The great monuments of the age of the pharaohs, the slow, beneficent Nile, the desert’s shimmering horizons beneath a dazzling light, the small oases scattered along caravan routes formed by centuries of toil, Christian monasteries rich in gold and illuminated manuscripts, the contrasts of Cairo, the glories of Alexandria, the package tourism of the Red Sea—Egypt has lost nothing of the attraction it has always exerted on the rest of the world. Few countries can boast such a concentration of romantic sights and inspiring legends and mysteries—the pyramids, the Sphinx, the royal tombs, the massive temples, the extraordinary wealth consigned to the world of the dead, the mummies, the curses of the pharaohs—and few countries have had such a profound influence on the collective imagination. This extraordinary book, illustrated in full color, is a celebration of all that is great about Egypt, past and present.

Isabella Brega is a journalist who has written for a number of travel and tourism magazines.