Foto: The Pyramid of Cheops (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Egypt - Of course, I knew the pictures from history books — the pyramids of Giza: three stone structures whose construction still remains a mystery. The illustrations showed thousands of workers stacking stone upon stone. Beautiful, of course. But I will never forget my first glimpse of the pyramids in real life. Only when you stand next to one do you truly realize how tall 138 meters is — a stone tower almost as high as the Euromast in Rotterdam. What surprised me most was the rough texture of the pyramid. From a distance, it looks like a fairly smooth structure, but in reality, it’s made of huge blocks, each over a meter across. The stones almost invite you to climb them, one by one. But there's little chance of doing so — the ever-vigilant guards are quick to put an end to any attempt.
Citadel of Cairo
Egypt - The Citadel is also especially busy due to the Sugar Festival (Eid al-Fitr). While a line of over a hundred meters of Egyptians waits to enter the Citadel, we can enter through the special tourist entrance. The likely difference is that we pay, and they ...
The temples of Abu Simbel
Egypt - The temple of Abu Simbel was carved out of rock by order of Ramses II. Originally, the temple stood 200 meters eastward. However, due to the construction of the High Dam near Aswan, nearly 300 kilometers away, the Abu Simbel temple would have been submerged ...
The temples of Karnak and Luxor
Egypt - At the end of the afternoon, we visit the temples of Karnak, about three kilometers from Luxor. With seven horse-drawn carriages, we travel in a procession to Karnak. In front of the temple, Mohammed gives a detailed explanation about the temple. Karnak ...
The Valley of the Kings in Luxor
Egypt - The Valley of the Kings is the burial site of the pharaohs from the period 1500 – 1000 BC. As it turns out, we are not the only tourists — it is incredibly crowded. For many day-trippers from Hurghada, this is one of the must-see attractions. From ...
The White Desert in Egypt
Egypt - At seven o’clock, accompanied by Ale, we board the bus. Ale is our guard for the coming days through the desert. A tough young guy of just 21, with a huge gun on his belt. It looks safe, but I estimate he will be gone when we really need him. In Egypt, ...