welcome to Cairo (Egypt)

Hello, welcome to Cairo, Egypt! Cairo is not only the capital of Egypt, but the biggest city in Africa, with more than 16 million inhabitants. Although it is a huge and chaotic metropolis, it is also a lovely destination.

If you stay with me I will show you why this city is so fascinating. I will share my experiences in this overcrowded city with you. You will learn how to get around, what to see, when to go, where and what to eat, how to deal with locals, some street scams and everything else you need to know before visiting this city. I will also give you some information about its history, culture and traditions. I hope you will enjoy this Photographic Tour.

In the photo you can see the reaction of some tourists in front of the magnificentTutankhamun mask. i am sure you have seen this mask several thousand times. If you complete the tour you will have the chance to see it one more time.

By the way on this tour I will not show a single photo of the pyramids, they impressed me so much that I have dedicated a Photographic Tour to them. If you want to see the pyramids before (virtually) visiting Cairo.

Now it is time to visit Cairo's main bazaar: Khan al Khalili

Luxor Temple, Ramses II courtyard

 Luxor, Luxor Temple, Ramses II courtyard

In this photo you can see the two big statues of Ramses II. In front of the statues there used to be two big obelisks, only one remains today --the other one is in the Place de la Concorde, Paris. Ramses II is one of the most famous pharaohs. One of his works is the most amazing monument you can visit in Egypt: the Abu Simbel temple.

As you can see in the photo, thousands oftourists come here everyday to visit the temple. Most of them come with a tour operator and visit the temple with a guide. If you don't have a guide, you can join one of these groups.

Although I visited the temple in the morning, if you can, visit it in the afternoon. I was told the afternoon lightand the lower temperature make the visit to the temple more enjoyable.

welcome to Luxor 2

The Luxor Temple was dedicated to theThebes triad: Amon (king of gods), Mut (his wife) and Khnum (their son, the moon god). Every year, during the floods, a great celebration took place here. The three gods crossed the river on a boat to celebrate the Opet festivals.

In the photo you can see the huge pillars in the Amenophis III courtyards. Behind these pillars there is the temple of Amon, which Romans used for their cults.

Luxor Temple, reliefs

On the walls of the temple you will find many reliefs carved on the stones. They depict the procession of Opet, and episodes from historical wars. These reliefs are in the part of the temple that used to be open to the public during the ceremonies. There were also some rooms closed to the public. One of these rooms was the sanctuary of Amon, where there used to be a statue of this god.

In another room there are the reliefs that relate the birth of Amenophis III. He was supposed to be the son of Amon. This god, disguised as Amenophis's father, met his mother and conceived him.

welcome to Luxor

Hello, welcome to Luxor, probably the most interesting destination in Egypt. In this city, the former Thebes, some of the biggest and best preserved temples of the ancient times can be visited.

If you have plans to visit Luxor, you are on the right web site. If you complete thisPhotographic Tour, you will (virtually) visit the old town of Luxor, the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Hatshetsup Temple, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. I will also give you some information to prepare a stay in this city and some other useful tips.

In the photo you can see one of the statues in the Karnak Temple. This temple is so big that you would need many days to visit it. But as you will see, there are many other reasons to come to this city.

Abu Simbel Temple

Here it is: The Sun Temple of Ramesses II! It is one of the most impressive temples I saw in Egypt.

Ramses II, son of king Sethi I, reigned 67 years (1290-1224 BC). He was famous for the amount of wives and children he had; more than 6 wives, and more than 100 children. You may think he didn't have time for anything else. This is not the case; he was a military strategist and a builder.

Some of the monuments constructed during his reign are: the temples of Karnak(Luxor), The Ramesseum (on the West Bank near Luxor) and the monumental temples of Abu Simbel. He also commanded his troops in many glorious battles, the most famous of them is the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites, with whose king he signed the world's first peace treaty in 1280 BC.

 Abu Simbel, Abu Simbel Temple, Ramses II statues

In the dictionaries' entry for egotistic there should be a picture of Ramses II. This was not his only defect though, he is also one of the most megalomaniac celebrities of all times.

Officially, he dedicated this temple to the triad Amon-Ra, Ptah and Ra-Harakhte. The main purpose to erect this temple was to glorify himself, though.

Four colossal statues of the great pharaoh more than 65 feet high (20 meters high) take up almost all the space of the 108 feet high and 125 feet wide facade. Smaller size statues of his wives, sons and daughters appear beside his legs.