<strong>Kom Ombo: </strong>This temple honors Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of ancient Egyptian mythology.
Kom Ombo: This temple honors Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of ancient Egyptian mythology.
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<strong>Aswan: </strong>Islands in the Nile offer waterfront restaurants, ancient temples, and a botanic garden founded in British colonial times.
Aswan: Islands in the Nile offer waterfront restaurants, ancient temples, and a botanic garden founded in British colonial times.
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<strong>Aswan High Dam: </strong>Completed in 1970, the vast construction supplies electricity and helps irrigate fields.
Aswan High Dam: Completed in 1970, the vast construction supplies electricity and helps irrigate fields.
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<strong>Philae Temple: </strong>The Greco-Egyptian shrine was dismantled and moved to its current island location to save it from rising waters after the Aswan dam's construction.
Philae Temple: The Greco-Egyptian shrine was dismantled and moved to its current island location to save it from rising waters after the Aswan dam's construction.
Frédéric Soltan/Corbis/Getty Images
<strong>Abu Simbel: </strong>Constructed around 1260 BCE, this shrine is fronted by four massive statues of Ramses the Great and was also rescued from Lake Nasser by the UNESCO project.
Abu Simbel: Constructed around 1260 BCE, this shrine is fronted by four massive statues of Ramses the Great and was also rescued from Lake Nasser by the UNESCO project.
Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Old Cataract Hotel: </strong>Opened in 1899, this legendary hotel on the Aswan waterfront has hosted kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers and author Agatha Christie while she was writing "Death on the Nile."
Old Cataract Hotel: Opened in 1899, this legendary hotel on the Aswan waterfront has hosted kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers and author Agatha Christie while she was writing "Death on the Nile."
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<strong>Valley of the Kings: </strong>The Valley of the Kings is home to the tombs of more than 60 pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, Tuthmosis III and Ramses VI.
Valley of the Kings: The Valley of the Kings is home to the tombs of more than 60 pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, Tuthmosis III and Ramses VI.
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<strong>Nubian Museum: </strong>Winner of several major architectural awards, Aswan's top museum revolves around the Nubian history and culture of southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
Nubian Museum: Winner of several major architectural awards, Aswan's top museum revolves around the Nubian history and culture of southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
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<strong>Edfu Temple: </strong>One of best-preserved temples from pharaonic times, the Temple of Horus in the middle of Edfu town is where the ancients worshiped the falcon-headed god of the sky.
Edfu Temple: One of best-preserved temples from pharaonic times, the Temple of Horus in the middle of Edfu town is where the ancients worshiped the falcon-headed god of the sky.
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<strong>Esna Temple: </strong>The ram-headed god Khnum -- known as the "Divine Potter" because he created other Egyptian deities from clay -- is the focus of this small but fascinating shrine in Esna town.
Esna Temple: The ram-headed god Khnum -- known as the "Divine Potter" because he created other Egyptian deities from clay -- is the focus of this small but fascinating shrine in Esna town.
De Agostini/Getty Images
<strong>Luxor: </strong>Around 40 miles (70 kilometers) downstream from Esna, Luxor served as the capital of ancient Egypt at the height of its military, political and artistic prowess between 3,000 and 3,500 years ago.
Luxor: Around 40 miles (70 kilometers) downstream from Esna, Luxor served as the capital of ancient Egypt at the height of its military, political and artistic prowess between 3,000 and 3,500 years ago.
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<strong>Temple of Karnak: </strong>Perched on the north side of town, the massive Temple of Karnak is both a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture and one of the largest temples ever constructed anywhere on the planet.
Temple of Karnak: Perched on the north side of town, the massive Temple of Karnak is both a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian architecture and one of the largest temples ever constructed anywhere on the planet.
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<strong>West Bank:</strong> The riverside floodplain is also spangled with giant statues like the Colossi of Memnon and a toppled statue of Ramses the Great that inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley's epic Ozymandias. This picture shows a bazaar in the Nubian village of Gharb Suhail, on the west bank of the Nile River.
West Bank: The riverside floodplain is also spangled with giant statues like the Colossi of Memnon and a toppled statue of Ramses the Great that inspired Percy Bysshe Shelley's epic Ozymandias. This picture shows a bazaar in the Nubian village of Gharb Suhail, on the west bank of the Nile River.
Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images