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River Nile is considered the longest river of the world although there is a controversy revolving it. The Amazon in South America is the longest river according to some sources. This river in Africa ends in an outsized delta that pours into the Mediterranean Sea.

Nile has two main tributaries namely the White Nile and the Blue Nile. White Nile is much longer comparatively while the other takes credit for having a lion’s share of Nile’s water and fertile soil. Great Lakes region of central Africa is where White Nile originates and it continues to flow all the way down to Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda and southern Sudan whereas Blue Nile begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia surging into Sudan from the east. Khartoum is the meeting point for both the rivers. You can find all of these if you intricately go through the world map.

The Nile has made a significant contribution in the growth of ancient Egyptian civilization. River Nile was an eternal source of sustenance. The fertile lands and the occasional flooding or yearly inundation of Nile was certainly a blessing in disguise for the people of Egypt. This made them grow wheat and crops around the Nile.

Reeds, called papyrus, were raised at the banks of the Nile. The Egyptians fabricated these into papers and boats to cruise along the river. The Nile was also a major source of food in form of fishes and birds for the Egyptians. You shouldn’t be surprised; this river is home to countless crocodiles. The initiation of the water game in the name of water buffalo came into being. It just goes without saying that water in whichever way was more than essential both for people and the livestock. And water as a means of transport is something that speaks for itself.

Egypt’s stability no doubt stands tall in history. In fact, Cairo the capital of Egypt is one of the oldest living cities of the world. Truth be told, Nile’s fertility has much to do with it. You must also know that wheat; a chief crop in the Middle East was also traded. With trading system on a high, Egypt was extending political relationships with other nations of the world. All of this and much more contributed to a stable economy of Egypt.

Whether it was politics or social life or spiritual dimension, river Nile was omnipresent in each aspect. Interestingly, God Hapi and the Pharaoh were believed to have control over the flooding of the Nile River. The river flooded each year between June and September, a season, which the Egyptians called akhet meaning inundation.

River Nile continues to serve the people of Egypt even today. It thoroughly compensates for the unfriendly regions of the Sahara. The fertile lands have helped Egypt to thrive agriculturally. With the erection of the Aswan High Dam, the summer floods have been brought into halt. It has also fostered hydroelectricity.

River Nile is unquestionably the be-all and end-all of Egypt.

The most mysterious and alluring architectural wonders are the Egyptian pyramids. Giza, situated in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt is the location of the one and only surviving edifice of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramid. Giza was the necropolis of ancient Memphis.

History Of Pyramids Of Giza

There have been lots of speculations regarding the purpose of the Pyramids of Giza. Some theories put up by different Egyptologist schools relate the making of pyramids to geometric constructions by an ancient civilization, cult worship places, astronomic observatories and some even proposed extra terrestrial theories.

But the most prevalent theory supported by scientific and historical evidences is that the Great Pyramids were built to serve as the tombs of the mighty pharaohs of ancient Egypt. The three main pyramids are the tombs of Khufu, Khefre and Menkaure.

An Account Of The Great Pyramid

There is a misconception among people that all the three Great Pyramids adorns top places in the ancient list of wonders. Only The Great Pyramid of Khufu, also famous as the Pyramid of Cheops is on the top place in the list.

This pyramid was built around the year 2560 BC by Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty to serve as his tomb after his death.
 
How The Great Pyramid Was Built?

It is believed that it took 20 years to complete the Great Pyramid. First the spot was made ready, and then stone blocks were transported to the site and properly placed. Though even today it remains a mystery how the large stone blocks were placed. Several theories does the round regarding the placing process. One theory says that with long levers along with a short angled foot the blocks were placed. A second theory is of a spiral or straight ramp that was raised as the building of the structure continued. The next step-involved preparation of an outer case to smoothen the surface. When the Great Pyramid was built it was 481 ft high. The architecture of the Great Pyramid is credited to Khufu’s vizier Hemon.

The Structure Of The Great Pyramid

The Great Pyramid is believed to consist 2 million blocks of stone each weighing more than two tons approximately. It is said that the Great Pyramid has room for the cathedrals in Florence and Milan, Westminster and St Paul in London and St Peter’s in Rome. The entrance is in the north. The King’s chamber is at the heart of the pyramid. The King’s sarcophagus and the interior walls of the king’s chamber are made of red granite stone.

Today, the Giza plateau hems in the Great Pyramid, the stunning Sphinx and the other pyramids. The museum here houses the mysterious Sun Boat, which was discovered in 1954. This boat is believed to be the vehicle, which carried the body of Khufu in his last journey before his burial in the pyramid.

The Great Pyramids of Giza were referred to as “ The Mountains of Pharaoh” and “ The Granaries of Joseph”. I can quote here Napoleon’s famous quote after his invasion of Egypt in 1798, “Soldiers! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us”

Throughout ages men have been stirred by the mystic of the ancient pyramids of Giza that embeds silent mystery in its heart.

