Highlights of Grand Tour of the Middle East

Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel

The Great Temple of Ramses II was built at Abu Simbel in the Nubian desert in the 13th century BC. The temple is guarded by four colossal statues of Ramses (each 20 metres high), one of Egypt's great pharaohs and known as the Great Builder, carved into the cliff face. They were buried in sand until being discovered in 1813 and 150 years later were in danger of being submerged due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam but a UNESCO project led to the relocation of the statues to higher ground overlooking Lake Nasser, now staring east at the rising sun.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

Aswan

Aswan is Egypt's third largest and most southerly city. It's a laid back and relaxed city and had retained its feel as a frontier town between Arab Egypt and black Africa. Aswan has a wealth of attractions both within the city and as a base for exploring nearby. These include taking a felucca sailboat across to the Botanical Gardens on Lord Kitchener's Island, taking a camel ride to the abandoned Coptic Monastery of St. Simeon, exploring the Nubian bazaar through the back streets of the city and visiting the Aswan High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk. The Temple of Isis at Philae is the most important historical monument close to Aswan. Constructed between the 4th century BC and the 3rd century AD, the temple was recently relocated to Agilika Island to preserve it from the rising waters of the Nile.

Nile Cruise

A cruise along the Nile, the world's longest river, is one of the quintessential experiences of a trip to Egypt. Whether on a felucca sailing boat or a more luxury cruise boat, the trip usually travels from Luxor to Aswan (or in reverse) in southern Egypt. The cruise offers the chance to observe the traditional rural life along the riverbank, relax on one of the world's great rivers and visit two of the best preserved Ptolemaic temples, dating from the 3rd to the 1st centuries BC. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the second largest in Egypt after Karnak Temple and is in excellent condition due to being covered in sand for centuries. It is notable for having its roof intact, elaborate reliefs, black granite falcon statues and its huge Pylon or Gateway, 79 metres wide and 35 metres high. Further upriver, the twin temple of Kom Ombo is dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek.

Luxor

Luxor, or Thebes as it was known then, was capital of Egypt during the Middle and New Kingdoms between 2134 and 1070 BC during the height of Egyptian power. What has been left behind are the most magnificent series of buildings, temples and relics in Egypt and some of the finest historical monuments in the world. On the west bank of the Nile at Luxor is 'Thebes of the Dead' where funerary temples and tombs of pharaohs and other dignitaries were built over 15 centuries. The most significant cemetery is the Valley of the Kings which contains the tombs of over 60 pharaohs, including the tomb of Tutankhamen discovered in 1922. A hillside entrance takes you underground to the burial chambers with the walls covered in brightly painted images and hieroglyphs. Other features in this area include the Colossi of Memnon, huge twin statues of Amenhotep III, and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a monument to the only female pharaoh which has a spectacular setting and scale as well as finely detailed carvings. On the east bank of the Nile is 'Thebes of the Living' featuring the remarkable Luxor and Karnak Temples. The temples were dedicated to the gods Amon, Mut and Montu. Karnak Temple is an astonishing site, built over a period of 1,500 years. The Great Hypostyle Hall contains 134 columns in 16 rows, resembling papyrus stalks, each 23 metres high, and carved with scenes of the King worshipping Amon. The Luxor Museum is also well worth a visit, with an excellent display of relics from the temples and tombs of Thebes.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis

Temples at Dendara and Abydos

North of Luxor are the impressive temples at Dendara and Abydos. The Temple of Hathor at Dendara is dedicated to the cow goddess of joy and sexual love. This beautifully preserved temple displays a Ptolemaic architectural style. Abydoa Temple is a shrine to Osiris, the god of the afterlife, and was an important place of pilgrimage for Egyptians. The temple displays many fine carved bas-reliefs.

