Why Take a Nile Cruise
If, like me, you spend a lot of time on theInternet you will often read articles with headings such as "My Top 10 Travel Destinations", or "50 Things To Do Before I Die". More often than not somewhere in there will be the following..."To Take a Nile Cruise".
Why is it that so many people are fascinated by the imagery, history and mystery of Ancient Egypt?
Is it because it"s one of the oldest civilisations in the world? Or because we have heard so much about the "boy king" Tutankhamun and seen so many images and artifacts from his tomb in the Valley Of The Kings? Perhaps we have simply been fascinated since childhood by the images of the Sphinx or the Pyramids? Baffled by just what Egyptian hyroglyphics mean? Caught up in the story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt?
Or is it that the very "sound" of the phrase "a Nile Cruise" conjures up images of Alexander The Great, Julius Ceasar, Napoleon, Kitchener and Montogomery? All came to Egypt.
Cleopatra and Florence Nightingale were also here and Verdi composed and conducted Aida at the opening celebrations of the Suez canal in 1869
Or do the very names of the cities of Egypt such as Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan have a ring of history and tradition tracing human civilisation for over 5000 years?
What of the mighty River Nile itself? The world"s second longest river has shaped the character of the country and its" people over the ages. It was the place where they first used the first tape to mark land claims and called the process Geometry and where they invented the solar calender of 12 months of thirty days. Indeed the first recorded date in world history, 4241 BC, is Egyptian.
4241 BC!!! Can you comprehend that date and how long ago it was?
In the 19th century it became fashionable for aristocrats from Europe to visit Egypt and they would cruise on their "dahabiyyas" - beautiful Arab sailing boats. You can still book a wonderful Nile cruise on a dahabiyya today by the way.
Today the Upper Nile is one of the world"s most visited destinations but it is a wonderous place to visit and a cruise will allow you to enjoy a journey of discovery and visit some of Egypt"s finest ancient monuments along the banks of the Nile including those at Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, The Valley Of The Kings and The Valley Of The Queens at Luxor.
So much to see, so much to experience, such a luxurious way to do it.
A Nile Cruise really is so much more than a conventional holiday.