Egypt of the Pharaohs

Direct Rome-Luxor charter flight. Arrival and accommodation on the ship Royal Princess.... We head to the beautiful Temple of Karnak, immense, characteristic with its imposing columns, the obelisk and the sacred lake. Towards dusk we reach the nearby Temple of Luxor. The artificial lighting is among the most interesting. The two seated statues of Ramses introduce the avenue towards the beautiful courtyard, and through the corridor flanked by imposing columns you reach the Holy of Holies. On the second day, wake-up at 4:30 to avoid the heat of the Valley of the Kings. From the Valley you reach the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Temple is made up of several levels with terraces overlooking the Valley of the Kings. The return towards the ship includes a stop at a factory where alabaster is worked, and a visit to the famous Colossi of Memnon.

We leave Luxor and sail towards Upper Egypt, that is, in a southerly direction. Next stop Edfu, precisely at the Temple of Horus. In the Temple, from the Ptolemaic era, a reconstruction of the ancient processional boat is visible inside. Heading south we come across the town of Kom Ombo, where we find the Temple of the Two Deities, that is, of Sobek and Horus. The Nilometer outside measured the height of the Nile to prevent the river's floods. A visit to the market of Kom Ombo is a must. In the evening we arrive at Aswan and the city lights offer us a beautiful spectacle. In the morning we set off for a visit to the Great Dam, passing first by the old dam built by the English at the beginning of the 1900s. The flooding of such a vast area, besides the environmental disaster, caused the submersion of some archaeological sites.

During the 1960s some of these were recovered and moved thanks to colossal works. An example of these works is the Temple of Philae, dismantled piece by piece and transferred entirely to the island of Agilkia, reconstructing also the landscape and vegetation of the original site. On the way back to Aswan we pass by the state factory where essences and perfumes of every kind are produced. A stop at the old quarry where monuments and obelisks were built. There is still an imposing one, which could have become the largest known obelisk (about 42 m long with a base more than 4 m wide), but broken during its creation due to a collapse. At sunset we enjoy the Nile landscape on a felucca (a typical sailing boat), heading towards Elephantine Island. The sailing ends at Aswan, unfortunately.

With an internal flight we reach Abu Simbel in about half an hour (we are a few kilometres from the border with Sudan). Two enormous temples carved into the rock (that of Ramses II and that of his wife Nefertari) tower over the area overlooking Lake Nasser. The façade of the main Temple features 4 enormous seated statues of the pharaoh Ramses. Inside, beautiful depictions of the pharaoh in battle and the Holy of Holies with 4 statues, the second of which represents Ramses being illuminated from above by a ray of sunlight on the only days of 21 February (the day of his birth) and 21 October (the day of his coronation). After the relocation of the temple, unfortunately, the dates have shifted one day forward. The Temple of Nefertari (the favourite among Ramses's many wives) features 6 beautiful statues representing the pharaoh and his wife with sons and daughters.

We leave Abu Simbel reluctantly to head, with a domestic scheduled flight, towards the capital, Cairo. The next day we visit the beautiful mosque of Mohamed Ali in the Citadel with the fortification built by Saladin. It seems that the walls of the Citadel, built as a defence against the Crusaders, were built with the stones of the pyramids of Giza. In the evening we enjoy the Sound and Light show on the Giza plain. In the morning we return to Giza and reach the base of the second pyramid of Khafre on the back of a camel. We visit Khafre. Khufu is imposing. From a distance it seems lower than Khafre, but this is only because the second was built on a natural rise. More than 140 m high with a base of 230 m per side!!! Under Khufu you can visit one of the two solar boats found at the base and rebuilt in a purpose-built gallery.

Considering it is almost 5000 years old, I'd say it wears them really well. From Khafre starts the long corridor that leads to the Sphinx, and with the exploration of this our tour here in Giza ends. The advice is to stock up on Egyptian pounds before visiting these places, since they do not accept foreign currency. From Giza we reach the ancient city of Memphis, where you can see an imposing yet refined statue of Ramses. A stone's throw away we reach Saqqara. The step pyramid of Djoser is considered among the oldest pyramids, predating those of Giza. Our short but intense holiday ends with a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The quantity of exhibits on display is incredible, considering that there are just as many in the storerooms, not displayed for reasons of space. The section reconstructing the Tomb of Tutankhamun, found in the Valley of the Kings, is incredibly rich.

To visit the section housing the mummies you have to pay a separate ticket (14 euros). We leave Egypt carrying with us a lovely memory. This land offers historical riches unique in the world but at the same time suffers from countless social problems that do not allow a dignified life for most of the people who live there. The splendours of Ancient Egypt are far away!!!