Egypt and the Nile: the birthplace of Western civilization
- 7 hours ago
- 8 min read
By Robert Kosian
Fascination with Egypt
Take a big step back in time and remember how Howard Carter’s stunning discovery of the Tomb of the tomb of King Tutankhamun ignited a worldwide Egyptian craze. Like many of us, the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings and King Tut’s golden mask are part of our popular culture romanticized in epic movies like Moses and Anthony and Cleopatra. Who could forget Agetha Christie’s Death on the Nile without wanting to take a Nile cruise! The fascination had a resurgence in the 1990s with the Father Dowling TV series on the Mummy’s Curse and the movie Stargate which spawned a long running TV series that gave fans a glimpse into the power of the ancient Egyptian gods. On our “bucket list for a decade, the opening of long delayed Grand Egyptian Museum proved to be the proverbial “straw the broke the camel’s back” for us to make our plans to visit Cairo and cruise the Nile.
A brief history
The Nile River originates in the middle of Africa and flows north through Nubia and Egypt to the Mediterranean. Settlers began to cultivate crops as early as 3150 BC. Enter the Pharaohs who believed that they were descendants of gods and each of the successive 30 Pharaohs were related by blood. The dynastic periods are organized into the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms lasting until 332 BC when they were conquered by the Greek Alexander the Great.
Alexander respected the local customs and installed Ptolemy as the new Pharaoh. Ptolemy had nine successors including Queen Cleopatra who ruled until 30 BC when they were conquered by the Romans led by Julius Ceasar. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans were brutal conquers killing the locals especially those who had converted to the Catholic religion. Fed up the Egyptians invited the neighboring Arab Islamic Empire to invade in 642 AD, forcing the Romans to flee. Sunni Islam flourished for the next 600 years until 125 AD when it was replaced by the Mamluks who ruled until they were conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1517.
The French under Napolean Bonaparte invaded in 1798. This campaign led to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, creating the modern field of Egyptology. During this period, the French began to discover the long-forgotten monuments and temples that the Pharaohs built. Both the French and the English took many artifacts back to their respective countries. In 1952 the Republic of Egypt was established. In the 1970s a massive dam was built near Aswan to control the folding on the Nile. Today Egypt is a somewhat poor county with a growing population of 120 million all of whom live within 10 miles of the Nile River. As it never rains, the Nile provides Egypt all its water and most of its electricity. Without the Nile, Egypt could not exist.
The birthplace of Western civilizations
The Ancient Egyptians were responsible for the creation of the modern world. They invented the first alphabet with 24-26 letters and began writing on papyrus the precursor to paper. The Egyptians developed a system of numbers with 1-9 as the same symbol. Then symbols for 10, 100, 1,000 and so on. Numbers were used in everyday life especially in the collection of taxes. Egyptians lived by a 365-day calendar composed of 12 30-day months with three 10 day weeks and five days for celebrations. They organized the calendar in three 4-month periods, the Flooding, the Planting and the Harvesting. Their gods Ra, Isis and Horus became Zeus, Hera and Ares in Greece, Jupiter, Diana and Mars in Rome and Odin, Freyia and Thor in Norse Mythology. Egyptian art, architecture, jewelry, fashion, pottery, perfume and household goods have been copied by every Western culture to the present day.
The journey
Old Cairo hits you in the face. Dusty with horns honking, vendors hawking trinkets, prayers drifting from minarets, crowds and persistent chaos. Nearby is the Coptic Quarter. Dating from 400 AD, with its Synagogue, Hanging Church and Museum, the surrounding quarter had a quieter-cleaner vibe. Who do we see but Mick Jagger! However, he was not granting any selfies — on one else welcome on his cloud.
We went on to the Citadel to visit the impressive Alabaster Mosque and later to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization where the mummies of the Pharaohs are on display.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is the 7th wonder of the world. The rooms are a slow cascade of astonishment, a relentless procession of gold and statues. Tutankhamun’s treasures are inevitably the star attraction — the visceral gold, the impossible craftsmanship.
The Great Pyramids are massive and awe inspiring. I found myself thinking about the labor that built these monuments, the human hands that must have accompanied such work. The Sphinx watches the approaching centuries with less concern than the vendors who ply the plateau selling camel rides. There’s an overwhelming sense of wonder at Giza giving you a quiet journey to the past.
Flying to Luxor, we board our ship aptly named Thoth, the god of wisdom, then we were off to visit the Temple of Karnak, which is dramatic and theatrical. Soaring columns crowd the hypostyle hall in ranks so thick you feel like a guest in an ancient cathedral. The sheer scale of the columns each painted and carved with stories of the gods.
The Luxor Temple is closer to the river and smaller in scale felt more human scale in its symmetry and intimacy. At night it’s lit in soft amber, and the avenue of sphinxes leading up to it feels cinematic.
Dendera (Temple of Hathor) beckons. It’s one of Egypt’s best preserved temple complexes. I remember the transition from grand columns to an intimate temple saturated with feminine energy. Dendera’s chapel of Hathor is whimsical and surprisingly bright — the ceiling paintings retain enough color to feel like someone simply switched off the light yesterday. The goddess Hathor appears in many forms here, and there’s a tenderness in the scenes: women, music — birth.
