Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest known civilizations of the world dating back to around 3000BC. With the Nile as its lifeline, the people of this civilization excelled in agriculture, animal rearing, art and of course architecture. In Egypt you marvel at the grandeur and sheer scale of the ancient monuments, you are dazzled by the carvings and frescos that have withstood the ravages of time.

The civilization started flourishing with the unification of the Upper (South) and Lower (North) Egypt, believed to have been achieved by King Meni, with a capital at Memphis(near Cairo). You will see unification portrayed on stone in many temples – as a string tying a heart, with Lotus (of Upper Egypt) and Papyrus (of Lower Egypt). Some of the oldest monuments you will see on this tour are the Pyramids of Pharaoh Khufu, Pharaoh Khafre and Pharaoh Menkaure. The first one, the oldest and largest, is the only remaining wonder out of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At its original height of 146.6mts(over 480ft), it was the tallest man made structure for 3800 years!

With prosperity came invaders and settlers from other places and the center of the civilization moved south to Thebes, present day Luxor. In Luxor you will see the splendor of the New Kingdom(about1400BC onwards). The rise of the cult of Sun(Amun Rah) worship under Pharaohs like Tuthmosis I and III, the reign of the only female Pharaoh of the time, Queen Hatshepsut, the worship of Aten under Akhenaten, the short heirless rule of Tutankhamun and the sixty six year long rule of Ramses II, the most powerful of the Pharaohs, and his queen Nefertari – all left their stamp on Luxor. The huge temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, the vivid frescos of the Valley of Kings transport you to the past. You cannot take pictures at the underground tombs – so don’t forget to buy some postcards ( readily available at the valley).

Further south, temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu reiterate the glorious past. The practice of praying to nature is evident throughout – with gods with heads of Sun, Falcon, Cow, Crocodile, Jackal. The practice of advanced medical procedures is enshrined in stone at the Edfu temple. Crocodile mummies are a must see at the Kom Ombo Temple.

With the decline of the power of the Pharaohs, Egypt came under many foreign powers – Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. Christianity has left its mark on some of the temples, as has the influence of Greek and Roman architecture. The whole tour is quite a mind boggling crash course in 3000 years of great history – and the two days at Hurghada, a Red Sea resort, is a perfect break. Snorkeling, Diving and other water sports await the adventurer in you. Or you can just relax!

Think of Egypt and you probably think of the fabled beauty of Queen Cleopatra. Till now – you have not seen or heard anything about her! So come to Alexandria – the seat of the Macedonian-origin Ptolemaic Pharaohs of Egypt(about 305BC to 30BC). The Queen who became a joint Pharaoh with her brother at the tender age of 18 was also the last of the great Egyptian Pharaohs. Alexandria, al-Iskandariyya in Persian, is truly the Pearl of the Mediterranean.

Your sojourn through the colourful pages of the Nile Civilization will lead you to numerous photo ops. So remember the camera chargers and carry loads of film rolls and extra memory cards – and don’t forget your sunhats and shades.