Egypt Attractions

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Egypt has been a popular tourist destination for centuries. Herodotus, the world-renowned Greek historian, visited Egypt in the 5th century BC, and was so impressed that he wrote of Egypt 'nowhere are there so many marvellous things...nor in the world besides are to be seen so many things of unspeakable greatness.' Egypt is still known for its amazing archaeological wonders, especially the Pyramids of Giza . Millions of tourists, archeologists, and culture lovers from across the world visit Egypt every year and get enchanted by its pyramids, temples, mosques and great monuments of the Nile Valley, as well as the stunning beaches and diving resorts of the Red Sea.

Egypt offers its visitors a varied choice of tourist attractions ranging from historical sites to museums, temples, scenic landscapes, recreational spots and much more, to keep them engaged. Cairo , the capital city of Egypt and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most visited city in Africa. Other popular travel destinations in Egypt include Aswan - a beautiful winter resort; Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh - great diving resorts; Alexandria - a historic site reminding one of the great warriors Alexander and the Romans and beautiful Cleopatra; and Luxor - known as a living and open museum. Visitors and adventure seekers can also consider visiting Marsa Alam, Lake Nasser, Red Sea, and the arid mountains and desert oases of Sinai. The Red Sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh offer some of the best diving locations in the world.

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Abu Mena, Egypt


Abu Mena an Egyptian town, a old monastery complex and center of Christian Pilgrimage in Ancient Egypt is situated about 45 km southwest of Alexandria one of the popular destination of Egypt.

Abu Mena is one of the oldest Christian sites of Egypt. Most of the public buildings, monasteries, houses, church, baptistery and workshops in Abu Mena were built over the tomb of the martyr Menas of Alexandria. This site of Egypt was placed in the heritage list of UNESCO and is closely located to the site of new Monastery of St. Mina

City of Abu Mena or the city of St Mena was the greatest Christian Pilgrimage place in the east during the beginning of the medieval period and was also the largest Coptic town of Egypt. This extensive site of Abu Mena also known as "the Vineyard of St Menas" raised many interests. Most of the objects found during the excavation of the Abu Mena are displayed in the Coptic Museum located at Cairo.

The site of Abu Mena was first excavated from 1905 to 1907. In this excavation a large basilica church, an adjacent church that had been considered as the church that probably housed the remains of saint Mena's remains and Roman baths. However the recent excavations discovered a large dormitory probably made for the poor people in Abu Mena.

Among the other historical remains of Abu Mena the most notable was the Thermal Basilica. Built in 5th century, Thermal Basilica was used to store the curative water. During 5th and 6th century many buildings were built around Thermal Basilica. Among the notable one was a 48, 000 square yard monastery that was constructed to the north side of Basilica.

Built in 5th century in the center of glamorous complex just south of Alexandria in Karm Abu Mena was Basilica of Arcadius. Supported by 56 fascinating marble columns, this baptistery is situated in the western end of the Basilica with corners rounded in semicircular marble niches.

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Abu Tig Marina, Egypt

Abu Tig marina is a unique and ethnic town located on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Designed by the Italian architect Alfredo Freda, Abu Tig Marina town is among one of the developing tourist attractions of Egypt.

Basically this unique marina town is a part of world famous tourist resort destination of El Gouna. Built on 10 km of scenic beachfront, El Gouna is the leisure destination of Red Sea. Spread across a group of islands that are linked with each other by beautiful turquoise lagoons, el Gouna is itself a complete well-established resort.

El Gouna is a diver's paradise site in Egypt. It offers wide variety of aquatic activities like windsurfing, water skiing, parasailing, snorkeling etc. El Gouna can be easily accessible by air from major cities of Egypt. Hurghada International Airport lays 22kms north of El Gouna.

Abu Tig Marina offers wide range of excellent resorts facilities and also provides opportunity to view Red Sea one of the most fascinating marine locations. However there are certain rules and regulations for entry in Abu Tig Marina. All boats must check into a Port of Entry to Egypt before entering Abu Tig Marina.

There are different rules of entry in Abu Tig Marina for every ports of Egypt. While heading towards Abu Tig Marina from Alexandria port, the boat must have Port Clearance certificate while the boats coming from Port Said must have Ships Registration Certificate.

All boats or ships coming to Abu Tig Marina must have a reservation before coming to marina.

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Al Azhar Park, Egypt

The Al-Azhar Park in Egypt is located on a hilly site and surrounded by historic districts of Islamic Cairo. This park has become a popular destination amongst the many visitors to the city. Al- Azhar Park is Located in the heart of the city and offers panoramic view of the surrounding area.

