Tourist Attractions & Monuments Egypt

This tomb is 188 m long. It was built for Pharaoh Ramses III of the ^20th dynasty. He reigned for thirty-one years. The mystery of his death has long puzzled researchers, as he always fought against corruption and invaders from the peoples of the sea... But it was recently discovered, in 2012, that he was assassinated by a conspiracy fomented by several members of his harem, including his third wife Tiyi. The pharaoh's successor should have been his first wife's child, not Tiyi's, Pentaour. The coup d'état was therefore aimed at eliminating Ramesses III to prevent the future Ramesses IV, then aged 45, from ascending the throne...

Nevertheless, it was he who built the splendid temple known as Medinat Abu. Four successive corridors lead to the burial chamber. At the end of the second corridor, the architects came up against an earlier tomb, that of Amenmés, and had to modify their trajectory in parallel for the third corridor. This tomb struck a chord with the Scottish archaeologist who discovered it at the end of the ^18th century, not least for its depictions of harpists, which earned it its current nickname, "Tomb of the Harpists". The granite sarcophagus of King Ramses III is preserved in the Louvre. His mummy was also found in 1881 in the hiding place at Deir al Bahari, where the priests had hidden it for fear of the increasing looting by local peasants. It is now on display in Cairo.

Like Abydos its neighbour, it rises on a site where already Khufu would have built a temple in 2600 BC. The similarities stop there however, Denderah not having the monumental aspect of the temple of Sety I, nor the quality of these bas-reliefs. Its construction dates from the 1st century BC. It was built over more than a century, up to the early years of the Christian era.

A mud-brick enclosure delimits the temple area where, until the 6th century, a large Coptic community lived. As you enter, on the right, you will notice a fairly well-preserved building, the Mammisi, whose frescoes relate the birth and childhood of Horus. Just next to it are some remains of a Coptic church from the ^5th century, of which little remains, and a little further on, a rather dilapidated complex of mud-brick that housed a spa for medical use. Going along the temple, still on the right, you will find the site of the sacred lake, dried up, from which some palm trees emerge and, just behind the main temple, a small construction, partially in ruins, dedicated to Isis. There you can admire some high quality bas-reliefs.

At the entrance to the great temple as well as inside, the columns supporting the roof are all bearing the effigy of Hathor. They have unfortunately been damaged. The ceilings are covered with astronomical scenes where you will have no trouble recognizing Nut, the goddess of the sky. As a special favour, the guards will ask you to go down to one of the fourteen crypts in the temple. Abundantly decorated, they were used to store highly sacred objects, such as the goddess's clothing, for example, whose statues were displayed during ceremonies.

The courtyard, preceded by a ruined pylon, gives access to a hypostyle room containing 18 monumental columns. Through a doorway one reaches the hall of the feast or apparition, supported by 6 columns, giving onto the offering room, in its extension, then the Enneade room, and finally to the chapel, also called the "venerable seat". The seat is surrounded by a "mysterious corridor" serving numerous chapels and logistical rooms

A staircase leads to the terrace. On the walls, the bas-reliefs represent a religious procession. On the one on the left, you will notice that the figures are all heading upwards. On the one on the right, everyone goes down! The famous zodiac, the original of which is in the Louvre, is in a small room overlooking the terrace.

One hundred and forty-four islands of the delta in Aswan are included in this natural reserve.

Discovered in 1818 and dedicated to Képhren, the son of Khéops, this pyramid measures 136 m. Smaller than its father's pyramid, it nevertheless appears more imposing, as it was built on a raised base. At the top, it retains its attractive limestone facing. With a less complex internal structure than Khufu's, its entrance is located on the north face, from where a steep corridor leads to the only burial chamber, which has a very low ceiling. Rounding the pyramid, you'll find some welcome peace and quiet, with a view of the Princess Pyramids.

At 105 m deep, the tomb was built for the remains of Pharaoh Ramses IX, penultimate ruler of the ^20th Dynasty. Three corridors lead to the vestibule, which precedes the burial chamber. This tomb is renowned for its decorations borrowed from various ritual books. The astrological ceiling in the first corridor is remarkable. The goddess Nut runs along the three successive corridors, recognizable by her five-pointed star. The sarcophagus has disappeared. The mummy, hidden in Deir al Bahari, was found in 1881. It is now on display in Cairo.

