Best of Egypt

Gazing serenely over the surrounding desert, the mysterious Sphinx has become one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt. The other? The pyramids. See them all as you explore the pyramids of Giza, the oldest of which dates from about 2500 BC. The pyramids were built both as funeral chambers for the pharoahs and as symbols of their empires' greatness, and they are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. The Sphinx, designed as a lion's body with a man's head, was carved out of the soft limestone that remained after the blocks for the pyramids were quarried. The image used to have a beard -- Napoleon's troops used the Sphinx for target practice, knocking it off.

The original capital of the unified Upper and Lower Egypt, Memphis has mostly sunk beneath time; it was built primarily of mud bricks that have disintegrated over the centuries. An impressive limestone colossus remains, however, along with a giant alabaster sphinx and embalming slabs. The slabs were used to prepare sacred bulls, thought to be incarnations of the god Ptah, for mummification and burial.

Sakkara was the royal burial site when the kingdom's capital was in nearby Memphis and then later became the resting place for sacred animals, making it the largest archaeological site in Egypt. The most impressive structure is Zoser's pyramid. Originally rising over 200 feet above the ground, the pyramid was the largest structure ever built in stone and started the tradition of pyramid mausoleums in ancient Egypt. An immense funerary complex surrounds the pyramid. Friezes of animals, decorative thrones and pillars, false doors that allowed the dead souls to enter and depart, and various statues dot the complex.

Kom Ombro has a strong zoological pull -- Ptolemy VI used to train his military elephants here, and the area attracted many ancient crocodiles (some of whom are mummified in a nearby chapel). The Temple of Sobek and Horus is the main draw, however. Standing along the Nile, the temple rises imposingly over the water, and seems to be split in two. The right side is dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek and his family, the left to aspects of Horus.

Hop on board a decorated horse-drawn carriage and pull up to the Temple of Horus in Edfu. Construction of the enormous sacred complex lasted through the reign of six emperors (one of whom, Ptolemy VII, was affectionately known as "Fatty"!). Its chapels, sanctuaries, and hallways are all inscribed with episodes from the life of Horus. The creator god, Horus is often depicted as a falcon who flew up into the beginning of time. The sun and the moon were called his eyes, which meant that on the night of the new moon, when neither the sun nor the moon is present, he was blind. In one story, the new moon occurred while Horus was in the midst of battle, and his blindness caused him to behead all the gods fighting on his side.

Seeing earlier tombs robbed and violated, Egypt's kings began hiding their burial monuments in valleys surrounded by high hills. From about 1500 BC, dozens of tombs were sunk into this landscape, including the famous tomb of Tutankhamen and the Temple of Hatshepsut. Rising 60 feet over the desert, the nearby Colossi of Memnon once guarded a now-destroyed temple complex. (And you can guess how enormous the temple must have been if these statues were merely the entryway!) An earthquake in 27 BC left one of the colossi with a crack that whistled in the wind, making it a popular destination for ancient Roman tourists, including the emperor Hadrian.

Luxor brings starry-eyed travelers, big-throated bazaar merchants, and scurrying urchins together in a cacophonous, energizing mix. Find serenity at the picturesque Luxor Temple or the overwhelming temple at Karnak, whose main hall could hold both Rome's St. Peter's and London's St. Paul's--the two largest churches in the world! In the same complex, the Temple of Ramses III once held boats used in sacred processions. In the Deir El Medina, the village where the construction workers for the enormous nearby temples lived, you can find ancient graffiti diary entries recording labor strikes, personal grudges, and romantic gossip.

The largest city in Africa and the Middle East since 1258, Cairo overwhelms your senses to draw you fully into Egypt's frenetic capital. Its population of 18 million crowds its streets and bazaars, and its thick layer of monuments crowds every available nook and cranny. The Citadel is the most dramatic, with a forest of minarets piercing the sky. In 1811, the pasha Mohammed Ali, modernizer of modern Egypt, invited 470 of Egypt's former aristocrats to the Citadel, provided a feast for them, and then had them slaughtered to solidify his power. He died insane in 1849, and was buried in the mosque that bears his name within the Citadel. Go even further back in time at the Egyptian Museum, where more ancient mummies and monuments than you could see in a lifetime watch over quiet rooms.