Valley of the Kings and Queen Nefertari’s Tomb. Visiting the Valley of the Kings is a somber, jaw-dropping experience. Tomb entrances lie like mouths in the cliffside, each descending into a carefully staged version of eternity. The painted walls inside some tombs are remarkably intact, colors preserved by long absence of sun. We paid extra to enter King Tut’s tomb with his mummy on display and the tomb of Queen Nefertari the colors there are like a secret banquet. Walking in felt like stepping into a private theater; the depictions of gods and the queen are intensely personal, intimate in their intent. It reminded me that the ancient Egyptians didn’t simply believe in an afterlife: They planned for one with focused affection.
Located in Esna, the Temple of Khnum is less visited than the major sites but with an architectural elegance that rewards attention. The carvings of Khnum are dedicated to the ram-headed creator god. Here, fewer crowds allow for a more relaxing exploration.
The Myth of Horus and Seth Edfu’s temple is a beautifully preserved narrative in stone. The reliefs and inscriptions recount the mythic battles between Horus and Seth — the cosmic family squabble that, the guide joked, could have used modern mediation services. I was struck by how the temple recounts conflict as a foundational myth that explains order, justice and kingship. The stories carved on the walls feel like an ancient soap opera where gods fight, reconcile, and re-establish balance.
Kom Ombo’s unique double temple structure is a study in duality: two sanctuaries set side by side, dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon. The asymmetry speaks to a world comfortable with contradiction — fertility and danger, order and chaos, combined in stone. The crocodile museum next door, with mummified crocs laid out like eccentric artifacts, proved that the Nile’s wildlife once held a sacred place in daily life.
While in Aswan, we see the High Dam, Botanical Gardens, Nubian Village and Philae. Aswan has a different rhythm — more relaxed, with the Nile broad and serene. The Aswan High Dam is a modern monument to human engineering; its scale humming a very contemporary note next to ancient temples. The Botanical Gardens (Kitchener’s Island) are a delightful green pocket: Palms, flowers, and birds offer a fragrant contrast to sandstone and dust.
We took a small boat to a Nubian village and felt welcomed in that almost embarrassingly warm way only small communities can manage. Colorful houses, sweet tea, and bright smiles — the village felt like the Nile’s happy, hospitable cousin. A visit to the Philae Temple, set on its own island and painstakingly relocated to save it from the rising waters, was profoundly moving. The rescued stones and reconstructed sanctuaries carry a story of international cooperation and cultural dedication; the temple itself glows at sunset in a way that makes photographers speak in hushed, reverent tones.
Papyrus workshops and local markets filled in many small, human details. Watching artisans press, dry, and paint papyrus felt like watching history re-enacted by hands that learned their craft from fathers and mothers in a long chain.
We cruised back to Luxor as we neared the end of our trip. After waking up at 6 a.m. for more than ten days, the long, slow stretch on the Nile was a welcome change. Morning on deck with tea, local fishermen paddling at dawn, water buffalo grazing and villages sliding by as if someone were scrolling a gentle slideshow. There’s a lullaby quality to the river. I found time to let impressions settle: the grandeur of sites creates stories, and individual moments are recaptured by reviewing photos on my phone.
Reflections
Travel to Cairo and the Nile reads like a study in contrast: timeless in the pyramids, temples, the Coptic icons and papyrus and rug workshops versus the High Dam and modern chaotic Cairo. What struck me most was juxtaposition of the past and the present. The local people: Vendors, boatmen, workshop owners and guides are not mere extras in front of an archaeological backdrop. They are the living carriers of traditions, the daily stewards of their culture. That continuity is what keeps Egypt feeling eternal.
Travel tips
The only time of the year to visit is late November through February. After that it is too hot. Dress in layers. It is cool in the early morning and at night while hot and sunny during the day. I would visit outdoor sites in the morning and indoor ones after lunch. The Egyptian pound is equal to two U.S. cents. I found an easy way to convert the local price is to drop one zero and divide by 5. EP 1,000 = $20. Don’t exchange money if you don’t need to do so. Every merchant prefers American dollars; also, remember that at the end of trip you cannot exchange EP for another currency. Stay in Old on the way in and New Cairo on the way back, it is closer to the airport. Arrange airport pick up and departure with your hotel. Your driver will help with luggage and clearing customs in the Fast Track. For an extra $50 per person this service is available for departure. It is money well spent! Each tour group has its own rules but be prepared to tip service providers.
Do’s and Do Not’s
Do: Travel with a tour group — we used Viking which included a seven-day Nile cruise. Egypt is semi organized chaos. You can not “wander about on your own.” Every archeological site requires transportation, ticketing and curation by an expert. On excursions carry a copy of your passport, one credit card, some dollars (using the toilet involves leaving a tip of $1), bottled water, at hat or scarf, comfortable shoes (you will walk a lot) and your cell phone/iPad for pictures.
Do Not: Drink water that is not from an unopened bottle (use bottled water to brush your teeth) eat street food or any uncooked food expect in the upscale hotels, use your credit card except in upscale stores, wander into street vendor shops, buy jewelry except where your guide recommends.
What’s next? Bon voyage!
