An awe inspiring country always leaves you finishing your holiday with much more than happiness. It's the memories that you take with you, the things you see and in this case, the knowledge and the things you see that make you talk about Egypt for a generation. Holidays to Egypt can be filled with more than enough to keep conversations flowing long after your visit. Here is a guide to some of the unmissable sights in North Africa's most popular destination.
Valley of the Kings
Found on the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor the valley of the Kings houses many historical places. The Valley of the Kings is home to over 60 tombs and over 120 chambers. This is where the pharaohs were buried and was believed by them to be the place they hoped to meet their gods in the afterlife. You will also find the area that the tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered. Unfortunately the majority of the tombs are not open to the public. This is a truly unique place and is still a popular location for archaeological exploration, and has been since the 18th Century. It is also one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and in 1979 it became a World Heritage Site.
Luxor Temple
The Temple at Luxor is right in the center of Luxor, so if you do head to Luxor you should not miss it. The temple was built around 1400BC mainly to celebrate the annual festival of Opet. You will look at this place in awe as you realize that it has been there well over 3000 years. Coming here in the evening you will see the complex lit up spectacularly. The temple is definitely worth a visit.
The Temple of Karnak
This vast complex of ruined temples, pylons and chapels is located near Luxor. It has been noted in history as on of the most important places of Ancient Egypt's worshiping. Everything here is decorated in hieroglyphics and looks spectacular. You can also find historical performances and sound and light shows here explaining much more about the history of Karnak's Temples.
The Egyptian Museum
Located in Cairo, the Egyptian Museum is home to over 120,000 items of treasured found around Egypt. It is imperative to arrive at the museum early as this will probably be one of the busiest attractions in Egypt. It is here you will find many of the treasures that were discovered within the tombs as well as over 20 actual mummies in the Royal Mummy Room. However the star attraction here is the tomb of Tutankhamen and all the treasures that were buried along with it. You will usually see a good crowd around the solid gold mask that rested upon the Kings head. This mask weighs 24.5pounds of solid gold and the face on the front is believed to look very much like the Kings face.
The Great Sphynx of Giza
The Great Sphynx is the largest statue created from one piece of stone. With the body of a lion and a human head it was believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians in around 3000BC. The complete Sphynx was only fully uncoached in the 1920s prior to that it was up to its neck in sand.
The Pyramids of Giza
If you are at the Sphynx then there is not a chance that you will be missing the Pyramids. Giza houses 3 main pyramids, one of which being the Great Pyramid. Originally the Pyramids exteriors were made from smooth polished limestone, but as the years of weather have eroded this away, we are left with step like structures to the top. Only the top of the smallest pyramid has some of its limestone left but this lacks the polished texture too due to erosion. The Great Pyramid is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still in existence.
Egypt is definitely a place that will make for some memories. If you are taking advantage of the cheap holidays to Egypt that you can find, then you can not afford to miss any of these amazing attractions that this awe inspiring country has to offer.
