Egypt's Nile: Read a history of civilization along the river

Egypt is a civilization gifted by the Nile. Eight days and seven nights, from the pyramids of Cairo to the temples of Luxor, converse with a five-thousand-year-old pharaoh on the gentle breeze of a Nile cruise.

The Giza Pyramids are the starting point of this trip. The three pyramids and the Sphinx have stood quietly in the desert for over four thousand years; when you stand beneath them, human insignificance and ancient Egyptian ambition strike you at the same time. Admission to the summit or interior requires separate tickets; it's worth it.

In the Egyptian Museum, Tutankhamun's golden mask takes your breath away. Over three thousand burial items tell of the luxury and mystery of a young pharaoh. In the Hall of the Mummy, the pharaohs lie quietly, time standing still.

Taking a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor is the most elegant way to travel in the Middle East. From the deck, you can see the alternating oases and deserts on both banks, with villagers waving along the shore, as if traveling back to the age of steamships.

Luxor is known as the "open-air museum." The Hall of a Hundred Columns of the Karnak Temple is breathtaking, and the tomb chamber of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings still preserves the original murals. The Luxor Temple is revived in the evening under the lights.

Traveling far to Abu Simbel, the colossus of Ramses II is carved into the cliff. This miracle, which was relocated entirely by building a dam, is precisely illuminated by sunlight during the "Festival of the Sun" every year. Egypt's grandeur is beyond imagination.