The Al-Azhar Park was made with effort of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 1984, on 30 hectare (74 acre) land with the Islamic belief that all are trustees of God's creation and therefore must seek make it a better place than it was before. This endeavor cost around 30 million USD and has since then become a harbinger for case studies to solve the challenges of historic cities.

The western side of AL- Azhar Park in Egypt is the old Fatimid city and its extension Darb Al Ahmarthat has wealth of mosques, madrasas and mausolea. One can find on the South of the park Sultan Hassan Mosque and the Ayyubid Citadel. To the eastern side is the City of the Dead where people live with the cenotaphs.

While clearing the 500-year-old debris for the park several discoveries were also made. Here one may recall the discovery of the 12th century Ayyubid city wall of Cairo built during the reign of Salah el-Din. Stones with hieroglyphic texts some measuring as much as one meter long that was used to construct the Salah el-Din's wall. In order to reach to the wall it became necessary excavate to a depth of 15 meters. Here one would find 1.5-kilometre section of the historic wall, with several towers and battlements well preserved.

The Al- Azhar Park is the largest green area created in Cairo in over a century thus helped checking a trend where the development had paid less attention to the city's once famous parks. In the Al- Azhar Park in Cairo there are 325 varieties of plants and most of them are native grown in the nursery. In the park there are three fresh water reservoirs for the city. Here there are shaded walkways, play area for the children, museum, hill top restaurant and café near the lake.

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Aswan High Dam, Egypt

Located in the middle of the Egyptian Desert is one of the largest embankment dams of the world, Aswan High Dam. Known as Saad el Aali in Arabic Aswan High Dam is one of the greatest engineering miracles of this world. Located near to Aswan city, one of the main cities of Egypt, Aswan High Dam is 11, 811 ft long, 3215 ft thick at base and 364 ft tall.

Constructed in 1960's, Aswan High Dam was built to control the annual flood of the Nile River. Earlier also Aswan had a dam known as Aswan Old Dam built on Nile River in 1899. Construction lasted up to 1902 but when in 1946 that dam was overflowed it was decided to construct a new dam rather than of raising the height of the old dam.

Aswan High Dam contains eighteen times more material than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. At present this High Dam of Aswan provides irrigation facility and generates electricity for whole of Egypt. Along with the Old Dam, Aswan High Dam provides a magnificent view of the Nile River.

Beside of the magnificent dam view, one can also view the huge reservoir associated with the dam - the Lake Nassar. In the south of the Dam is located one of the attractions of Egypt, the Kalabsha Temple. A huge power station, a part of dam, is situated in north of the Aswan High Dam.

The High dam of Aswan added a whole new aspect to the economy of Egypt as well as to the environment of the Egypt. Because of the Aswan High Dam the cultivable land of Egypt has increased 30%. Also the water level for Shara as far as Algeria shows a positive impact of the dam.

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Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt


Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a revival of the ancient legendary library of Egypt located at Alexandria during the Greek period. The rebuilding of the library gives Alexandria back the status of center for learning. The new building of Bibliotheca Alexandrina is technically outstanding.

This major library as well as the cultural center of Alexandria is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. At present Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a complex that houses different sections for different groups of people of every age. It includes a conference center, specialized libraries for blind and also for the youth section. There is also a section particularly for children and it include three museums, four art galleries, a planetarium and a manuscript laboratory.

However besides then center of learning and knowledge, this new library of Alexandria is equally attractive for its architecture. Designed as a tilting disc rising from the ground with four levels below the ground and seven above, the library's main room stands below the 32-meter high glass-panelled roof and measures 160 meter in diameter.

The circular diaphragm wall of the library is considered as the largest in the world, with a diameter of 160 meters and height of 35 meters. The circular form of the library has its own symbolic significance and an iconic presence among the structures of Egypt. The exterior wall of Bibliotheca Alexandrina is made of four thousand granite blocks inscribed with the letters from the alphabets of the world.

The main reading area of the library is a single open space with eight terraces. However one of the most successful features of the new library building is its use of natural light, drawn in through glazed panels on the roof. The library and the planetarium of Bibliotheca Alexandrina are linked at basement level.

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Cairo Tower, Egypt

The Cairo Tower is a concrete T.V tower located in the Zamalek district on Gezira Island in the River Nile. The tower is 187 meters high that is 47 meters high than the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Tower is ranked fourth among the tallest towers in the world and gives the visitors the best view of the city. The Cairo Tower is made up of granite and imitates a lotus plant as it opens up on the top.

The Cairo Tower in Egypt has hosted several important dignitaries and is popular for as dining venue. One here would also find a revolving restaurant that is popular for its food. For the Late President Gamal Abdul Nasser the tower restaurant was a favorite place to dine out with his family. One here would find a book that contains the signatures of all the important dignitaries who visited the tower.

