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Nile Cruises |
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Egypt is the gift of Nile". These were proper Herodotus
words. It is the second longest river in the world and, indeed, the
"life-blood" of Egypt. In ancient times, the Nile was worshipped. The
pharaohs even took boats to the underworld. Many civilizations were established
along its banks from Nubia up to the Mediterranean shores. Only with the advent
of railroads and air travel has the river declined as a mode of transport. Yet
still, a cruise on the Nile remains the best way to experience Egypt.
The Dahabiyya Returns
Recently, the dahabiyyas have been reintroduced. These are newly built
sailboats yet fashioned along ancient lines as used by 19th-century Grand
Tourists. With only a few luxury cabins and suites, each boat offers upper
decks equipped with cushioned divans and hammocks that rock to the rhythm of
the Nile River. Meals are offered fresh to heighten the sense of time traveling
that a slow glide along Egypt's great river evokes.
Stops To visit
» Luxor
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information about Luxor >>
» Esna
Easily visited as a day trip from Luxor, Esna (Isna), 30 miles (48 km) to the
south, is a busy little agricultural center on the west bank of the Nile. Its
prime attraction, and the reason that many cruise ships stop here, Remove it is
the Temple of Khnum.
» Edfu
Easily the most splendid of the Nile-side monuments between Luxor and Aswan,
Edfu's Temple of Horus is the most complete of its kind. Though built by the
Greco-Romans long after the true era of the pharaohs, it conforms exactly to
the principles of ancient Egyptian architecture.
» Kom Ombo
Just 30 miles (48 km) north of Aswan, Kom Ombo occupies the Nile-side site of
the ancient city of Pa-Sebek, the Domain of Sobek, a center for worship of the
crocodile god of that name. All traces of the city are long gone - and the
crocodiles that used to bask on nearby sandbanks have been hunted to extinction
- but the remains of a fine waterfront temple are well worth a visit.
» Aswan
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information about Aswan >> |
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