A Quick Tour from Cairo to Aswan
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| The following are in sequence from Lower to Upper Egypt |
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Approximate distances
from
the centre of
CAIRO |
|
|
 |
Miles
3 |
KM
5 |
|
|
 |
Miles
15 |
KM
25 |
|
|
 |
Miles
420 |
KM
675 |
|
|
 |
Miles
565 |
KM
900 |
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We live in Luxor which is often referred to as "the largest open air museum in the world" as the majority of the ancient sites are to be found there so that is the area that our web site focuses on but if you are planning a trip to Egypt or are just interested in what Egypt is like today then this page is a good starting point.
If you are returning to Egypt then do click on our Ancient Wonders of Luxor link as there is sure to be a temple or tomb that you haven't yet visited.
We hope that by showing you what we have seen, done and found out about this fascinating country you will enjoy Egypt much more.
Quick Tour Along The River Nile
Aswan is in the south of Egypt and as you head north travelling with the flow of the River Nile you pass the temples of Kom Ombo, Edfu and Esna before you reach Luxor which is home to Karnak and Luxor Temples, the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and the Tombs of the Nobles and so many other ancient sites. Slightly further north are the temples of Dendera and then Abydos. Head much further north past the Dashur and Saqqara Pyramids, on past Memphis the ancient capital of Egypt to the great Pyramids of Giza and then on through Old Cairo and into Cairo itself.
Of course you can go further north to Alexandria and further south into what used to be Nubia (now flooded under Lake Nasser) and see Abu Simbel but the above area is what we cover in these pages with the emphasis on Luxor - ancient Thebes. In short from Aswan to Cairo. Many times we have been going to go to Abu Simbel but just could not become motivated to travel several hours south of Aswan to see a temple which is not where it originally was. Walk into Luxor Temple and you walk in the footsteps of the Pharaohs, the temple comes alive, this is where it was when Tutankhamun came here to finish one of the halls and Ramses II enlarged it considerably. We could go right back to Queen Hatshepsut and King Tuthmosis III where it all began but I think you get the idea. On the other hand Abu Simbel was moved, piece by piece in a great feat of engineering, above the waterline of a lake created by the new dam at Aswan and a concrete dome made to house the interior.
The above was written many years prior to our move to Luxor in 2004 and at the end of April 2006 we enjoyed a Lake Nasser cruise and visited many temples, all of which had been moved to save them from the rising waters behind the new High Dam at Aswan. The largest and most famous temple in this area is of course Abu Simbel and though impressive, especially inside, and we are both extremely pleased that it wasn't lost forever, it just didn't feel right as it looks so out of place where it is.
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