Insight Guides Egypt (Travel Guide eBook)

Insight Guides

Description

Insight Guides Egypt

Travel made easy. Ask local experts. 
Comprehensive travel guide packed with inspirational photography and fascinating cultural insights.

From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this guide to Egypt is all you need to plan your perfect trip, with insider information on must-see, top attractions like the Pyramids of Giza, the Red Sea and the Thebes Necropolis, and cultural gems like cruising the Nile, discovering Aswan and exploring the Temple of Karnak. 

Features of this travel guide to Egypt:
- Inspirational colour photography: discover the best destinations, sights and excursions, and be inspired by stunning imagery
- Historical and cultural insights: immerse yourself in Egypt's rich history and culture, and learn all about its people, art and traditions
- Practical full-colour maps: with every major sight and listing highlighted, the full-colour maps make on-the-ground navigation easy
- Editor's Choice: uncover the best of Egypt with our pick of the region's top destinations
- Key tips and essential information: packed full of important travel information, from transport and tipping to etiquette and hours of operation
- Covers: Cairo; Giza, Memphis and Saqqara; the Oases of Egypt's Western Desert; Middle Egypt; Upper Egypt; Abu Simbel and Nubia; Alexandria; the Suez Canal; the Sinai; the Red Sea

Looking for an easy way to get around? Check out Insight Guides Flexi Map Egypt for a clear and comprehensive trip around the country.

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Sujets

• Egipto
• Egypt
• Travel
• Middle East

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 février 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781839052217
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 19 Mo

Extrait

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book
This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Egypt, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editor’s Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Egypt. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Egypt are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Egypt. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 45 years’ experience of publishing highquality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2020 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents
Egypt’s Top 10 Attractions
Editor’s Choice
Introduction: The spell of Egypt
The Egyptians
Decisive Dates
Ancient Egypt
Insight: A parade of the more important gods
The Ptolemaic Period
The Roman Period and early Christianity
Egypt under Islam
Muhammad Ali and modernisation
Into the present
Popular culture
A love of food
Egyptian coffee houses
Nineteenth-century travellers on the Nile
Introduction: Places
Cairo
Insight: Islamic Cairo
Giza, Memphis and Saqqara
The Pyramids
The oases of Egypt's western desert
Middle Egypt
Upper Egypt
Still wild after all these years
Abu Simbel and Nubia
Alexandria and the northern coast
Underwater archaeology
The Suez Canal
Sinai
The Red Sea and eastern desert
Lake Scuba diving
Travel Tips: Transport
Travel Tips: A–Z
Travel Tips: Language
Travel Tips: Further Reading
Egypt’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction 1

Temple of Karnak. This fine temple at Luxor was developed over many centuries. Its massive Hypostyle Hall is the largest hall of any temple in the world, and its columns are carved with scenes of the pharaohs who built it. For more information, click here .
iStock

Top Attraction 2

Egyptian Museum. Crammed with Pharaonic treasures, statues, mummies and tomb goods. Highly recommended if you want to learn more about ancient Egypt. For more information, click here .
Getty Images

Top Attraction 3

Abu Simbel. On the shores of Lake Nasser. With its smaller temples dedicated to Ramesses II and his Queen, Nefertari, Abu Simbel is one of Egypt’s most impressive sights. For more information, click here .
Shutterstock

Top Attraction 4

Pyramids of Giza. One of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, on the edge of the desert plain, west of Cairo. For more information, click here .
iStock

Top Attraction 5

Cairo. The capital’s historic mosques, madrasas and bazaars nestle below the domes and minarets of the Citadel. For more information, click here .
Shutterstock

Top Attraction 6

Red Sea. The Red Sea’s coral reefs offer some of the best diving and snorkelling in the world. If you don’t dive, you can unwind on white-sand beaches. For more information, click here .
iStock

Top Attraction 7

Nile cruise. There are many ways to enjoy the Nile, but it is hard to beat a cruise, on a modern cruise boat, a dahabeeyah or a simple felucca. For more information, click here .
iStock

