Egypt - sights and culture - cruise on the Nile

Egypt
~ sights and culture along the Nile ~
our tour November 2004

Nile cruise

Karnak

Luxor

Thebes-West

Edfu

Kom Ombo

Our round trip began with a cruise on the Nile and was a unique experience. The invaluable cultural-historical treasures, the oriental style and way of life and not at least the exotic scenery along the Nile gave us the feeling of having stepped into a different world. As soon as we arrived, we checked into our cruise ship “Semiramis II” and then began a marvellous journey through the fertile country of the Nile and approximately 5000 years of Egyptian history.

Our cruise led us from Luxor (Temple of Hatshepsut, Tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Memnon Colossi, temples at Luxor and Karnak) via Edfu (Horus Temple) and Kom Ombo (Ptolemaic Temple) to Aswan (Philae Temple, dam, Botanic garden, city tour). From Aswan we went by bus to the most magnificent Nubian Temple – Abu Simbel. After that we sailed back to Luxor. In the second part of our trip we went by plane to Cairo (Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara, Alabaster Sphinx at Memphis, Alabaster Mosque and Egyptian museum Cairo) and then by bus to Hurghada.

All the monumental testimonies of the thousands of years of high culture of the Nile are still to be seen today in lofty beauty. Elaborate reliefs with hieroglyphics and graphic scenes, which cover the columns and walls of tombs and temples, describe the rich Egyptian mythology and the life in the kingdom of the pharaohs in a fascinating way, like an historical book– chiselled out of stone for eternity. A multitude of these monuments was declared world heritage by UNESCO and some of them were saved from destruction by the waters of the Nile (Philae, Abu Simbel) in spectacular rescue operations.

The godlike rule of the pharaohs manifests itself in particular in monumental temples with gigantic columns, which rise up to 69 ft high/21 m (Karnak) and colossal statues at a height of 66 ft/20 m (e.g.Abu Simbel), which welcome the visitor in an awe-inspiring manner! It is beyond our imagination to appreciate the size, grandeur and beauty of these architectural masterpieces without seeing them, to say nothing of the Pyramids of Giza. Even though we were well prepared, the actual sight of these monumental buildings, with their mysterious pictorial and hieroglyphic inscriptions from ancient times, filled us with amazement and deep admiration for what these people were able to accomplish thousands of years ago.

cruise on the Nile - scenic view of the river

During the cruise the covered sun deck with sun beds, swimming pool, and bar offered rest and relaxation between the sight-seeing excursions. The scenery along the river, with romantic settlements embedded in luxuriant palm groves, plantations and lush meadows, is simply marvellous. Many sailing boats and about 300 cruise ships cruise the Nile, greeting each other with cheerful sounds.

The Egyptian people were really hospitable and welcomed us friendly everywhere, but also could be obtrusive, when trying to earn some Euro. However - this is just the Orient! The large part of the population is very poor, although the country has great resources like oil, the Suez Canal and the tourism. As our guide Moses said, by the way of contrast the country has 45.000 Dollar millionaires!!!! After all we were happy to hear, that Egypt has compulsory education for all children and in this way a good chance, for a better future.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Egypt

The Ancient Egypt Site

Other sites