The Egyptian Pyramids

The Pyramids at Giza are without doubt one of the most extraordinary sights in the world, the only surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. Built as tombs for the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, they served as a necropolis for Memphis, the capital in the 3rd millennium BC, and are a testament to the brilliance of its civilisation. The first stone pyramids were built at Saqqara for the pharaoh Djoser who ruled from around 2668 BC and at Maidum by Huni, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty. These are the oldest step pyramids in the world. The necropolis at Dahshur to the south was used by the pharaoh Snefru who founded the Fourth Dynasty and ruled from 2613 BC. He introduced the square-based pyramid seen at Giza and built the Red Pyramid and the Rhomboid (or Bent) Pyramid. At Giza, just south of Cairo, the pyramids reached their pinnacle - the Great Pyramid of Cheops, Snefru's son, is the largest at 145 metres high with a base of 232 metres while his successors built the Pyramids of Chephren and Mycerinus. Together with the Sphinx, a lion with a human head carved from rock, they form an astonishing and must-see site.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur

Cairo

Cairo is Egypt's capital and Africa's largest city, with a population of over 15 million. Cairo is one of the world's oldest Islamic cities, founded initially in the 7th century after Arab armies entered Egypt. Cairo thrived in the following centuries under various dynasties and rulers including the Fatimids, Saladin, the Mamelukes and the Ottomans. Amidst the vast urban landscape of modern Cairo, much of this historical heritage remains with over 600 classified monuments. These include the 9th century Great Mosque of Ibn-Tulun, the 10th century Mosque of al-Azhar, Saldin's Citadel, the City of the Dead cemetery and the Ottoman Mosque of Mohammed Ali. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is a must-see - an incredible collection of relics and artefacts from Egypt's rich history dating back to 4000 BC, including the amazing Tutankhamen treasures.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Historic Cairo

Petra

Petra, the Rose-Red City, is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and one of the world's most famous and spectacular historical sites. Petra was founded by the Nabataean Arab tribe in the 6th century BC and taxes imposed on trading caravans allowed them to build their rock-carved city surrounded by mountains. Construction continued after the Romans annexed the Nabataean Kingdom in AD 106 and, after it was conquered and occupied by Muslim Arabs and Crusaders, it was abandoned and became a mystical 'lost city'. Its exact location was unknown in the west until the Swiss explorer J.L. Burckhardt stumbled upon it in 1812. Today visitors followed the same path used by Burckhardt, through a kilometre long chasm known as the siq, the only entrance to the city. At the end of the siq lies the stunning sight of the Treasury, or Khazneh, a 40 metre tall facade carved into the mountain rock face. Inside the Hellenistic columns is a large plain square room, carved out of rock. The High Places are the mountain-top altars which offer spectacular views over Wadi Araba and the Negev Desert. Beyond the centre of Petra lies El Deir, the Monastery, with another superb facade built into the mountain rock. Other highlights include the three Royal Tombs, carved into the King's Wall, the Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter and the Roman era theatre, with 8,000 seats carved from rock.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Petra

Like Damascus and Aleppo in Syria, Amman is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with occupation dating back some 9,000 years. It rose to prominence with the arrival of the Ammonites in 1200 BC, later falling under the influence of the Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Ptolemies and Seleucids before it became one of the cities of the Decapolis under the Romans. Its historical attractions include the Citadel with its Roman Temple of Hercules and 6,000 seat Roman theatre, the 8th century Ummayad Palace and the grandeur of the King Abdullah Mosque. The Jordan Archaeological Museum contains an excellent collection of artefacts from the city's history, including an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a copy of the Mesha Stele and four rare Iron Age sarcophagi.

Jerash

Jerash is one of the finest examples of a Roman provincial city anywhere in the world and a highlight of any trip to Jordan. It is the best preserved of the Decapolis, a confederation of ten self-governing cities that developed in the area following the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC. A triple arch gateway leads to the Colonnaded main street, where grooves in the paving stones are reminders of the chariots that once rode along these streets. Other impressive remains include two theatres, the forum, the temple of Zeus, a nymphaeum and a hippodrome.