Highlights of Egypt

Welcome to Alexandria, Virginia!
Alexandria is an unique and historic place that keeps pace with the modern world. The City is part of a large metropolitan area surrounding the nation’s Capital, yet it has retained its period character. About one-quarter of the town’s 15 square miles has been designated as a national or local historic district. Thousands of buildings in these districts are monuments to the past while being actively used by citizens for homes, businesses and museums. Alexandria was home to those who made American history-George Washington, George Mason, and Robert E. Lee-and many other men and women who contributed their skills, emotions and character to build what we know today as the strongest democracy in the world.

Today Alexandria is “The Fun Side of the Potomac.” Designated as one of America’s Top 25 Arts Destinations by American Style Magazine, Alexandria is home to the famed Torpedo Factory Art Center and more than 50 fine art and antique galleries throughout the town. We have more than 300 specialty shops and 200 restaurants offering American and international cuisine. Reasonably priced accommodations at more than 25 comfortable hotels make Alexandria the prime location for a cultural getaway.

Our 120,000 residents share a quality of life that is not found in many urban centers. In fact, Ladies Home Journal has ranked Alexandria as one of the “Top Ten Best Cities for Women in the United States,” based on quality of life criteria. We are located just 10 minutes from Washington, DC and Reagan National Airport, and we are accessible by Metro, making visits to all the attractions in the Greater Washington area easy.

Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, has long been the country’s gateway to Africa and a prosperous market city on the crossroads of the ancient caravan routes. It sits at the ‘other’ end of the Nile not far above the Tropic of Cancer. It was a garrison town known as Sunt in ancient times and it was also important to the early Coptic Christians.

The Nile has Elephantine Island in its centre and this is where the main town and temple area of Sunt were located (the island was known then as Yebu, and later renamed by the Greeks). The temples and ruins here are not nearly as well preserved and impressive as those elsewhere in the country, but there are other good reasons to visit. The Nile is glorious here as it makes its way down from massive High Dam and Lake Nasser, and watching the feluccas glide by as the sun sets over the Nile is about as moving as any travel experience gets.

Cairo , the capital city of Egypt, has been the heart of Egypt for more than 1000 years and it demonstrates the dichotomy of all things Egyptian. Cairo is a timeless metropolis enriched with the unforgettable marks of a glorious past. It is in Cairo where the medieval world and the contemporary western world come together.The home of one of the seven wonders of the world – the Great Pyramids – not to mention the Sphinx of Giza and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, Cairo is a treasure chest of discovery, amazement, warmth & enjoyment.Islamic Cairo is the old medieval quarter, and stepping into its neighbourhoods is like moving back six or seven centuries with its tiny alleyways & mud-brick houses. Some of Islamic Cairo’s highlights include the Ibn Tulun Mosque, dating from the 9th century and one of the largest mosques in the world; the Mausoleum of Imam ash-Shafi’i, the largest Islamic tomb in Egypt where one of Islam’s greatest imams was buried.The Citadel, which is an awesome medieval fortress that was the seat of Egyptian power for 700 years. The Citadel has three major mosques and several museums.Coptic Cairo was originally built as a Roman fortress town. It pre-dates the founding of Islamic Cairo by several hundred years and was home to one of the world’s first Christian communities. It is, however, a holy place for Jews and Muslims as well as the Coptic Christians who lived there. The one remaining part of the Fortress of Babylon is a tower which was built in 98 AD and originally overlooked an important port on the Nile. The Coptic Museum is at the foot of the tower and its exhibits cover Egypt’s Christian era between 300 and 1000 AD. This stunning collection includes religious and secular art, and includes stonework, manuscripts, woodwork, metalwork, paintings and pottery.For shopping, the Khan El Khalily bazaar is a must.

Kom Ombo is situated on the banks of the Nile 20 miles north of Aswan and is the ancient worship site of the gods Horus and Sobek.

Luxor was built on the site of the ancient city of Thebes, and the magnificent monumental architecture and its excellent condition make Luxor one of Egypt’s greatest tourist destinations. For many hundreds of years people have been visiting the temples of Luxor, Karnak, Hetsgepsut and Ramses II. The Nile has feluccas and old barges that shuffle between the luxury hotel ships of the Hilton and Sheraton that cruise between Cairo and Aswan. Luxor Temple was built by Pharaoh
Amenophis III on the site of another Thebian temple and added to by Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Nectanebo, Alexander the Great and various Romans. Excavation work has been underway since 1885. The Temples of Karnak are a series of monuments that were the main place of worship in Thebian times, and they can be divided into the Amun Temple
Enclosure, which is the largest; the Mut Temple Enclosure on the south side; and the Montu Temple Enclosure. The Amun and Montu enclosure were once connected by canals to the Nile providing passage for sacred boats during festivals. Luxor is accessible from Cairo by buses or trains which run every day.