Nile River: A Testament of the Beauty of Ancient Egypt

There is no contesting it: the Nile River has got to be one of the most popular and iconic rivers in world history. All throughout history, rivers played a crucial part in the ancient world. Near rivers, hundreds of civilizations were formed. Many depended on these rivers, and the ancient Egyptian civilization only arose because of the river Nile. This is why, along the Nile, you can see some of the most marvelous testaments as to how beautiful, and simply breathtaking the ancient Egyptian civilization was. What they managed to build during that time was incomparable, and when you add this to their culture, belief, rituals, and religion, ancient Egypt is incontestably one of the most colorful parts of human history.

Of course, no trip to Egypt would ever be complete without seeing the great pyramids, located in the city of Giza right at the Nile's west bank. Giza is mainly popular for the Giza Plateau, which in turn houses the Giza necropolis. This location, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has the three Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx-both icons of the ancient world. As everyone knows, the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The Great Sphinx remains to be the world's largest monolith statue, with a height of 241 feet. It is also widely considered as the world's most immense stone sculpture. Considering the size of the structure, this is no surprise at all. It has the shape of a lion and a face of a man, which is presumed to be made during the reign of the pharaoh Khafre. The Second Pyramid, which was also made during Khafre's reign, is located at the back of the Great Sphinx.

However, no matter how majestic the Sphinx seems, nothing can match the grandiose appearance of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, it is essentially the largest and biggest among the pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It took over 40 years to build the structure, which weighs approximately 5.9 million tons and is more than 480 feet high. The precision of the construction remains eminent despite its age (it was built in 2560 BC). More than two million limestone blocks were used in the building of the Great Pyramid.

The three pyramids together with the Great Sphinx are perhaps the most imposing figures in Egypt today. Looking at it from the exterior, perhaps from afar, the pyramids may look rather simplistic. But its appearance can be deceiving. The architecture from the inside of the pyramids, of course, are elaborate, right from the several chambers of the Great Pyramid to the details that were worked into the formation of the structure. Considering that the pyramids were built during ancient times, their construction should already be considered a marvelous feat of human ingenuity and resourcefulness. As it is, these pyramids already represent Egypt as a nation with a rich culture and history.

Ancient Egypt is more than just the pyramids, no matter what you may think. Of course, the Nile presents more Egyptian wonders. One of these wonders is Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city during ancient times, Alexandria was among the most prominent cities not just in Egypt but in the world. As the Pearl of the Mediterranean, it became the country's capital soon after it was founded by Alexander the Great.

The city of Alexandria has two wonders of the world: the Lighthouse of Alexandria (which is among the seven wonders of the ancient world) and the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa (one of the seven wonders of the middle ages). The lighthouse, also called the Pharos of Alexandria, was made during the third century and was among the tallest structures (alongside the pyramids and the sphinx) during its lifetime. Although practically destroyed, the remains of the lighthouse today present a wonder and beauty that Egypt is well known for.

On the other hand, the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa is a feat that not just of human ingenuity and resourceful, but also of Egyptian culture and beliefs. Of course, a catacomb is a tomb, and these tombs were built combining several influences, such as Egyptian, Greek, and Roman, the last two being the ones who first conquered Egypt. The statues resemble the Egyptian style, yet many of them also bear Roman and Greek trademarks.

Aswan, among the tourist centers of Egypt, is also among the pinnacles of Egyptian history. This is thanks to the Temple of Philae and the Aswan Dam. The dam was built way back during the 1000s to regulate flooding, spefically in the Nile. Although further constructions and changes were made when the dam was reconstructed in 1898. Philae, or the Temple of Philae, on the other hand, is actually an island (located in the Nile River) that has some of the most amazing artworks and architectural wonders of Egypt. Among them, for instance, is the Trajan's Kiosk on the island. This temple is now located in Agilika, but was originally built in Aswan. It is considered to be one of the largest temple's of its kind (it is a hypaethral temple, which means a temple with no roof).

Egypt is full of wonders, many of them are yet to be discovered. For instance, the Valley of the Kings is an ancient Egyptian monument that remains to be explored and fully discovered to this day. The beauty of the river Nile and the surrounding sites should prove to be the grand testimony to this.