Egypt

Egypt is mysterious in more ways than one. Sandcovered tombs, unyielding pyramids and towering Pharaohs define a land that has charmed and intrigued travellers for many years. From the Valley of the Kings in Luxor to the magnificent Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt has all the ingredients to mesmerise, surprise and captivate you.

- Charmaine de VIlliers

In this time of lock-down and uncertainty, let us satisfy our wanderlust by unraveling the mysteries of the land that is popularly referred to as ‘The Land of Pyramids’.

No other civilization has so captured the imagination of scholars, scientists and laypeople alike. Mystery surrounds its origins, its religion and its monumental architecture: colossal temples, pyramids and the enormous Sphinx. The Egyptian pyramids are the most famous of all the ancient monuments, the only remaining survivor wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

With most of this northern African country lying in the Sahara Desert, except for a narrow strip along the Mediterranean and the banks of the Nile, much of Egypt’s economy relies on tourism as its main source of income. One of the most ancient civilizations was to be found in Egypt where the mighty Nile River which flows north from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, nourished the growth of the pharaonic kingdom. The lifegiving long, narrow flood plain attracts people, animals and plants to its banks. In pre-dynastic times, nomadic hunters settled in the valley and began to grow crops to supplement their food supply. Seen as a gift from the gods, the annual flooding of the river deposited nutrient-rich silt over the land. This created ideal conditions for growing wheat, flax and other crops. The first communal project of this fledgling society was the building of irrigation canals for agricultural purposes.

Seven wonders of the Ancient World