Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Ramses' temple in Abu Simbel features four colossal seated figures rising 67 feet over the entrance--along with a row of baboons, the watchers of the dawn, with their hands raised to worship the sun. This is the southernmost tourist site in Egypt that remains, courtesy of the ancients.
According to Art History Professor Christopher Witcombe, Pharaoh Ramses II had two temples carved out of solid rock on the west bank of the Nile south of Aswan. The temple was only rediscovered in 1813 because it was so close to the Sudanese border. The temples were moved in the 1960s by a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) team to a cliff 200 feet above its original location in response to concerns that rising waters from the installation of the Aswan High Dam would flood and irreparably damage the site.
Today, the temples--nearly the only thing in the town of Abu Simbel--are toured by thousands of visitors daily. Abu Simbel is usually visited as a day trip by van from the nearby city of Aswan or as quick layover on flights to Southern Egypt.
Abu Simbel
El Wahat El Kharga
Aswan, Egypt
The Nile River's west bank in Luxor hosts some of the richest sites of Egypt's ancient past, from the Colossi of Memnon to the Deir el Medineh, home to an ancient workman's village and several colorful tombs of non-pharaohs.
The real reasons Luxor's west bank is so popular among tourists and scholars are the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, where dozens of tombs have been--and continue to be--uncovered by archaeologists. Among the most famous is the Tomb of King Tut, where visitors can explore ancient hieroglyphs and Egyptian art in vibrant color. The Temple of Hatsheput, Egypt's famous woman Pharaoh, is the highlight of the Valley of the Queens; it's built into a cliff at the end of a sprawling staircase that once trailed to the banks of the flood-season Nile River.
Luxor
Qena, Egypt
The pyramids of Giza--the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World--continue to be the most famous tourist attractions in the modern world and represent the climax of ancient Egyptian architecture. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Kafhre and the Pyramid of Menkaura--all tombs of Egyptian kings--are the three largest and most iconic pyramids of ancient Egypt.
While ancient Egyptian scholars have determined that the pyramids were used for the burial of pharaohs, the method of construction and symbolism of the Giza pyramids is still under debate. This mystery likely adds to the draw of the site, and Egyptians have proved welcoming to tourists who wish to explore the pyramids.
Pyramids of Giza
Cairo, Egypt