Colourful whirling dervishes in Egypt CREDIT: GETTY
Striding straight past huge images of mysterious lion-, falcon- and crocodile-headed gods gouged into the walls of Kom Ombo temple, Islam, our young Egyptologist, dropped to his knees in the courtyard and beckoned us over.
Two days into our Nile cruise and we’d already seen two 60ft stone giants called the Colossi of Memnon dating back to 1350BC, and, from 1490BC the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s sole female pharaoh.
Now, at Kom Ombo temple, founded in 180BC, we gawped at 300 crocodile mummies and the world’s first depictions of surgical instruments – scalpels, forceps and a birthing chair that made our eyes water. Then we gathered round to see Islam’s latest “find”.
Chiselled into the slab at our feet was a rectangle divided into four and a few rocks. And? Islam explained that what we were seeing is a game, a sort of Ancient Egyptian noughts and crosses played by people waiting for treatment at the local sanitorium, nearly 200 years before Christ was born.
While there is no shortage of wow factors to visit Egypt, it’s these little details that make me return again and again.
MS TulipCREDIT: DISCOVER EGYPT
Following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the country’s tourist industry is enjoying a resurgence, with a 40 per cent increase in visitors reported last year. It’s a good time to go. Shabbier boats have been scrapped or upgraded, and more luxurious options now exist. Tombs and temples are less crowded, and security has been reinforced – I noticed more watchtowers, scanners and police presence at the sights than when I was last here, five years ago.
For my seventh Nile cruise, I chose the 52-cabin MS Tulip, sailing for seven nights between Luxor and Aswan. With modern, tasteful decor, the cabins were a decent size with, joy, a bath, not just a pokey shower. Food was good and plentiful.
After that, what makes or breaks a Nile cruise is the guide. And we’d struck gold with Islam, who had excellent English, great pride in his heritage and a sense of humour. “Mashi, Mashi?” (okey dokey) was his rallying call for my group of 20. He also knew when we’d had enough history and injected a fun element when we were starting to flag: “What does KFC stand for in Egypt? Kentucky fried camel.”
The 60ft high Colossi of MemnonCREDIT: GETTY
A morning was earmarked for the tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the colours of the wall paintings still vibrant after thousands of years. Another half-day was spent at the temple at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus. We took caleches for the 15-minute ride to the entrance. I was happy to see the horses looked healthy again – some operators had stopped using these carriages because the animals were in poor condition.
There was, of course, time to relax. As the boat sailed towards Aswan, I admired the views. The river was edged with green ribbons of vegetation backed by sparkling sand and bare mountains. We sailed past dusty villages and minarets, from which the Muslim call to prayer drifted through the haze. Farmers in long, cool robes (galabeyas) drove donkey carts, water buffalo sheltered in ramshackle sheds, and children splashed, laughing, in the shallows.
There was more laughter at galabeya party night: a tradition on Nile cruises where guests are invited to dress like Egyptians. The fun and games included a belly-dancing contest and wrapping your spouse in loo paper in the make-a-mummy competition. There was also a Nubian show featuring African drum beats and singing, a whirling Dervish-style performance and, naturally, a belly dancer.
Philae Temple, AswanCREDIT: GETTY
We arrived in Aswan for day five. In the morning we saw High Dam, an incredible feat of modern engineering, and Philae Temple, dedicated to Isis with beautiful wall carvings of the goddess. Next was the Granite Quarry and the Unfinished Obelisk – abandoned when cracks began to appear in the granite. I felt for those ancient stonemasons, all their hard work left in eternal limbo.
There’s one optional extra I’d really recommend: a trip from Aswan to Abu Simbel, £85pp, about three hours away, featuring two temples built by Ramses the Great.
The afternoon brought a welcome change of pace as we boarded a felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat.
The penultimate day was just the right time for the relaxing sail back to Luxor. It was fascinating to float past the biblical landscape again – palm trees, white ibis in the reeds, rippling dunes – and wonder how much it has really changed over the past five millennia. A comforting thought.
Energy restored, we answered Islam’s call – “Mashi, Mashi?” – and trotted off for the two final sights: Luxor Temple with its statues of Ramses the Great and ram’s head sphinxes, still being dug out of the ground; and Karnak, with its hall resembling a forest of giant stone trees.
I walked seven times around a giant scarab beetle made of stone – in hope, as the legend goes, my dreams would come true. Finally, I sat in my favourite spot by Karnak’s sacred lake and watched the kingfishers plunging in and out of the water, just as they have done for thousands of years.
Abu SimbelCREDIT: GETTY
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Colourful whirling dervishes in Egypt CREDIT: GETTY
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