Egypt And The River Nile
Cruise tours along the River Nile have become ever-more popular in recent years, with this mighty river retaining its pull over foreign visitors. Its growing popularity has done little to diminish the romance of such a trip and this is a destination that still resists becoming a cliché. For tourists looking for a journey that will make memories of home drift away as they are plunged into a whirl of new sights and sounds, the River Nile is a sure bet and is one that should be at the very top of any traveller’s to-do list.
Follow In The Footsteps Of Explorers And Merchants
The River Nile is the longest in the world, stretching through ten countries from Sudan to Egypt, before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Without it, Egypt would have struggled to survive let alone grow into one of the most important ancient civilisations in the world, stuck in the harsh and inhospitable desert.
Water brought fertility and life to the land, allowing people to flourish; indeed, most of the historical and cultural sights of Ancient Egypt lie along the banks of the river, making the views from on board a Nile cruise ship utterly spectacular and truly unforgettable.
Travellers from the West have long been entranced by the river and the search for the source of the Nile preoccupied the Greeks and Romans, who represented the river as a male god whose face was hidden by drapery. Despite the fact that the source of the river is now known, this sense of mystery and wonder has remained, which explains its continued popularity today.
Then And Now
While Ancient Egypt was shaped by the river and the lands were controlled by the seasonal floods, it is fascinating to think how man’s knowledge and skill has allowed civilisation to make the river a more malleable partner in their development.
Dams, reservoirs and irrigation systems offer the opportunity of life at a distance from the banks and have transformed the way that the land is farmed and moulded. The Nile moulded the ancient civilisations along its banks and will be essential if life is to be sustained there for the future.
The Trip Of A Lifetime
While calling a destination ‘the trip of a lifetime’ immediately places it in the realm of cliché, the reality of the Nile elevates it way above banality; witnessing the wonders of the ancient and the modern, all dependent on this stupendous river, will enchant even the most world-weary of travellers and is definitely one to put right at the top of the To-Do List!
Travelling the world is a tick in the box for John Pearce’s ‘bucket list’, here he writes for One Small Step Travel