This monumental complex - the largest after Karnak - occupies a site long dedicated to the cult of Amun.

What you will see is only part of a complex that included not only a royal palace, but also stores, administrative and priestly buildings, as well as a sacred lake fed by a canal that allowed pharaohs to reach their apartments without setting foot on land.

The whole complex formed a city, a veritable extension of Luxor on the other bank, and extended to the south-west of the temple. The mud-brick enclosure, which dates back to Ramses III, was home to a large Christian community until the early ^9th century. This community built a church in the second courtyard of the great temple, which has now disappeared.

You enter the complex through a monumental gate flanked by two towers. Immediately to the left is a small temple with two funerary chapels for the divine worshippers of Amun. On your right, you'll notice the small Temple of Thutmes, whose construction dates back to Amenhetep ^I for the sanctuary, and to Thutmes ^I, II and III for the six chambers at the back.

But it's above all the first pylon of the great temple that catches the eye, despite the partial destruction of its upper parts. On its façade, you'll recognize the king, to whom Amun is holding out a sword, preparing to finish off the prisoners. The first courtyard is lined with seven Osirid pillars representing Ramses III. The left wall, sheltered by a portico, was flanked by a balcony from which the king could attend ceremonies and processions without leaving his palace.

A ramp leads to the foot of the second pylon, giving access to the second courtyard. Having taken the Ramesseum as his model, Ramses III gave his temple the massive, imposing appearance that was the glory of that of Ramses II. This courtyard is bordered on all four sides by porticoes supported by columns. Numerous traces of exquisitely coloured paintings can be seen.

On the right-hand pylon, on the way back to the first courtyard, you'll see a heap of severed hands and sexes. They weren't kidding in those days!

The next room was supported by twenty-four columns, of which only the base remains. It takes a great deal of imagination to picture the original site. The rest of the temple is badly deteriorated. On the sides, several rooms for various purposes display some interesting bas-reliefs.

The extraordinary temple of Isis and the associated cult buildings dedicated to the goddess are no longer on the island of Philae, but on the island of Agikia. The real Philae is located 250 m to the south-east of the latter, and is completely submerged.

Philae has benefited from the rescue of the Nubian temples launched by Unesco in 1960. In 1975, a dam was built around the island, reducing the amount of water surrounding it and enabling the various buildings to be cut up and transported to the nearby island of Agikia. Reassembly was completed in 1980. Philae was saved from the waters.

This site is built not far from one of the most emblematic places in the Osirian myth. It was on the island of Biga, equidistant from Philae and Agikia, that Osiris' left leg was hidden by his brother and assassin, Set. Isis, Osiris' wife, finds it there and assembles her husband's body; she also buries it there, while Osiris is resurrected. Horus was conceived there. Isis then decided to move to the island of Philae to be closer to him.

During the ^XXVth dynasty (747 - 656), Hâpy, who commanded the Nile with the elephantine triad, was also thought to be hiding in a cave at Biga, where the river's source was also believed to be.

The temple of Isiswas built by the Ptolemies. It quickly became the center of Isis worship until 543 CE, after a decree by Justinian forbade it. A Christian church had already been established here in the ^4th century.

Two porticoes precede the great temple of Isis. At the southern end of the western portico stand the site's oldest remains, the kiosk of Nectabo^I (380 - 362), first king of the XXXth and last indigenous dynasty. The west portico is composed of 32 composite columns built under Ptolemy III; the ceiling features eagles with their heads turned towards the island of Osiris, Biga. The eastern portico is smaller, concealing an unusual temple dedicated to Imhotep, not a god but the architect of Djoser's pyramid at Saqqarah. The two porticoes frame a paved esplanade that leads to the temple's first pylon.

The first pylon is monumental. It follows in the tradition of the majestic entrances to the great temples, where wooden masts bearing the colors of the divinity were enshrined. It is preceded, on the right, by a small Ptolemy II door. It is Ptolemy XII triumphant who is represented on the bas-reliefs; a door pierced in the left-hand upright of the pylon gives access to the mammisi. Passing through the doorway, engraved messages dating from Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt can be seen on the right.

