. Luxor itself is a
beautiful town with the Corniche stretching across the left bank
of the entire town and the temples of Luxor and Karnak. |
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Egypt is
renowned for its ancient civilization and some of the
world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid
complex and the Great Sphinx. Visiting these historic sites
was on top of our itinerary for sure but our 4 nights of
camping out in the various parts of the Sahara desert was
the most memorable part of the trip. The desert was full of
surprises and untold mysteries to discover. Leaving Cairo
behind after spending a couple of days there, we drove into
the Western desert and headed towards Bahariya first. During
our numerous stops enroute, we discovered the secrets that
lay buried in these sands from millions of years ago, like
the ocean of pearls and the sea of dinosaurs. The necropolis
of the 10,000 golden mummies was recently discovered when a
donkey stumbled upon it, we visited this and several other
such ancient burial chambers all over the desert.
Sleeping under
the stars in the white desert was magical and ethereal. With
all the limestone creations gleaming under the moon and with
the temperature getting close to sub zero, we were not sure
if we had been transported to the Arctic circle instead. This was
certainly a trip of our lifetime and we cannot wait to go
back! |
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The
Egyptian western desert makes up eastern most part of the Sahara
desert. There are seven major oases located in this area. The
bigger ones like Bahariya, Dhakla and Kharga are fully self-contained little townships
with several thousand inhabitants and provide
the
gateway to the sands of various deserts in the area. The White
and Black deserts provide some of the most unique
landscape that you can imagine. |
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Aswan the southern-most Egyptian city stands on the east bank of the
Nile and is a busy
market (souq) and tourist center. The extremely beautiful is
home to some beautiful islands in the middle of the Nile with
the desert coming right down to the water's edge on the western
bank. It is home to the largest Nubian population in the country. Aswan is home to two
of the largest dams in the world. |
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