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Cairo

The Pyramids of Cheops (Khufu)

The Great Pyramid is situated in Giza and was one of the Seven Wonders on the World. Cheops, the second Pharaoh of the IVth Dynasty, built it. It once rose to a height of 146 meters. Owing to natural wear and tear, however, its present height is only 137 meters.

The Pyramid of Chephren (Kafra)

This pyramid was built by Chephren the son of Cheops, the fourth Pharaoh of the IVth Dynasty. It occupies a site to the south west of the Great Pyramid and is 136 meters high. It covers an area of 215 square meters. At the base of the pyramid are situated the remains of his mortuary temple.

The Pyramid of Chephren (Menkaura)

This is the smallest of three pyramids, with a height of only 26 meters. It stands to the south west of the second pyramid. The length of its base is 107 meters and it covers only a quarter of the area of the Great Pyramid.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx is one of the most famous and the greatest of the monument of ancient Egypt. It stands as a guardian of the ancient necropolis.

The Solar Barque

A number of wooden boats have been discovered in chambers hollowed out of the rock, intended to enable the king to ride across the horizon with the Sun God. The most famous of these boats is the funerary barque of Cheops, which was discovered to the south of the Great Pyramid and is now housed in a special museum at the site.

Saqqara

Saqqara is some 25 kilometres from Cairo, and was the necropolis of the city of Memphis, Egypt’s capital during the Old Kingdom. Saqqara contains the following important monuments.

Christian Sites in Cairo

Abu Sarga

Built in the fourth century A.D. It is also of basilical form and is dedicated to SS. Sergius and Bacchus. It has three altars and twelve columns decorated with portraits of the Twelve Disciples.

The Church of the Virgin

Was built in the eighth century A.D. and is in the form of a basilica. It is also known as the “Church of the Pot of Basil” alluding to the notion that the Virgin Mary was the pot in which the basil – her son Jesus Christ – was planted. It has fine altar screen decorated with wood inlaid with ivory.

The Church of St. George (Mar Girgis)

Situated in Masr al Qadima, was completed in the thirteenth century A.D. It is a basilical church and contains a hall which is an architectural masterpiece.

The Church of St. Barbara

Built as a basilica, at the beginning of the Islamic period, it lies to the east of the fortress of Babylon. St. Barbara was a Christian girl who renounced the faith of her pagan family, whereupon she was denounced to the roman Governor and martyred.

The Monastery of Abu Seifein

This foundation is situated near the Mosque of Amr outside the fortress of Babylon. It contains three churches, the largest of which is the Church of Anba Shenouda (fifth century A.D.) There is also the Church of Abu Seifein and the Church of the Virgin of Damashir, named after a village where she is said to have appeared in the governorate of Minya.

Luxor - Eastern Bank

The Temple of Karnak

Built in the 20th century B.C., it is the biggest of the ancient Egyptian temples and was the seat of the god Amun, and the administrative capital of the country. A visit to the temple begins at the sacred quay, decorated with a Nilometer showing flood levels of the Nile and then passes through an avenue, bordered by statues of ram-headed sphinxes, to the temple itself. Inside the temple there is an open courtyard with a smaller temple on the left-hand side. Then there is a large hypostyle hall, built during the reigns of Seti I and Rameses II, containing 134 pillars, twelve of which are topped with capitals in the form of open papyrus flowers.

The Luxor Temple

This was built by Amenhotep III as a private residence for god Amun, but Rameses II later added statues of himself to either side of the temple: two seated and two standing. Inside there is an open coutyard built by Rameses II, comprising a pillared colonnade; and a second courtyard by Amenhotep III with pillars decorated with papyrus designs. The Luxor Museum contains a remarkable collection of ancient Egyptian sculpture found during the course of restoration at the Karnak and Luxor temples.

The Valley of the Kings

This site contains a large number of tombs of the Kings and Pharoahs, including the tombs of: Seti I, Rameses II, Horemheb and Tutankhamun, which was the only tomb to be discovered more or less intact.

The Valley of the Queens

The area contains tombs of approximately eighty Ancient Egyptian queens and tombs of their children. Here is located the beautiful tomb of Nefertari, recently opened to visitors.

Luxor - Western Bank

The Ramesseum Temple

Lying on the road leading from Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple to settlement of Medinet Habu, it was erected by the Rameses II. The most notable features are the 20m high-seated statue of the Pharoah and a number of reliefs showing him fighting at the Battle of Kadesh.

Medinet Habu

There are a number of temples here, the most important being that of Rameses III, which is the most complete of the funerary temples. There are also about four hundred Tombs of the Nobles, situated on the West Bank, including amongst the largest and most beautiful, the tomb of Ramose, in which there is a series of reliefs depicting the life of luxury and splendor enjoyed by the Ancient Egyptians.

Aswan Area

Philae

This site contains several temples dating from the Ptolemaic and the Roman period. The original island is situated to the south of the Aswan Dam. The temple of Philae was rescued by UNESCO from flooding caused by the building of the High Dam, and moved north to the island of Agilka.

The Rock Temple of Beit al Wali

This is located near the High Dam and is a rock cut temple decorated with reliefs dating from the reigns of Rameses II.

The Kalabsha Temple

Dates to the reign of the Emperor Augustus and is one of the biggest sandstone temples in Nubis, originally dedicated to the god Mandaulis. This temple was mobbed from its original location on the banks of the Nile to its current situation near the High Dam.

The Temple of Edfu

This dates to the Ptolemaic period and is the largest and most complete of the different temples situated along the banks of the Nile. It is located in the city of Edfu. It was a center of the cult of Horus.

The Temple of Kom Ombo

The double temple dates to the Prolemaic period and its inscriptions contain references to the Ptolemies and to the Roman Emperors, Domitian, Trajan, and Caracalla.

The Monastery of St. Simeon

Situated on a hill, this well preserved, ancient mudbrick structure overlooks the desert on all sides.

Abu Simbel

Situated at Abu Simbel are two remarkably beautiful temples constructed by the famous pharaoh, Ramesses II. The first and largest was dedicated to the Sun God, Ra Harakhte, while the King in honor of his favorite wife, Nefertari, built the smaller one. These temples are the largest and most spectacular of the many monuments erected by Ramesses II in Nubia. Carved from the living rock, the facade of the main temple is 33 meters high and 35 meters wide and is guarded by frieze of baboons expressing their joy at the rising of the sun, whilst over the main gate is carved the King’s coronation name, Usermara. Between the legs of the four statues are representations of the King’s family, his mother, Muttuy, his wife, and some of his sons and daughters. In front of the temple there are several memorial stelae, including one commemorating the marriage of one of Ramesses, daughters to the Hittite King, Hattusilus II.

Sinai Area

Jabal Musa

Reaching a height of 2285 meters. There are at the summit a small chapel and a mosque. Many people climb the mountain in order to witness one of the most beautiful sights of Sinai – the sunrise.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery

There was a church built here by the Empress Helens, wife of Constantine, on the site of the Burning Bush, in 337. The present monastery contains a collection of icons of exceptional importance as well as a magnificent library containing thousands of manuscripts in Greek, Arabic Syriac, Armenian, and Coptic. The church is decorated with a superb mosaic of the Transfiguration.