Top Attraction 8

The Temple of Isis. One of the finest Ptolemaic temples is located at Philae. Spectacularly set on Agilkia Island, it is approached by boat from Aswan. For more information, click here .
Shutterstock

Top Attraction 9

Thebes Necropolis. Thebes Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor, is riddled with ancient royal tombs. In the Valley of the Kings you’ll find the tomb of boy-king Tutankhamun, but don’t miss the wonderfully decorated Tombs of the Nobles. For more information, click here .
Shutterstock

Top Attraction 10

Aswan. This slow-paced city in Upper Egypt is situated on the picturesque First Cataract, where the Nile is scattered with islands such as Elephantine. It is a great place to relax, with a superb winter climate. For more information, click here .
Alamy
Editor’s Choice

Inside the Temple of Horus, Edfu.
Alamy

Pharonic Highlights

The Pyramids of Giza . One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramids are on the edge of Cairo. Also here are the Sphinx and the Solar Boat Museum. For more information, click here .
Saqqara . A day-trip from Cairo, Saqqara is well worth visiting. Its Step Pyramid is the earliest of all the pyramids, and its tombs are among the most finely decorated. For more information, click here .
Thebes Necropolis, Luxor . Comprising the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Nobles, as well as the various mortuary temples, this vast necropolis on the west coast of the Nile has the greatest concentration of ancient tombs in Egypt. For more information, click here .
Karnak, Luxor . The splendid Temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak was one of the most important religious and intellectual centres for more than 13 centuries. For more information, click here .
Abu Simbel . The Temple of Ramesses II on Lake Nasser, south of Aswan, is all the more aweinspiring for being cut into the cliff face. Nearby is the Temple of Queen Nefertari. For more information, click here .
Edfu . This Ptolemaic temple south of Luxor is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and is one of the best-preserved temples. For more information, click here .

Kom Ombo at night.
Shutterstock
Kom Ombo . This temple dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon god is set on a sweeping bend in the Nile 40km (25 miles) north of Aswan. For more information, click here .
Philae . Set on Agilkia Island, this Ptolemaic temple was moved here stone by stone to escape the waters of Lake Nasser after the creation of the Aswan Dam. For more information, click here .

Mosques and Madrasas

Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Cairo . This mosque dates from 905 and is built in the imperial style of the Abbasid court in Samarra in Iraq. For more information, click here .
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Cairo . This 14th-century madrasa is the greatest of the Bahri monuments. Its neighbour, the Al-Rifa’i Mosque, is also worth seeing. For more information, click here .
Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo . Built in the Ottoman style, this mosque with its slender minarets and dome forms an evocative silhouette on the city’s eastern skyline. For more information, click here .
Al-Ghouri Complex, Cairo . The beautiful madrasa and mausoleum of one of the last Mamluk sultans. For more information, click here .
Mosque of Aqsunqur, Cairo . This mosque, built in 1347, is adorned with Damascene tiles and is often known as the Blue Mosque. For more information, click here .

The beautiful Al-Azhar Mosque.
Shutterstock
Al-Azhar Mosque and University, Cairo . Built in 988, the Al-Azhar was one of the first universities in the world. For more information, click here .

Best Views

Pilgrims atop Mount Sinai.
Shutterstock
The Pyramids, Giza . Nothing quite matches the view of the Pyramids, even if it is somewhat marred by the proximity of Cairo’s sprawling suburbs. For more information, click here .
The Nile at Aswan . The views across the First Cataract at Aswan are among the loveliest in Egypt, especially when a felucca or two is floating past. For more information, click here .
Jebel Musa . Popularly known as Mount Sinai, a climb to the top offers far-reaching views of the Sinai Desert that haven’t changed since biblical times. For more information, click here .
View from Cairo’s Citadel . Great views of Cairo can be had from the Citadel. Darb al-Ahmar, leading north from the Citadel, offers evocative views of the city’s medieval