The best time to visit the Cairo Tower is in the evening or at sunset time when one would be able to see the city glowing. Towards the west of the city one would be able to see the pyramids and the desert that marks the city limits.

The Cairo Tower was constructed in 1961 under the guidance of Naum Chebib. It is said that the Great Pyramid inspires the tower. The tower has also become a major landmark of the city and showcases the modernity of the ancient city. The tower opens at 9 am till 1 am and one needs to buy tickets and also special tickets for cameras.

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City of the Dead, Egypt

The City of Dead in Egypt is an ancient cemetery at the same time a living city. In the past the rulers in Cairo used this area to burry their dead as it was outside the city. But history reveals that since the time of Pharaohs the burial place was considered to be a place where life begins.

From 14th century onwards one finds that the City of Dead began to be occupied for dwelling and the cenotaphs were used as place to entertain the guests. Today these cenotaphs are used as tables and are important in this part of the city.

But the City of Dead in Cairo has become a permanent shelter for the urban poor, as the stay here is inexpensive. Here one would find communities living here as a tolerated separate society. According the statistics there are approximately five million Egyptians living in the City of Dead.

In modern times the cities lack of urban infrastructure and unaffordable housing has led to several communities to embrace the cemeteries and make it a part of their lives. But this has been without any qualms, as traditionally Egyptians have never seen cemeteries as a place of dread but where life begins. But given an opportunity the residents would definitely like moving out.

But in the tour to Cairo one should visit the City of Dead as this place has a charm of its own, as it is so different from the rest of the city. It would also be a time to know how the people live in this part of the city.

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Coptic Museum, Egypt

Coptic Museum in Egypt showcases the ancient Egyptian art, Pharaoh and the Graeco- Roman period and the Islamic era. The museum is located at a historic place- the precincts of the ancient Babylonian Fort. The objects displayed at the Coptic Museum are approximately 16000 that are arranged in chronological order.

The collections at the Coptic Museum in Egypt include the antiquities from the Coptic period (300 - 1000 AD) and are the richest repository of Coptic art in the world. The museum is divided into two sections - the old wing with 13 sections and the new wing with 17 sections. The collections at the Old wing in the Coptic Museum include wood furnishings, ceiling panels, etc. The collections in the new wing highlight the geometric designs, scrolls of acanthus, vine leaves and others that are passed on to Islamic art in Egypt.

The Coptic Museum in Cairo holds the artifacts made by Copts throughout the ages with the exhibits arranged in chronological order. Here at the entrance of the museum the limestone façade resembles the façade of the Mosque of al-Aqmar. This highlights the importance of artistic relationship between the Copts and the Muslim rulers in the Fatimid period.

Morcos Smeika Pasha founded the Coptic Museum in Egypt in 1910 AD to understand the history of Christianity in Egypt. The Coptic Museum in Egypt covers 8000 square meters and includes buildings and gardens. The Museum is under the auspices of Ministry of Culture and is a popular attraction amongst the travelers.

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Dakhla Oasis, Egypt

Egypt - Ras El Sudr - Marsa Alam - Luxor - Hurghada - Aswan - Alexandria - Abu Simbel - Sharm el Sheikh

Dakhla Oasis is one of the most beautiful oases of Egypt lying northwest of Kharga and 310 km southeast of Farafra. It is the farthest oasis from the capital city of Cairo.

Dakhla Oasis in the earlier times was a very lush green region filled with orchards field and a vast lake but soon this wet era passed and what left was the remains of the sand. With the advancement of Western desert region most of the people of Dakhla Oasis migrated from south to the east leaving their ancient treasure to the hands of never fulfilled desert.

The oldest inscription excavated here dated to the reign of Teti king belonging to Old Kingdom period. Little evidences of Ptolemaic era have also been discovered from the sites excavated in Oasis. Among the remains most of the objects belong to the roman period. Roman farms, villages and cemeteries have been found throughout the Oasis.

A rose-colored rock wall on its northern horizon dominates Dakhla Oasis. Mut, the capital of Dakhla Oasis houses Museum of Inheritance. Museum of Inheritance is a traditional house that displays different aspects of Dakhlan cultural and social life.

Another destination of Dakhla Oasis is Al-Kasr located about 35 km away from Mut. Al-Kasr was originally a Roman settlement that became capital of Dakhla in medieval time. The old town of Al-Kasr is a mud-walled labyrinth including separate houses. There is also an Ayyubid mosque. For a wonderful view of the Dakhlan area climb the rooftop of the 10th century madrassa.

Along with the ancient remains of Dakhla Oasis, one can also see Al-Muzawaka tombs belonging to 1st century and Deir al Hagar, a temple dedicated to Theban Triad. There is also a picnic spot on the road back to Mut known by the name of Bir al-Gabel.