What are the highlights and attractions you can't miss while vacationing in Egypt? Here you will find a list of the top 10 attractions of Egypt!
Egypt, the time-honored land of the pharaohs, has captivated mankind since time immemorial. Numerous peoples fought over the land on the Nile for thousands of years and left their fascinating traces in the hot desert sand.
Pyramids, temples, obelisks, statues - the mighty demonstrations of power of the god-like rulers still puzzle scientists today. Tourists simply marvel at the pompous tombs and monuments on vacation in Egypt.
But besides the ancient legacies of past dynasties, Egypt even has a worth seeing fauna and flora to offer - especially under water, because the coral reefs in the Red Sea are among the most beautiful diving spots in the world!
Table of contents
Pyramids of Giza
Anyone on vacation in Egypt must have seen the imposing pyramids of Giza! As the only wonder of the ancient world, the gigantic tombs of Cheops, Chefren and Mykerinos are still there. Today they stand about 15km from the capital Cairo and have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Abu Simbel
The four statues of Abu Simbel are almost as much a postcard motif of Egypt as the pyramids of Giza. The huge rock temple in the Nubian desert was built about 3,000 years ago by Ramses II and is also considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To prevent Abu Simbel from being flooded by the construction of the Aswan Dam, the entire temple was moved 180 meters to the south in the 1960s.
Temple of Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was the only pharaoh of Egypt, accordingly, her temple also achieved fame. The best preserved limestone temple of the 18th dynasty impresses with its huge dimensions and its elaborate murals, which have been restored to the smallest detail. Allegedly, it served the Romans and Greeks as a model for their temple buildings.
Luxor temple
Luxor (the former Thebes) is the next largest city by the temple of Hatshepsut and can also boast its own attraction. The temple of Luxor was repeatedly expanded by several generations of rulers as the seat of the gods. Not only the Egyptian pharaohs, but also Greek and Roman rulers have immortalized themselves here.
Article: Luxor Temple in Luxor
Valley of the Kings
Opposite the famous Karnak Temple near Luxor is also the Valley of the Kings. In this collection of tombs, numerous Egyptian rulers found their final resting place over three millennia ago. Many of the tombs have been looted, but the underground chambers alone with their magnificent decorations are worth a visit.
Among the most beautiful and famous tombs are those of Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut, Thutmosis I and Thutmosis III (father and son of Hatshepsut), Ramses I and Sethos I.
Article: Valley of the Kings
Photo gallery: Valley of the Kings
Ras Mohammed National Park in Sharm-el-Sheikh
Sharm-el-Sheikh is known to Egyptian vacationers as a popular vacation destination. Besides the wonderful beaches, the fantastic underwater world of the Red Sea is also an effective tourist magnet. In order to keep this intact for a long time, the Ras Mohammed National Park was established. 200 species of coral and around 1,000 species of fish make the nature reserve one of the best diving spots in the world.
Article: Ras Mohammed National Park in Sharm-el-Sheikh
Gebel Elba National Park
Gebel Elba National Park is located in southern Egypt on the border with Sudan near the Red Sea. Due to the moisture that moves from the Red Sea to the highlands, here - in the middle of the Sahara - about 500 different plant species could thrive. Only here in Egypt grow mangroves and forests of natural origin. In addition to several Bedouin tribes, the unique oasis is home to numerous animals that are highly endangered or even already considered extinct.
Article: Gebel Elba National Park
Elephantine Island
The Elephantine Island is part of the city of Aswan and rises from the waters of the Nile. Due to its elevated position, it was not flooded as often as the rest of the areas on the banks of the Nile and represent a found food for archaeologists.
The layered building structures can be traced back up to 4,000 years. Numerous papyrus finds also provide valuable insights into historical events, as well as clues to the social and economic structure of the time.
Tahrir Square in Cairo
As the main square of Cairo, Tahrir Square is surrounded by important buildings, including the Presidential Palace, the Parliament, the Egyptian National Museum and the American University.
Tahrir Square in Cairo has been known to the whole world at least since the 2011 revolution. At that time, as the beginning of the "Arab Spring," the incumbent president was forced to resign by tens of thousands of demonstrators.
Article: Tahrir Square in Cairo
Aswan Dam
The Aswan Dam imp ounds the mighty Nile into the fourth largest reservoir on earth. The gigantic dam not only swallowed up 2.2 billion euros, but also the sites of numerous cultural monuments. These, including the famous rock temple of Abu Simbel, had to make way for the construction, as did around 100,000 Nubian inhabitants. Nevertheless, or perhaps because of this, the modern monument of progress in southern Egypt exerts a special fascination on every visitor.
