See the Temple of Karnak on an Egypt cruise

Thursday, 15, Oct 2009 12:00

A unique way of taking in some of the best sights in Egypt is from a cruise, where the hassle of packing, unpacking and constantly travelling between different attractions is all but eliminated.

Egypt cruises have the advantage of being able to travel up the Nile, passing some of the world's most fascinating ancient sights.

One of these is the Temple of Karnak, the most important Egyptian place of worship during Thebes's heyday.

Several different pharaohs had a hand in building, dismantling, restoring, expanding and redecorating the temple over a 2,000-year period.

The entire site measures an enormous 1.5km by 800m, making it one of the largest temple complexes of its kind in the world.

As the Egyptian Tourist Authority says: "Impossible to describe, this immense monument has to be seen to be believed."

The Temple of Karnak is made up of numerous sanctuaries, enclosures and rooms and even has a sacred lake onsite.

Devotees once flocked to Karnak in their droves to worship Amun, the chief god of a triad of higher powers - Amun, Mut and Khonsu.

While today's visitors are now mostly sightseers, the temple is still an impressive sight when seeing the structure from cruises and is even more amazing once you get inside.

Due to the way in which it was built and rebuilt, you'll find that the further you explore the more likely it is you'll come across the oldest parts of the complex.

There are some huge rooms and areas to see, particularly the Precinct of Amun-Re - specifically the Great Hypostyle Hall, which is filled with interesting decorations and engravings.

Of course, there's more to Egypt than the Temple of Karnak, particularly when on a Nile river cruise.

Just a few of the other sights you can see along this mighty river include the Temple of Luxor, the Valley of the Kings - which is home to dozens of royal tombs - and some stunning rural scenery.

With plenty of cruise bargains to be had when it comes to visiting Egypt and its amazing attractions, there is unlikely to be an easier way of taking in the country's intriguing ancient past.