Why Visit Egypt

Reasons You Should Visit Egypt at Least Once

Egypt may be known for ancient treasures and rich history, but there is more to this nation than you might expect. From surreal waters and golden sand beaches to remarkable architecture and natural therapies, Egypt is worthy of your bucket list. Here are some of the top reasons Egypt should be your next destination.

It’s one of the oldest ancient civilisations in the world

Ancient Egypt is one of the most interesting and oldest civilisations in the world. The Great Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving ancient wonder, along with ancient Egyptian statues and tombs, continue to seize the attention of top archaeologists and, of course, the wider world. To this day, remains of the ancient Egyptian civilization continue to be discovered.

It has the longest river in the world

Ranking as the longest river in the world, the Nile extends around 6,695km (4,160mi) and flows into the Mediterranean. You can visit a number of attractions along its length; the most prominent being Luxor and Aswan, both of which feature on Monarch Vacations .

You’ll follow the footsteps of Moses

Mount Sinai, also known as Jabal Al Tor or Mount Moses, is considered a holy site and is visited by pilgrims from religions including Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

It is where the prophet Moses received the divine commandments from God. It is located in the beautiful Sinai Peninsula, where many come to enjoy mountain climbing and hiking, too.

Paradise beneath the waves

The Red Sea is without question the best place to dive in Egypt. It offers diverse locations for an unforgettable experience including bright corals and colourful, distinctive fish. Egypt offers different diving opportunities including wrecks, walls, drifts, pinnacles, shore dives, day boats and liveaboards.

The beaches are gorgeous

The beaches of Egypt are a dream come true with the country home to internationally renowned beaches guaranteed to delight sunseekers.

From natural pools and crystal blue waters to steady beaches as well as surfing spots, they are not to be missed.

It’s a hotspot for water sports champions

Dahab, Safaga, Hurghada, Ras Sudr and El Gouna are all among the top kite and windsurfing destinations in Egypt.

Kite and windsurfing champions from around the world train in these locations due to the perfect weather and steady, safe waters. Not a champion? Egypt has some of the best kite and windsurfing schools as well.

The weather is great all year round

Egypt’s high season never ends. Summer is the perfect time to take a dip and go diving, while winter is the best time to visit the historic desert sites.

Safari desert trips are the best in Egypt

Much of the land here is desert, making it the perfect spot for a new kind of adventure. The best way to discover the region is via a safari trip. Camp to enjoy the full experience.

Horseback riding here is amazing

Wherever you’re going to enjoy your horseback riding experience in Egypt, rest assured you’ll have a view to go with it. Enjoy a ride across the dunes overlooking the lake in Fayoum, pass by the great pyramids or enjoy a romantic ride by the crystal blue beaches in Hurghada.

It’s a dream for architecture and art lovers

Cairo has some of the best Islamic architecture and art on earth. Visit mosques that have been standing for 1,200 years, such as the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan and more. These mosques are a perfect chance for architecture, art and history buffs to soak up some culture.

Egyptian cuisine is delicious

Egyptian food has been influenced by neighbouring countries in the Middle East, resulting in dishes full of flavour. Not only is it delicious, but the food in Egypt shapes the national culture. Egyptians turn to food in times of happiness, need and struggle. It’s the highlight of any occasion.

Egypt’s therapeutic waters and sands

Therapeutic tourism has long been popular in Egypt. The hot springs here are reputed to help cure respiratory diseases, kidney, bone and other skin problems. The mud in many areas is also said to cure skin issues. Sand-burying massages are also popular in Egypt and are said to treat physical injuries.

Egyptian people are a diverse bunch

In Egypt, people have different accents, distinctive food, unique traditions and even different fashions depending on which city they are from. Some cities even have different languages. Just wandering around Egypt is an experience in and of itself.

Egyptian Pyramids

Constuction, Facts & Use

Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids—especially the Great Pyramids of Giza—are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history. Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the pharaoh, or king, played in ancient Egyptian society.

Though pyramids were built from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the close of the Ptolemaic period in the fourth century A.D., the peak of pyramid building began with the late third dynasty and continued until roughly the sixth (c. 2325 B.C.). More than 4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids still retain much of their majesty, providing a glimpse into the country’s rich and glorious past.

The Pharaoh in Egyptian Society

During the third and fourth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, Egypt enjoyed tremendous economic prosperity and stability. Kings held a unique position in Egyptian society. Somewhere in between human and divine, they were believed to have been chosen by the gods themselves to serve as their mediators on earth. Because of this, it was in everyone’s interest to keep the king’s majesty intact even after his death, when he was believed to become Osiris, god of the dead. The new pharaoh, in turn, became Horus, the falcon-god who served as protector of the sun god, Ra.

