THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Cairo & the Nile

The Nile is synonymous with Egypt. Almost the entire population of the country is crammed onto the narrow fertile plain fringing the river. It was so during the ancient Egyptian era, when the temples and cities of the pharaohs rarely strayed far from the life-sustaining area of the Nile’s banks. Today, the best way to experience Egypt is to explore the Nile, from the awe-inspiring Pyramids on the outskirts of the capital of Cairo in the north, to the great temples in the far south of the country. 

1. The Egyptian Museum
2. The Pyramids of Giza
3. Mosque of Al-Azhar
4. Karnak
5. Luxor Temple
6. Temple of Hatshepsut
7. Valley of the Kings
8. Cruising the Nile
9. Temple of Philae
10. Abu Simbel

1. The Egyptian Museum

All of ancient Egyptian history is here, from the earliest Pharaonic artefact ever discovered to treasures from the era of Cleopatra, the last in a dynastic sequence of divine kings and queens stretching over three millennia. It is said that the museum displays more than 120,000 items, with at least that many again stored away out of sight in the basement. The real crowd pleasers are the treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb, but there are many hundreds of other precious antiquities here of at least equal significance and beauty.

2. The Pyramids of Giza

Despite centuries of study, the pyramids remain a mystery. There were their times: we are closer in time to the time of Jesus Christ than to his time away from the pyramids. Its size: For 4,000 years, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure ever built. Here's how: the pyramids are precisely positioned, their sides are aligned north to within 3/60ths of the error, and some of the inner gas wells are perfectly aligned with celestial constellations. And of course there's a reason: just the pharaoh's tomb, or more?

3. Mosque of Al-Azhar

Founded in AD 970, Al-Azhar was the city's main mosque and learning center, and its institutions remain the center of Egyptian religious and political life to this day. Al-Azhar University remains one of the most respected centers of study in the Sunni Islamic world, although classes have long since left the mosque and are now held on several modern campuses across the country. Mosques are popular venues for political demonstrations, often of an anti-government nature, particularly following noon prayers on a Friday.

4. Karnak

Even more so than the Pyramids of Giza, Karnak is the most important pharaonic site in Egypt. During the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms, when ancient Egypt was at its peak, Karnak was the power base of the country. It was the home of the gods and the seat of the ruling class of pharaohs and priests. For 1300 years, the complex has grown and expanded in size, including numerous courtyards, halls and temples. Almost every important pharaoh left his mark.

5. Luxor Temple

Located on the banks of the Nile and in the heart of the modern city, the Luxor Temple is not to be missed. It is an elegant, compact complex that, unlike Karnak, is largely the work of a pharaoh Amenhotep III, with little added during the reign of Ramses II. The site was occupied by a Roman camp in the 3rd century AD, but was later abandoned and engulfed in silt and sand, and a village was built on it when excavations began in the late 19th century.

6. Temple of Hatshepsut

This is the most fascinating temple and mausoleum on Luxor's West Bank, partly because it offers a breathtaking spectacle - a series of vast terraces set against a backdrop of dazzling mountains - and partly because the temple is one of the only It was built by a woman who was a pharaoh who ruled Egypt. When her husband Thutmose II died young, Hatshepsut became regent for her stepson Thutmose III, who later usurped her stepson Thutmose completely The throne of Themose III. She reigned from 1473 to 1458 BC.

7. Valley of the Kings

During the greatest period of ancient Egyptian history almost every pharaoh was buried here in tombs hewn into the rock and decorated with extraordinary art. To date, 63 tombs have been discovered and there may still be more to come, making this the richest archaeological site on earth. The numbers assigned to the tombs (given here in brackets) represent the order in which they were discovered, but a better way to approach the valley is to visit the tombs in the order in which they were constructed, as they are presented here. In this way it is possible to witness the flowering and eventual decline of ancient Egyptian tomb art.

8. Cruising the Nile

After disembarking from the ocean liner in Alexandria, 19th-century tourists boarded a train to Cairo and rented a boat in Brac. They then proceeded leisurely down the Nile, stopping at every archaeological site along the way. The voyage takes about 10 days and ends in Aswan, where cataracts prevent further southward advancement. Can't walk the same way today, but a four- or seven-day cruise stopping at the major monuments of Upper (southern) Egypt remains by far the best way to experience the country.

9. Temple of Philae

Philae is the most beautiful of all Egyptian temples, thanks to its location - it sits on an island in the Nile and can be reached by small motorboat. This Ptolemaic (Greco-Roman) temple was dedicated to Isis, whose cult continued into the early Christian era. After the construction of the Aswan High Dam (1898-1902), parts of the temples on the island were submerged every year. With the construction of the high dam (1969-71), the temple was moved to the nearby island of Agilika, whose landscape matches the original site.

10. Abu Simbel

In the 13th century BC. The Sun Temple of Ramses II, carved into the hillside of Abu Simbel, was dedicated to three of Egypt's outstanding gods - Amon of Thebes, Puta of Memphis and Rahatti of Heliopolis, But it is primarily a monument to the power of the pharaohs. Located at the southernmost tip of the ancient Egyptian border, the four colossi of Ramses in front of the temple face enemy territory to warn anyone who might approach.