Cairo
The Pyramids & Sphinx
View of El Gezira, an island on the Nile just outside of Cairo.
Noisy, lively Cairo
The streets are jammed with cars, buses, wagons, bicycles, etc (and I never saw anyone obey traffic signs!) Honk Honk Honk...all day long...
Panorama view
There they are in all their glory...
Entrance to the Great Pyramid
The tourist entrance is to the lower right of the original entrance. From here you follow a winding cavernous tunnel leading to a cramped stairway and eventually to the King's Chamber. Stuffy air, dim lighting, and echoeing noises make this a truly haunting experience...
The Great Pyramid at sunset
The light is so different in late afternoon - the Pyramids are golden against a turquois sky.
...but rather small when compared to the Pyramids
Luxor Temples & Tombs
A look inside the Great Pyramid - truly an incredible mystery.
There are 3 main rooms: the King's Chamber, the Queen's Chamber, and the Subterranean Chamber which is underground. (The pyramid walls in reality do not extend below gound level)
Click the images for a larger view
The Temple of Philae
Temple of Kom Ombo on the Nile
Luxor Temple
Court of Amenophis III
Obelisk at Luxor Temple
The etchings in this giant obelisk are barely weathered after all this time.
The area is swarming with peddlers who literally follow you around pushing camel rides, postcards, souvenirs, bottled water, etc etc.
The only way for me to get this guy to leave me alone was to snap his picture and fork over an Egyptian pound!
The Sphinx
Majestic on its own...
To give you an idea just how huge the Great Pyramid is, it is higher than 3 Statues of Liberty, and wider than 3 Boeing 747s!
The so-called "air shafts" extending from the King's & Queen's Chambers actually point to major constellations: Orion, Sirius, Draco, and Ursa Minor.
Here is a cross-section of the interior viewed from an angle.
(The pyramid walls in reality do not extend underground)
3d model of an aerial view of the site
Queen Hatshepsut's Temple
Luxor Temple
Obelisk and statue of Ramses II
Colonnade of Amenophis III at Luxor Temple
Colossal columns - note how tiny the people are!
Egypt today is an artful blend of Middle Eastern and African cultures, filled with mosques, veiled women, turban-clad men, and graceful arabic script written on nearly everything in sight.
Out of these sights and sounds echoes another ancient and mysterious civilization; one of colossal pyramids and temples, artful cryptic hieroglyphics, and treasured tombs buried deep within the earth. Exploring the sights of ancient Egypt evokes only awe and wonder...
Click the images for a larger view
Click the images for a larger view