Canadian World Traveller / Summer 2016 Issue
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in the west bank. In addition, you’ll find two<br />
valleys of note—Valley of the Kings and<br />
Queens—Tombs of the Nobles, Deir el-<br />
Medina (workers’ village), and Malkata<br />
(palace for Amenophis III, ninth pharaoh of<br />
the eighteenth dynasty).<br />
Valley of the Kings<br />
This is the place where people constructed<br />
tombs for pharaohs and powerful nobles<br />
for five hundred years (sixteenth to eleventh<br />
century B.C.). Visitors can find this valley on<br />
the Nile’s west bank. The valley is divided<br />
in two: East Valley and West Valley (most<br />
tombs are in the eastern zone).<br />
Unfortunately, most tombs are not open to<br />
the public, and the tombs that are open<br />
may sometimes close whenever restoration<br />
work must be done. Only one tomb is<br />
accessible to the public in the West Valley.<br />
Visitors must have a ticket in hand to see<br />
the site. Guides will show you around the<br />
tomb, but they cannot talk while visiting<br />
inside. Sorry, camera lovers: photography<br />
is no longer permitted inside the tomb’s<br />
walls.<br />
Karnak Temple Complex<br />
Come see a mix of temples, chapels,<br />
pylons, and other buildings at this complex.<br />
Construction began during the Middle<br />
Kingdom period and continued into the<br />
Ptolemaic period. Did you know that<br />
Karnak is a common name in popular culture?<br />
It’s been the feature location for a<br />
number of movie scenes in Transformers:<br />
Revenge of the Fallen and The Mummy<br />
Returns. Agatha Christie’s Death on the<br />
Nile takes place aboard the S.S. Karnak<br />
steamship. And a number of music groups,<br />
including the British symphonic metal band<br />
Bal-Sagoth, make mention of Karnak in<br />
songs like “Unfettering the Hoary Sentinels<br />
of Karnak.” This is a UNESCO <strong>World</strong><br />
Heritage Site.<br />
Aswan<br />
This is another southern city in Egypt. What<br />
makes Aswan special? It teems with tourists<br />
year-round. In fact, Aswan is an ideal winter<br />
destination for many, since the Nile<br />
River offers breathtaking views. The river<br />
flows through granite rocks, round emerald<br />
islands covered in palm groves, and tropical<br />
plants. And like most Egyptian destinations,<br />
Aswan does not fall short of sites or<br />
monuments. Interested in visiting the Agha<br />
Khan Monastery? Sail across to the Philae<br />
Temple. If you want to see more attractions,<br />
why not take a trip to St. Simeon’s<br />
Monastery? Another feature of this city is<br />
culture. Take a bite into local fish produce