The inner courtyard houses the curious mammisi, erected by Ptolemy III in honor of the birth of Horus. The temple is divided into three halls, the second of which is devoted to offerings, with bas-reliefs recounting Horus' conception (left) with Amun and Khnum, and his birth (right), which took place not far away. In the third room, Isis nurses her child. On the outer walls, the god Harpocrates, who was none other than Horus to the Ptolemies, looks like a thumb-sucking child.

The second pylon, like the rest of the temple, is offset from the first. Its dimensions are just as impressive as this one. Access is via a stepped ramp. It depicts Ptolemy XII presenting offerings to the gods, while the large round stele on the right, giving the Dodecachene mining region to Philae, was written by Ptolemy VI.

The hypostyle hall is supported by 10 columns, and is both open-air and protected by a stone ceiling. It features the emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as Coptic crosses carved when the pronaos was transformed into a church.

The sanctuary is preceded by three vestibules and surrounded by nine other rooms. It still contains the repository on which the tabernacle containing the statue of the divinity was placed. Surrounding it is an open-air offering courtyard, while a staircase leads up to the temple terrace. From the first vestibule, you can exit the temple to find Hadrian's Gate to the west.

Hadrian's Gate opened onto a temple dedicated to Osiris. The bas-reliefs depicting the god Hâpy and the sources of the Nile beneath the island of Biga are worth a look. You can also access a nilometer near this gate.

To theeast of the great Temple of Isis, four buildings from the Philae complex have been relocated.

Diocletian's Gate, located at the northernmost point of the island, is a triumphal arch erected by the emperor; it was here that the entrance to the site was made. The central arch has disappeared, leaving only the two side gates intact. Not far away, the foundations of a temple of Augustus remain, the stones of which were used to build churches in the ^4th century.

Continuing south along the riverbank, the Temple of Hathor was built by Ptolemy VI and his successor. It is a courtyard and sanctuary dedicated to Hathor, who at the time was equated with Isis, as the history of the Egyptian pantheon has sometimes allowed.

Trajan's kiosk, further south, although entirely Roman, is extremely romantic, with its 14 composite columns. Two opposing doors open onto this kiosk. Next to the kiosk are the benches for the sound and light show.

A hot spring emerging from the sands the size of a small lake where you can swim and spend the night. At 12 km from the town, in the middle of a sea of sand, the site is only accessible by 4x4. Many agencies will offer you the services of a driver and a vehicle. The ideal is to come there with friends, order a grilled mutton (which will be a change from the usual desert menu: grilled chicken, rice, tomato and cucumber salad) and fall asleep under the vault of Nout... An unforgettable experience.

On the height of Siwa, your gaze, as soon as you arrive, will systematically fall on the ruins of this fortress built in the 12th century to protect itself from the attacks of neighbouring tribes. The villagers abandoned Shali in 1926, when torrential rains disintegrated the place made of salted and dried mud. The Egyptian authorities are trying to restore some of the buildings of this ancient Berber-speaking community... but for now it remains a ghostly labyrinth that is very strange to explore.

An excursion not to be missed. The colorful canyon is one of Sinai's natural wonders and can be visited from Dahab. In this magical place, where the rocks play with colors, you'll plunge into captivating labyrinths of narrow walls. The limestone rocks are yellow, violet, red, magenta and gold, and reach heights of up to 40 meters. Silence and peace are the order of the day. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a somewhat strenuous walk, including some climbing. The canyon can only be visited with a guide.

The Ptolemaic temple of Kom-Ombo was built over two centuries, between the ^2nd and ^1st centuries BC, by kings Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy XII. The courtyard and surrounding wall are more modern and were built during the Roman period. The temple is dedicated to two deities: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroëris, one of the manifestations of Horus. Its diminished appearance is due to erosion and flooding from the Nile. The use of the temple's stones to build Coptic monuments has undoubtedly also contributed to its current appearance.

The monumental gate was erected by Ptolemy XII. Only two elements remain.

All that remainsof the pylon are a few bases, leading to two parallel paths of worship: to the left, towards Haroëris; to the right, towards Sobek. This leads into the Courtyard of Tiberius (14-35 BC), surrounded by 16 ornate columns. In the center of this courtyard, the altar is the only element common to both divinities, as their offerings were placed on it.

