A Narrative: Journeying Up Egypt’s Nile

The longest river in the world is grand in more than just kilometers covered: from elaborate fauna, to temple views, to cities stacked along its banks, the Nile has carved history’s stone and cemented itself as a key feature of Egyptian heritage for centuries. Nile deities, myths and legends, and love stories all dovetailed together in a romantic, effortlessly regal body of water.Here is the Nile, in all its scenic glory – and how Egypt has grown on its banks.

Alexandria

The journey begins in Lower Egypt. Alexandria is not known for the Nile, though it is treated to a small stretch of placid, scenic views. While others flock to the pale sand and sun, the diligent farmer tends his cattle by the banks of Alexandria’s knotted delta.

Cairo

Cairo stretches on either side of the Nile, felucca idle along the shore. There’s a bustle just past the highway. The 6 October and 15 May bridges hang parallel to the Cairene skyline

Al-Fayyum

Halfway down the Egyptian Nile, Al Fayyum comes into view. Tranquil and untouched, an expanse so opposite to the city that Cairo seems worlds away. Al Fayyum is Egypt’s spot for artists and rural love-stories. It is an unforgettable, lotus-like bloom on the river, and remains an essential visit for any and all who cruise down it.

Luxor

Famous and famously historical: Luxor is a masterpiece of legacy. It is Egypt’s open-air museum, a city ripe with history and beauty and integrity. It sits on the Nile, blurring the fault lines between modern Egypt and antiquity, not unlike Cairo’s Nahdet Misr.

Aswan

A sister to Luxor, but equally as grand – Aswan is more calm in its atmosphere. It is calm, un-city-like. It is the meeting point of nature and history, as opposed to a battle of generations. Iconic and beautiful, sloping dunes and straying boats color its stretch. It is considered Egypt’s most beautiful location for the Nile, with untainted majesty.

Abu Simbel

Walk through a temple and onto the banks of the Nile river: this is what is experienced when wandering the grand halls of Philae and Abu Simbel. Both temples are famed and revered, and have been for centuries. Today, Abu Simbel is a cornerstones of any Nile-bound journey.

Lake Nasser

Man-made in the era of Gamal Abd El Nasser, Lake Nasser is a testament to Egyptian ingenuity and a fine end to a long journey. Scattered with enclaves and coastal gardens, Lake Nasser has not only bayed the flooding season, but also provided Egypt with an expansive display of fauna and wildlife.