The Ultimate Travel Guide to Egypt: History & Attractions

One of humanity's greatest civilizations — the Pyramids of Giza, temples of Luxor, the Nile River and Red Sea diving make Egypt eternally fascinating.

A Glimpse into History

Egypt is not merely one of the world's oldest civilisations — it is arguably where organised human civilisation began. The unification of Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BC under Pharaoh Narmer established the world's first nation-state with a centralised government, professional army, bureaucracy, and state religion. The Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC) produced the pyramids at Giza — engineering feats so precise that modern archaeologists still debate how they were built. The New Kingdom (1550–1070 BC) was Egypt's imperial age: Thutmose III created an empire reaching Syria; Ramesses II fought the Hittites to a standstill at the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC (the world's first recorded peace treaty); and Tutankhamun (died 1323 BC) became history's most famous pharaoh not for his deeds but for his intact tomb discovered in 1922. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC, establishing Alexandria — which became the ancient world's greatest centre of learning with its legendary Library — and the Ptolemaic dynasty that ended with Cleopatra's death in 30 BC. Roman, Byzantine, and then Arab conquest in 641 AD brought Islam to Egypt, which has been predominantly Muslim for 1,400 years. Ottoman rule, French occupation (Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign of 1798–1801 inadvertently launched Egyptology), British colonisation, and independence in 1922 complete the story. Egypt today is an Arab republic of 105 million people and the Arab world's cultural capital.

Top Attractions in Egypt

Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx

The only surviving ancient Wonder of the World — three pyramids built for Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure between 2560–2510 BC — and the recumbent Great Sphinx remain the most awe-inspiring human constructions on earth after 4,500 years. Khufu's Great Pyramid, built from 2.3 million stone blocks averaging 2.5 tonnes each, was the world's tallest structure for 3,800 years.

Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor

The largest ancient religious site in the world — larger than the Vatican City — was built by 30 pharaohs over 1,300 years (1550–323 BC) and covers 2 sq km. The Great Hypostyle Hall with 134 massive sandstone columns each 23 metres tall is one of the ancient world's most overwhelming spaces; hieroglyphs covering every surface tell 1,300 years of divine kingship.

Valley of the Kings

For 500 years, New Kingdom pharaohs cut their tombs into the limestone cliffs of this valley on Luxor's west bank — including Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, Seti I, and Hatshepsut. The walls of these royal tombs are covered in the world's most detailed ancient religious texts (Book of the Dead) and paintings of the afterlife in colours vivid after 3,000 years.

Nile River Felucca Cruise

Sailing the Nile on a traditional felucca wooden sailboat — unchanged in design for 3,000 years — between Aswan and Luxor offers Egypt at its most ancient and serene. The river that built Egyptian civilisation still sustains the Nile Valley communities along its banks, and watching feluccas glide past sunset-coloured limestone cliffs and palm groves connects you directly to 5,000 years of continuous human history.

Abu Simbel Temples

Ramesses II carved two temples directly into the sandstone cliff face near the Sudanese border around 1264 BC — the larger with four 20-metre seated colossi of himself that guard the entrance. Most remarkably, when the Aswan High Dam threatened to flood Abu Simbel in the 1960s, UNESCO coordinated the greatest archaeological rescue in history: both temples were cut into 1,040 blocks and reassembled 65 metres higher.