The portico is typical of the Ptolemaic period, consisting of a wall ending at mid-height and encircling the 5 composite columns belonging to the hypostyle hall. The outer scenes depict Pharaoh being purified by Thoth and Horus before Haroeris on the left and Sebek on the right.

The first hypostyle hall is supported by fifteen columns, five of which are integrated into the portico. It is common to both cults and gives access to the second, smaller hypostyle hall, supported by ten papyrus columns. Here, Ptolemy VIII is shown facing Haroeris, from whom he receives his sword and coronation. Both rooms have preserved numerous traces of polychromy.

The two chapels are preceded by three double vestibules, the first decorated with purification and consecration rites, the second with offerings. Little remains of the two chapels, apart from the resting places for the sacred boats. Numerous side chapels surround them. In the outer ambulatory, bas-reliefs provide information on the art of surgery as it was known at the time.

Outside the temple, opposite the monumental gate, stands the mammisi of Ptolemy IX (116-107), a small secondary temple. It is located not far from a nilometer and a well.

The Crocodile Museum, located halfway between the temple and the exit, features a fine collection of mummified crocodiles, with explanations to match.

Where the devil is Simeon? We don't know, except that he gave his name to this superb monastery built in the 6th century by monks to protect themselves from the looters who came from the desert. It is a beautiful building surrounded by high walls (8 m) with a stone base and a brick top. It was sacked by the hordes of the warrior Salah al-Din in the 12th century, and it preserves impressive ruins, which are very photogenic, especially at sunset.

Several Nubian villages lie between the islands and the western shore of Aswan. The best-known (and most popular with tourists) is Gharb Sehel, opposite Sehel Island, which is partly man-made and most of the merchants don't live there... Gharb Assouan, on the western shore, is older and a real place of habitation, accessible by motorboat, or Sehel on the eponymous island. Here you can visit real settlements where crocodiles are the lucky charm of the house. The most beautiful village is on Elephantine Island, where the murals are real masterpieces.

Even more than its architecture, the site's location at the foot of a vertiginous limestone cliff is likely to surprise you. Extremely dilapidated when Auguste Mariette began clearing it, it is still being restored today.

Hatshepsut's temple, originally surrounded by hanging gardens with pools, was built by the architect Senmout during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (1490-1468 BC). Access was via an alley lined with sphinxes. On the queen's death, her successor, Thutmes III, who had previously been kept out of power, had most of the bas-reliefs depicting Hatshepsut hammered out. During the reign of Amenhotep IV and his heresy, as well as during the Christian era, Hatshepsut's temple suffered further abuse before being transformed into a monastery. On either side of the ramps leading to the upper terraces are magnificent bas-reliefs, the finest being those on the middle level. They depict the maritime expedition organized by Hatshepsut to the land of Punt, identified today as Somalia and Ethiopia, from which animals and a particularly wide range of riches were brought back.

At thefar end of the left-hand portico is a small chapel dedicated to the goddess Hathor, whose cow-like ornaments make her easily recognizable as an ornament on the capitals. On the right wall, soldiers march in orderly rows, each carrying a different weapon: spear, stunner, axe... Next to them, rowers compete. The next room, long off-limits to visitors, is now open, so you can see the colors still adorning the walls.

On the right, there's a chapel of Anubis, sculpted with splendid bas-reliefs in absolutely intact colors. The ceiling, painted a deep blue and studded with yellow stars, is admirable.

The third terrace , whose restoration was completed in 2002, features a colonnade of Osirid pillars bearing the effigy of Hatshepsut, whose alignment of icy smiles is sublime. Inside, a former hypostyle hall, now roofless, opens onto several oratories, including the one to the left of Thutmose I, the sovereign's father.

To the left of Hatshepsut's temple, almost completely ruined and clearly visible from the top of the cliff, are the remains of the temple of Mentuhotep I, built six centuries earlier, and behind it, in a similar state, the temple of Thutmes III.

At 2,637 metres, Mount Sainte-Catherine (djebel Katherin) is the highest point in the region and in Egypt as a whole. From its heights, you can enjoy an extraordinary panorama of the Sinai, the most beautiful in the entire peninsula and undoubtedly in the country. At the top of the mountain stands a chapel in which the imprint of the body of Saint Catherine, martyred in Alexandria, is embedded (note that the chapel is not open to the public). The body, brought back by the monks, is still in a sarcophagus inside the church. However, your guide can use the small brazier at the top of the mountain to help you enjoy some of the best mint tea you'll ever taste. Less frequented than Mount Moses, the ascent of Mount Sainte-Catherine requires a 5-hour walk from the monastery to climb the 1,200-metre ascent.

