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 EXPLORE
ANCIENT EGYPT:
Egypt is probably the world's oldest civilization having
emerged from the Nile Valley around 3,100 years ago,
historically. Egypt is probably one of the oldest vacation
spots. Early Greeks, Romans and others went there just for
fun, and to see the wonders of some of mankind's earliest
triumphs. But Egypt is much more than Pyramids and
monuments. It is also Red Sea scuba diving, hot night spots,
luxury hotels and five star restaurants. It is romantic
cruises down the Nile on festive river boats, a night at the
grand opera.
PLACES TO VISIT IN EGYPT:
CAIRO
Cairo, the Jewel of the Orient, the City of the Thousand
Minarets, and the Melting Pot of Ancient and Modern Egyptian
Civilizations
Cairo - the Triumphant City - is the glorious capital of
Egypt, the cradle of civilization and the beacon of
religion. It is the largest city in the Middle East and
Africa and lies at the centre of all routes leading to, and
from the three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe.
Greater Cairo extends on the banks of the River Nile to the
south of its delta. Here the Nile divides into its two
distributaries: Rosetta and Damietta. It is the city where
past and present meet. On its east side stands the evidence
of 2000 years of Islamic, Christian Coptic, and Jewish
culture still flourishing to this day. On its west side lies
the Ancient Egyptian city of Memphis (Giza), the renowned
capital of the Old Kingdom and the site of the Pyramids, the
only wonder surviving of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Indeed, a journey through Cairo is a journey through time...
A journey through the history of an immortal civilization.
ALEXANDRIA
The second largest city and the main port of Egypt,
Alexandria was built by the Greek architect Dinocrates
(332-331 BC) on the site of an old village, Rhakotis, at the
orders of Alexander the Great. The city, immortalizing
Alexander's name, quickly flourished into a prominent
cutural, intellectual, political, and economic metropolis,
the remains of which are still evident to this day.
It was the renowned capital of the Ptolemies, with numerous
monuments. It was the site of the Lighthouse, one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, as well as the Great
Library. It was along these shores that history took a
tragic turn at the time of Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Mark
Antony, and Octavian.
Alexandria lies north-west of the Nile delta and stretches
along a narrow land strip between the Mediterranean Sea and
Lake Mariut (Mareotis). It is linked to Cairo by two major
highways and a railroad line. It is one of the most notable
summer resorts in the Middle East, for, in addition to its
temperate winters, its beaches, with white sands and
magnificent scenery, stretch for 140 km along the
Mediterranean Sea, from Abu Qir, in the east to Al-Alamein
and Sidi Abdul Rahman, in the west.
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