Did you know?

The pyramid’s smooth, angled sides symbolized the rays of the sun and were designed to help the king’s soul ascend to heaven and join the gods, particularly the sun god Ra.

Ancient Egyptians believed that when the king died, part of his spirit (known as “ka”) remained with his body. To properly care for his spirit, the corpse was mummified, and everything the king would need in the afterlife was buried with him, including gold vessels, food, furniture and other offerings. The pyramids became the focus of a cult of the dead king that was supposed to continue well after his death. Their riches would provide not only for him, but also for the relatives, officials and priests who were buried near him.

The Early Pyramids

From the beginning of the Dynastic Era (2950 B.C.), royal tombs were carved into rock and covered with flat-roofed rectangular structures known as “mastabas,” which were precursors to the pyramids. The oldest known pyramid in Egypt was built around 2630 B.C. at Saqqara, for the third dynasty’s King Djoser.

Known as the Step Pyramid, it began as a traditional mastaba but grew into something much more ambitious. As the story goes, the pyramid’s architect was Imhotep, a priest and healer who some 1,400 years later would be deified as the patron saint of scribes and physicians.

Over the course of Djoser’s nearly 20-year reign, pyramid builders assembled six stepped layers of stone (as opposed to mud-brick, like most earlier tombs) that eventually reached a height of 204 feet (62 meters); it was the tallest building of its time.

The Step Pyramid was surrounded by a complex of courtyards, temples and shrines where Djoser could enjoy his afterlife.

After Djoser

The stepped pyramid became the norm for royal burials, although none of those planned by his dynastic successors were completed (probably due to their relatively short reigns). The earliest tomb constructed as a “true” (smooth-sided, not stepped) pyramid was the Red Pyramid at Dahshur, one of three burial structures built for the first king of the fourth dynasty, Sneferu (2613-2589 B.C.) It was named for the color of the limestone blocks used to construct the pyramid’s core.

The Great Pyramids of Giza

No pyramids are more celebrated than the Great Pyramids of Giza, located on a plateau on the west bank of the Nile River, on the outskirts of modern-day Cairo. The oldest and largest of the three pyramids at Giza, known as the Great Pyramid , is the only surviving structure out of the famed Seven Wonders of The Ancient World.

It was built for Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops, in Greek), Sneferu’s successor and the second of the eight kings of the fourth dynasty.

Though Khufu reigned for 23 years (2589-2566 B.C.), relatively little is known of his reign beyond the grandeur of his pyramid. The sides of the pyramid’s base average 755.75 feet (230 meters), and its original height was 481.4 feet (147 meters), making it the largest pyramid in the world. Three small pyramids built for Khufu’s queens are lined up next to the Great Pyramid, and a tomb was found nearby containing the empty sarcophagus of his mother, Queen Hetepheres. Like other pyramids, Khufu’s is surrounded by rows of mastabas, where relatives or officials of the king were buried to accompany and support him in the afterlife.

The middle pyramid at Giza

Was built for Khufu’s son Pharaoh Khafre (2558-2532 B.C). The Pyramid of Khafre is the second tallest pyramid at Giza and contains Pharaoh Khafre’s tomb. A unique feature built inside Khafre’s pyramid complex was the Great Sphinx, a guardian statue carved in limestone with the head of a man and the body of a lion. It was the largest statue in the ancient world, measuring 240 feet long and 66 feet high. In the 18th dynasty (c. 1500 B.C.) the Great Sphinx would come to be worshiped itself, as the image of a local form of the god Horus.

The southernmost pyramid at Giza

Wasbuilt for Khafre’s son Menkaure (2532-2503 B.C.). It is the shortest of the three pyramids (218 feet) and is a precursor of the smaller pyramids that would be constructed during the fifth and sixth dynasties.

Who Built The Pyramids?

Though some popular versions of history held that the pyramids were built by slaves or foreigners forced into labor, skeletons excavated from the area show that the workers were probably native Egyptian agricultural laborers who worked on the pyramids during the time of year when the Nile River flooded much of the land nearby. Approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone (averaging about 2.5 tons each) had to be cut, transported and assembled to build Khufu’s Great Pyramid. The ancient Greek historian Herodouts wrote that it took 20 years to build and required the labor of 100,000 men, but later archaeological evidence suggests that the workforce might actually have been around 20,000.