Egypt

Country Background:

The capital of Egypt is Cairo, though there are currently existing plans to build a new capital. About 100 million people live here and the official language is Arabic, though English and French are spoken as well, followed by Russian, Spanish, or Italian due to the high volume of tourism from these areas. Egypt has the largest Arabic population in the world. The dominant religion is Islam followed by Christianity and Judaism. The top exports are crude petroleum, refined petroleum, insulated wire, video displays, and gold. 

Jim’s Perspectives:

I first went to Egypt in the early 90s with my father and then traveled there again with my son in 2021. Like most travelers, we came to Egypt to see the incredible structures – including the pyramids, Sphinx and stone artifacts. The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Abu Simbel Temple Complex are absolute must-sees for their architectural beauty and history. And, of course, the Great Sphinx in Giza is a must-do as well. These places are so incredible because they are surviving examples of ancient Egyptian culture and religion, where many gods were worshipped and where temples were resting places as souls went to the afterlife.Humans were believed to have different parts in their souls, and it is the spiritual life force, Ka, that goes into the afterlife after death.

To get away from the tourists we visited the less crowded Temple of Medinat Habu in Luxor. The etchings in the temple walls were amazingly well-preserved and the lack of crowds allowed us to spend more time looking at the artwork and architectural beauty.

We took a cruise on the Nile, and highlights were visiting a village in Nubia in Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan, and seeing the Aswan dam.