Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest known civilizations of the world. The civilization flourished on the banks of river Nile and Cairo or Al Qahirah is the perfect place to get a sort of synopsis of thousands of years of glory and grandeur.

The sprawling city spreads along the blue waters of river Nile – with bridges connecting the two banks as well as large islands in the river. Parts of it are modern with all amenities one can think of while parts date back to times before Christ. The juxtaposition of the ancient and modern is admirable.

The Pyramids are of course the focus of Cairo – and the first sight of the imposing structures take your breadth away. The Sphinx and the Pyramids draw millions every year to the Giza plateau on the western borders of the city. The Egyptian Museum is another crowd puller. With over 120,000 artifacts – you could spend days at the museum. A guided tour ensures you chronologically travel through years of history – soaking in the growth and spread of the Egyptian civilization. Your tour guide ensures you see the best and of course the section on boy pharaoh Tutankhamen is the perfect finale. The extensive and dazzling display of his famous wealth leaves you spellbound. The other interesting section is the mummy room that many do not want to enter – and is therefore left to your option.

The narrow lanes of Cairo’s old Bazar – Khan El Khalili – takes you through a world of artifacts, fabric, perfume, spices, et all. The shops sell them all and you sometimes feel you might be able to bargain your way into buying an old magic lamp there!

The history of Cairo is more complete if you manage to see its old sections of Islamic Cairo and Coptic or Christian Cairo. The optional tour takes you to some of the best Islamic architecture of the city and to Churches that were home to Mother Mary and Baby Jesus and Saint George. The optional tour to Alexandria takes you to the city of the fabled queen Cleopatra and showcases the influence of Greece and Rome on this land.