Egypt

For centuries, Egypt has been one of the world’s premier travel destinations, primarily due to the astonishing wealth of its archaeological relics. In the flood-fertilized valley of the Nile River, one of the earliest and grandest civilizations the globe has ever known prevailed (in one form or another) for thousands of years. Ancient Egypt’s remnants continue to captivate people across the globe, but modern-day Egypt—still reeling from its 2011 revolution—is far from a mere historical attraction.

The Valley of the Kings and monolithic temples of Luxor, the Giza Necropolis with its Great Pyramids and Great Sphinx—these are iconic monuments, the firsthand experience of which no amount of photographs, travelogues, or history texts can prepare you for. You’ve known about hieroglyphics and mummies since your childhood days, but preconceptions vaporize the instant you lay eyes on the mammoth visage of Ramesses II or the Great Pyramid of Khufu. And the Museum of Cairo—which must be ranked among the most prestigious and best-known in the world—offers an almost transcendent experience with its astonishing Ancient Egypt collection.

Sure, pharaohs and pyramids may well be the first things to come to mind when you think of Egypt, but the country’s allure is not confined to the treasures of its ancient past. Stretching as it does from the Sinai Peninsula and a Mediterranean coast to the Sahara, Egypt has always represented a meeting-ground of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and this geographical significance echoes across political, religious, and cultural life. Here are mighty mosques and haunting calls to prayer; here are cathedrals and the ancient rites of Coptic Christians. Explore a cuisine shaped by millennia of cultural back-and-forth—dolmas, falafel, shawarma, koshari, and other delicacies. Brave Cairo’s epic clamor to experience Africa’s biggest metropolis, from its traditional bazaars and resplendent mosques to the skyscraping spire of Cairo Tower.

Sailing via felucca on the Nile, hiking to the crest of Mount Sinai, snorkeling a Red Sea reef, venturing to a desert jewel such as Wadi Allaqi or Siwa Oasis, taking in the sunset from an Alexandrian beach—there’s much to reward an exploration of Egypt. Do your homework and consult pertinent travel advisories—as this is an unsettled country, still finding its footing after the upheaval of 2011. But for those who make the effort, Egypt rewards as a singular showcase of the human experience across time and culture.