Ancient temples, underground burial chambers, chillingly preserved mummies and a cruise down the Nile, Jessica Bedewi embraces all that a tour of Cairo and its surrounds has to offer.
The air in the underground tomb seems to grow thicker by the second, I swallow my stubborn claustrophobia and take a step closer to the glass case in front of me. Inside lies the mummified
remains of King Tutankhamun, returned to his famous final resting place in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. However, King Tut is no longer encased in gold and surrounded by riches; instead, he’s encircled by curious travellers like me.
King Tut’s body is covered only by a white sheet, with his feet and head exposed to the enquiring eyes of the tomb’s visitors. In the centre of the chamber, the stone sarcophagus still stands watch, cracked down the middle and emptied of its former treasure. In my mind’s eye I can see the tomb filled with the gold and riches our group saw in The Egyptian Museum just two days prior – including the masterful death mask that once cloaked the figure behind me, adorned with gold, coloured glass and sparkling gemstones.
This expedition marks my first time on a structured tour. As someone who usually explores independently, the energy is markedly different than my usual travels but the speedier pace of travel is a welcome one, meaning I can fit in more of Egypt’s endless ancient riches and come to understand the history behind them.
Not to mention, Cairo is home to just a small portion of Egypt’s most impressive historic marvels,
namely the pyramids and Great Sphinx of the Giza Plateau. The rest of the country’s wonders (including King Tut’s impressive tomb) are scattered across the nation, with many conveniently falling near the banks of the Nile River where, as part of the tour, we are setting off on a cruise, miles away from the frenzied streets of Cairo.
Beyond the pyramids
The Nile River flows for more 6,600 kilometres from the south to the north of Africa, finishing where it spills into the Mediterranean Sea. We are cruising just a small portion of it.
Along the banks, where water meets land, the topography melts from a glistening blue to a rich green. Intermittent palm trees break up dense grass that then eases into row after row of fertile plants. Beyond the flourishing foliage, the landscape then fades back into a muted desert beige – the kind of sandy terrain you’d expect to see in Egypt and a transition that is so stark it is visible from space.
It’s the first time I’ve seen the Nile in all its glory. Following a short flight from Cairo to Luxor, I boarded the boat on the fourth day of my tour, though it remained docked for two days, allowing our group plenty of time to explore what is often referred to as the world’s largest open-air museum. It’s not hard to see why; a drive through Luxor takes you past dozens upon dozens of ruins, some open to the public and some still being uncovered.
But while Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple both leave me awestruck, with their massive pillars and elaborate illustrations carved into every open space, nothing is more impressive than the Valley of the
Kings. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the valley was an ancient burial ground for nearly all the pharaohs crowned from 1539–1075 BCE. Home to 62 known tombs, including King Tut’s famous burial chamber, the underground crypts are comprised of room after room delving deeper into the earth, painstakingly created by workers who were blindfolded when brought to and from the site, ensuring no one could disturb the pharaoh’s final resting places.
It is in these vast subterranean corridors that I descend into the tombs. My gaze wanders upward on my trek to the chamber of the sarcophagus, where a shock of bright colour captures my attention. The vibrant mural on the ceiling is a deep blue, broken up by striking gold stripes, each with a unique set of painted hieroglyphs comprised of clear whites, bright reds and eye-catching turquoises.
The mural is the closet thing I’ve seen to the vivid glory that the original Egyptian relics boasted in their heyday. Since the country is so often depicted in varying shades of brown, I was surprised to learn that each ancient Egyptian monument was once a rainbow of brilliant colours. While the pyramids once
shined with a reflective golden sheen, the temples and tombs were a study in vibrance. Every open space, now faded to beige, was once a kaleidoscope of colour.
Wrapping it up
The final night of the tour has me soaking up Egypt’s colours once again, those created by nature on a local boat trip. Our Nile cruise sailed from Luxor to Aswan, punctuated by a visit to Kom Ombo temple and its unique museum of crocodile mummies made to honor the crocodile-headed god Sobek. It concluded with a tour of Aswan’s isolated Philae Temple, accessible only by boat.
But before my tour is over, I board a felucca – a traditional Egyptian wooden boat with a canvas sail. Our guides are two Nubian men who pepper our zig-zagging journey from bank to bank of the Nile with their
traditional songs. The water is still and glass-like, just out of reach from the side of the boat. Our expedition takes us past Nubian villages, where locals are cooking their dinner on the riverbank, wild dogs roam free and a camel tracks our progress from his unmoving position, steps from the water.
While the day was still bright when our voyage began, the light slowly dips towards the horizon, painting the sky in a tapestry of pinks, reds and yellows. As the sun sets on my adventure, with the colours of Egypt bleeding into the night sky, I send a quick thank you to whatever gods are listening (crocodile headed and otherwise) for a truly magical experience.
Discover Egypt
This article was originally featured in the latest issue of Dream by Luxury Escapes magazine. Get your copy here.
