Beyond Cairo: A trip to the countryside of Egypt

Mummies, pharaohs, the sphinx, and pyramids. All of this is Egypt, but the land of the pharaohs goes far beyond this: customs, beliefs, food and landscapes, blend into their millennial history.

Three days is all you need in Cairo to visit the great pyramids and the Sphinx: Imposing well known constructions that we all aspire to visit. Mystical sites that even until nowadays are the subjects of discussion and conspiracy theories.

The fact is that there are many more than three pyramids, about 50 have already been discovered by archaeologists and it is unknown how many more are still buried beneath the desert. The pyramids of Giza are impressive buildings, the Cairo Museum as well, there you can see the most beautiful sarcophagi and the most beautiful funerary mask: the Tutankhamun`s.

But I will transport you from Cairo, and we will travel for about 10 hours by bus to southern Egypt. I made this choice, knowing that many limit themselves to only visit the capital of the country, where the pyramids are, and forget that there is an immensity of wonders to be visited in the countryside. For me the most stunning city is Luxor, given the fact that it is well conserved. It is there we will go.

Luxor is a 3,500 years old city, cut in the middle by the River Nile. There you'll find Pharaonic temples such as Karnak, Hatshepsut and the Valley of Kings and Queens, where the tomb of Tutankhamun was found in 1922. This is all situated in one side of the city. To access the other, you will need to take the boats, which for a dime, will transport you safely across.

Crossing the Nile, you will find small villages where the population live of fishing, breeding animals and trading. We stayed at Hotel Amon, a very cozy place where we were very well received. The food here is very simple but delicious, a local culinary spice experience. All very appetizing. Get ready to go back with a few extra kilos, but know that it's all part of the experience!

Dromedaries

To discover the "Mysteries of Ancient Egypt" you must cross the river again. Do not worry, there are no crocodiles here. To see them you'll have to descend downstream to Assuan. So relax and enjoy the view.

Children playing in the waters of the Nile

Luxor was known as Thebes in the antiquity, and for a long time it was the Pharaonic capital. You can see the Temple of Karnak, which for me is more imposing than the pyramids themselves. Why? Because of its magnitude, construction complexity and mainly, because of its colors. The colors that remain until this day: blue, yellow, everything beautiful and magical.

Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple

In the relatively recent increase of female empowerment, I have to bring to light the work built by a female pharaoh, her name: Hatshepsut. The palace is simply divine. Interestingly, his story was erased by his successors. Her name was erased from the palace and that meant death for any pharaoh. You can die, this is natural, but having your name removed from the temple meant that you'll be forgotten.

Temple of Hatshepsut

According to the Egyptologist who guided me during the period I spent in the country, for the ancient Egyptians, hell is not the eternal painful place of Christianity, hell is "cease to exist", to be forgotten. When we look at the hieroglyph of the "Final Judgment," we see that the man, when dying, has his heart weighed on a scale by Anubis. If his heart is heavier than the feather, he will perish. This means that he will disappear and this will be his hell.

Final judgment

Finally, I invite you to go to the Valley of Kings and Queens. These are tombs hidden in the barren desert mountains There are the tombs of kings, queens and even their servants.

When a Pharaoh died, he was placed inside his pyramid in the vicinity of Cairo. This was basically an open invitation for tomb raiders. Of course, everyone knew that the treasure of the Pharaoh was hidden there. So the burial place was transferred centuries later to Thebes (Luxor), and instead of sumptuous pyramids, the mummies of the pharaohs began to be hidden inside the mountains.

Sunrise

Inside the valley there are precious carvings eternalized. You can visit almost all tombs, but be sure to not touch anything, thus reassuring that future generations will get the same chance to return as enchanted as you will. Even though you might be delighted and almost dying from the heat. Therefore, dear Steemians, since you can not bring your cameras in the tombs this yet another place you have to see it to believe it.

Thank you!