Quick Facts

Capital City: Cairo
Largest City: Cairo (6,053,000), Alexandria (2,917,000), Giza (1,670,800), Shubra El Kheima (533,300), Port Said (399,800), El Mahalla El Kubra (385,300)
Language: Arabic (official)
Population: 53,170,000
Main Religions Islam (official)
Area: 390,540 square miles

Wildlife in Egypt
Egypt is blessed with many ecology sensitive areas that have a magnificent natural environment, and with the beauty of that natural environment comes an abundance of Wildlife and Animal Habitat, both aquatic and land. Being an Egyptian Society whose main concern is the welfare of all animals, we are of course equally concerned with the enviromental Habitat and for the well being of all Wildlife species in Egypt. Fortunately (to the delight of animal friends around the world) the Egyptian Government has wisely designated large areas in the Sinai and Red Sea as Protected Conservation Areas many of them as National Parks.

Stacking Your Postcards

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
With over 100,000 artefacts in 107 halls, the Egyptian Museum provides days of exploration. Inside are treasures from ancient Egypt, including priceless finery taken from ancient royal tombs, and one of the museum's masterpieces, the statue of Khafre (Chephren). The most popular attraction is the Tutankhamun Gallery where exquisite treasures from the tomb of the Boy King are displayed, including the famous solid gold death mask. Another top attraction is the Royal Mummy Room containing mummies of some of the most powerful Pharaohs in Egypt dating from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties.

Nubian Museum
The area of Egypt we now call Nubia follows the River Nile from Aswan, 350km south to the town of Dabba, near the Fourth Cataract and the Sudanese border. It is thought that the name Nubia may be derived from the ancient Egyptian word for gold, 'nbu', as it was from this land that Egypt obtained most of its rich source of gold and Nubia was the passage from ancient Egypt to the exotic African lands farther south. Many pharaohs built small temples and fortresses along the banks of the Nile in Nubia and exported ebony, ivory, incense and precious metals and minerals back to Egypt, as well as Nubian slaves. Throughout Egyptian history Nubia has been alternatively an enemy or a conquered race, apart from a brief period in Dynasty XXV, when the Nubian (or Kushite) kings rose to rule Egypt as pharaohs.

The Temple of Karnak
The main place of worship in Theban times and built over a period of 1,300 years, the massive Temple of Karnak is an incredibly impressive structure. One of the world's great architectural achievements, the Hypostyle Hall, is filled with immense stone pillars still bearing the engraved and painted inscriptions from the 12th Dynasty, and covers an area of 64,583 square feet (6,000 sq metres). The complex also contains the Avenue of the Sphinxes, the Sacred Lake, and many huge statues, halls, ornate wall murals, obelisks and colonnades

Elephantine Island
Elephantine is an island in the centre of the Nile at Aswan. This was the original 'border town' between Egypt and the Nubian lands to the south and in ancient times was an important strategic position both for the defence of the border and as a trading route. The island has been inhabited from the Early Dynastic Period through Roman times until the present day. Its ancient name was 'abu' or 'yebu', which means elephant and was probably derived from the shape of the smooth grey boulders which surround the island, looking like elephants in the water.

Destination Guides

Cairo
Cairo - the Triumphant City - is the glorious capital of Egypt, the cradle of civilization and the beacon of religion. It is the largest city in the Middle East and Africa and lies at the centre of all routes leading to, and from the three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe.

Greater Cairo extends on the banks of the River Nile to the south of its delta. Here the Nile divides into its two distributaries: Rosetta and Damietta. It is the city where past and present meet. On its east side stands the evidence of 2000 years of Islamic , Christian Coptic and Jewish culture still flourishing to this day.

Aswan
Aswan, the most southerly city, has more of an African ambiance with its numerous Nubian inhabitants providing a difference in culture and custom. Although every bit as touristy as Luxor, the town and its inhabitants are far more laid back and pleasant. A picturesque city, its attraction lies not so much in its historical sites, but in the peacefulness of a felucca cruise at sunset, a visit to the colourful market (Sharia el-Souq), or dinner at one of the floating restaurants on the Nile. It is a perfect base to visit to the magnificent Sun Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel.

Luxor
Resting on the site of the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, Luxor offers the country's richest collection of ruins and monuments.

Returning to Thebes with gold and slaves, the warrior pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty created an opulent capital of colossal temples and monuments that straddled both banks of the Nile. At the height of its glory, from 1570 to 1090 B.C., Thebes had a population of nearly one million.

The city remained the administrative and religious center of Egypt until the fifth century B.C., when foreign invaders stripped the capital of its power and riches and eventually Thebes faded into myth.

Over the centuries, East Bank residents built homes inside and around the city's surviving monuments, eventually burying them in rubble and desert sand.

Luxor remained a largely obscure provincial village until members of Napolean's expedition began uncovering and recording its ruins and astonishing the Victorian world. Tourists have flocked to this riverside city to view its ancient splendor ever since.

With its waterfront lined with cruise ships, faluccas and restaurants and its lively outdoor markets and teahouses, modern-day Luxor is a vibrant town that bustles beneath the shadow of its ancient glory.

Built on a scale for giant gods, the Karnak temple complex is possibly the most extravagant monument of the Pharaonic legacy. The main structure grew from a 12th Dynasty core, expanding as each succeeding ruler added to the orginal plan. Today the complex sprawls across much of northern Luxor.

The necropolis of ancient Thebes, the west bank of Luxor contains the City of the Dead where magnificent temples were raised to honor the cults of Pharaohs entombed in the nearby cliffs.

Other highlights along the west bank include the Valley of the Kings, where the tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered in 1922; the Tombs of the Nobles and Queen Hatshepsut's temple.