Egypt's alluring siren song

In the 1960s, this symbol of power could have been submerged by the construction of the Aswan dam. But that's when UNICEF came in as a saviour. The Abu Simbel is not just a great example of building from old world but also from the modern world, when in the 1960s UNESCO relocated the temple block by block to an island. Close to this temple is another, also built by Ramses II but dedicated to his beloved wife, Nefertiti. It's not as huge and certainly more delicate looking. Ramses II was the first pharoah to give enough respect to his wife, and to build an entire temple in her name. The next stop was the Temple of Philae. The temple is located on an island.

This temple was started by Ptolemy II, and finally finished by Ptolemy XII. What you see here are depictions of how the king treated his captives and how he made offerings to the divine. And you can also see what the sanctum sanctorum of these temples look like as opposed to our temples in India. The walls here are full of scenes on offereings made to the Gods and heavily explained by hieroglyphics all over.

But, if all this seems too much like history lessons on a holiday trip, then just skip all this with a quick lookover and laze on the blue waters of the Nile. Take a cruise that takes you to Luxor, which is actually just a few kms away from Cairo, but if you take the cruise, it takes three days. So, I plan to start the next day with the cool breeze. What else could be better than waking up to the Nile. I've read a lot about the mystic powers of the Nile but it's only when you cruise on it, that you believe in it.

But on the three day trip, there is more to do than just sail down the Nile. It was time to party hard, the Egyptian way. So, I wore the traditional Egyptian dress called the Galabaya and headed for the Galabaya party. Everybody was dressed for the occasion and you can buy the galabaya either from a shop on the cruise ship or the local market, before you start sailing.

I finally reach the Valley of Kings on the west bank of Luxor, and I'm headed for a temple of a Queen, Queen Hatshepsut who ruled for 20 years. She's the only woman to have ruled in ancient Egypt for so long and she made sure to leave her mark. At ground level, this birthing chamber has a story to tell. On level one, you will be greeted by the few statues of the Queen that are still left standing.

Luxor has more to offer on ancient Egyptian history and the Karnak temple is one of them. This temple is in Philae and it's important because its the last temple built in the Greek-Roman period. The Karnak temple is actually a complex of temples that houses certain important kings in Egyptian history. The most distinct feature is the entrance that is lined up with sphinxs. The sphinx that you see here are different from the Great Sphinx at Giza. The ones here have ramheads. And when they were first built, they covered a distance of three kilometres to reach up to the entrance of Luxor temple near by. And they were originally a total of 900. I guess the Egyptians always thought on a huge scale.

After flying back to Cairo, I took a two hour drive to Alexandria. Alexandria is a popular summer resort. When you get to Alexandria, you'll notice how European it is in its architecture. Founded by Alexander the Great, it was later ruled by one of his Generals who began the dynasty of the Ptolemies. The most famous Ptolemaic ruler was Cleopatra and the dynasty ended with her son, Ptolemy the XV.

As the sun sets over Alexandria, the world famous library called Bibliotheca Alexandria lights up. Founded by Ptolemy II, it was rebuilt in 2002 into this modern striking structure. After so much history, food is the only thing to revitalise you. If you have an experimental palette, you may not find Egyptian food very exciting because it's similar to Indian food. There is potato curry, kebabs, stuffed gourds and rice pulao. But non-vegetarians can eat at the best seafood restaurant called Sabrin in Alexandria. This city is the seafood lovers paradise.

What a scrumptious way to end a rich and fulfilling holiday - with delcious seafood in one of the most happening - old yet modern city - in the world.

Sahar Zaman