Itinerary. There are two possible routes to the top of Mont Sainte-Catherine. The first traverses a variety of sublime landscapes (including the "Wady Djebel", which means "valley of the mountains", "balcony of the plants" and "red mountain"), passing through outstanding granite rock landscapes. The second, more direct route to the summit mainly follows a zig-zag path. This hike is easier, but the scenery is less varied. It will be used to reach Mount Moses, if the two hikes are combined.

They are hypogeums that can be seen from the cities, hanging on the hillside on the other side of the river. They house the tombs of powerful monarchs from the end of the Old Kingdom to the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The tombs are located on the hillside, under the mausoleum of Ali Ben el-Hawa, which can be seen at the top. The place is in a poor state of conservation and the monuments have no information panels. Feel free to insist that the rooms be opened to you. On-site guides will not do it on their own.

Located in the southwest corner of the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Sety II was dug a few meters from that of his wife Taousert. It is 75 m deep. It was partially unfinished at the time of his death. It takes up the same architectural canons of the other rectilinear tombs in which three corridors precede a vestibule, a funerary chamber. It was probably not Seti II who was buried there, for his name was largely erased from the cartouches in the tomb; the jealous work of Amenmes who succeeded him.

Located 3 km north of Aswan, on an island where species of shrubs were protected in huge weather, sixty species of birds were elected home.

The dromos (Greek for "path") is a 3.3 km-long path used by the sacred boats in the Opet ceremony procession to reach the Nile via the sacred lake and canal, paved with large boulders and lined with lion-bodied sphinxes. Some bear a ram's head, others a human head. At the time, there were over 1,000 sphinx statues in the alley. The two temples of Luxor and Karnak can be reached on foot along the ancient alley in less than 1 hour (if it's not too hot). Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

The first Aswan Dam was built between 1898 and 1902 at the request of the British Governor. The aim was to regulate the flooding of the Nile in order to make better use of agricultural land. Similarly, the end of the flood allowed the development of Cairo, without fear of flooding. This first dam was raised twice. It was after its elevation that the island of Philae was submerged. Under the aegis of UNESCO, the temple of Philae was moved to the island of Agikia between 1972 and 1980.

This place was redesigned during the time of Nasser, which gave him Tahrir name, which means "liberation." It is much more extensive than the small Ismailieh square which is segregated at the beginning of the rue Talat Harb. At that time, between the Nbts museum and the Qasr el-Nile Bridge, there was precisely the Nineveh el-Nile barracks, where a military garrison protected that part of the city. Today, around this place, the headquarters of the Arab League, the seat of the NDP political party which burned during the revolution of January 2011, the Egyptian museum (behind the Hotel Rameses Hilton, stands at the headquarters of television and radio), the American University in Cairo, the Geographical society (which also burned in 2011!), the mogamma., the mosque Omar Makram, a remnant of the Ismailieh Palace, most of which was destroyed. At the centre of the square is the statue of Sheikh Omar Makram, one of the great figures of Mohammed Ali Pasha, who was realized in 2002 by the sculptor Al Ibrahim in the style of the great sculptors such as Jacquemard and Cordier who delivered monumental statues in Cairo. It was in this place that the greatest demonstrations of the revolution of 2011 took place, using the symbol of liberation, but this time meant to tell President Mubarak that he had to leave; what he did. Since then, Egyptians have been in the habit of demonstrating there to demonstrate their opposition in a very regular way…

Coming from Bahareyya, unusual limestone constructions follow yellow sand and black rocks (Black Mountains). They are in the form of pyramids, Paris mushrooms, icebergs, floating islands or igloo. The show is amazing. In the daytime, when the sun is in the vertical, the effect is not as great as in the evening or the first lueurs of the day, where the imperative of it to go on one night and if you can at the full moon, you will be on another planet. If it is only an adventure to try, it is this magical and timeless stroll in the white desert, where light creates a new and exciting decor every moment.

A good place to find drivers-guides is the Popular Restaurant.