Queen Elizabeth, the mighty monarch of England made the nation a powerful contestant in European power map.  Elizabeth was the queen of trinity, Queen of England (from 1558 to 1603), Queen of Ireland (1558-1603) and Queen of France (in name only). She was the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty and ruled England with a strong hand for 45 years guiding the destiny of the nation through an era of great political and religious unrest.

Life Of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth was born on September 7,1533 to King Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn in Greenwich Palace, London. She became the ruler of England in 1558 and ruled the nation till her death in 1603. Elizabeth is famously known as the Virgin Queen as she never married. She entertained both Catholic people and Protestants to keep religious unrest at bay. She was named Elizabeth I after the succession of Elizabeth ii in 1952.

Achievements Of Elizabeth

• Under the rule of Elizabeth I, English merchant ships challenged the supremacy of Spanish cruises in the high seas

• English Navy defeated Spanish Armada

• Queen Elizabeth endorsed the treaty of Cateau – Cambresis of 1559 and established peace with France.

• As for Scotland, her cousin Catholic Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland and wife of French King Francis II, declared herself the Queen of England with French support. But ultimately Mary’s people signed the “Treaty of Edinburgh” which made the French troops retreat.

• Elizabeth proclaimed the Church of England, a Protestant denomination as the state religion of England while tactfully avoiding clashes with the Catholic contingents. She passed the Act Of Uniformity in 1559, which entitled the Protestant Book of Common Prayer to be used in church services. Elizabeth I assumed the title of the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”.

• Elizabeth’s chief advisor was Sir William Cecil. Court conflicts were much reduced during her rule.

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth, popularly known as Elizabethan era is famously regarded as the Golden Age. This is the golden age of opulence in explorations, colonization, literature and culture.

• English literature reached its peak with the exquisite writings of Christopher Marlow, Ben Johnson, Francis Bacon and the immortal ‘ Bard of Avon’, William Shakespeare.

• Francis Drake went around the globe.

• The vast land of North America was colonized under Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Large number of settlers went to America starting up an enormous colonial empire giving a gigantic boost to the economy of England.

The End Of Elizabeth’s Reign

Upheavals and conflicts at home ringed the last bells of the grand reign of Queen Elizabeth I. England faced the storm of Irish rebellion. Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex piloted a rebellion against the state government. Queen Elizabeth breathed her last on March 23, 1603. During her rule, England from its diminutive stature rose to be one of the mightiest authorities in the European continent.

Succession After Elizabeth I

To speak, Elizabeth I was the last legitimate heir of King Henry VIII. James I, son of Mary Queen Of Scots and her second husband Lord Darnley succeeded after Elizabeth’s demise.

Conclusion

Queen Elizabeth I was one of the most popular, powerful and wise rulers of England. During her rule England reached the zenith of success in every aspect.

A Nile cruise in actuality, is a journey through the history and culture of Egypt. As you stroll along the Nile river and gaze over the river valley, you will be greeted with myriad motifs, patterns, colors and textures of life and be surprised to discover that there are many parts of the country that still bear the remnants of the ancient Egyptian style of living. Nile cruises bring you up, close and personal to an diverse, vibrant and inspiring culture, that had once been the cradle of humanity.

Nile Cruises In Their Various Forms

There’s no one Nile river cruise. The cruises come in quite a range, with the platter spanning the entire range from the short three or four nights tours to the lengthy seven nights cruises. These tours are hectic to say the least and you can be sure that you will see and experience quite a chunk of Egypt within a short span of time.

To elaborate, the three nights Nile cruises, from Aswan to Luxor, will take you through the High Dam at Aswan, the temples of Philae, Kom Ombo Edfu and Esna and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor. Besides, the cruise will also cover the famed and the legendary Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the Unfinished Obelisk.

The four nights Nile cruises, apart from the destinations covered by the three nights tours, will additionally include the temples of Luxor and Karnak. Herein you also have the option of visiting a Nubian village and the Botanical Island aboard the “falucca” (a traditional Egyptian sailing boat commonly seen on the Nile) and the Elephantine Island and the Tombs of the Nobles.

The seven nights Nile river tours have the same itinerary as the aforementioned two, but you get to do your sightseeing at an easier pace, with two nights of complete rest.

Your choice of a cruise will also include the kind of conveyance: boats or ships. You can either opt for the conventional Nile cruiser that is more along the lines of a floating hotel providing you all conceivable forms of amenities or go in for the “falucca”. 

To harp more on the kind of accommodation package that the various Nile river cruises have in store for you; the Nile cruiser is basically a mammoth ship with amenities and services that will put even the Ritz-Carlton to shame. The cruiser will have on offer luxurious rooms and opulent suites with private bathrooms, air conditioning and varied entertainment options, exotic and extensive choices in terms of the cuisine offered on board and even libraries, swimming pools and stores.

For the more wild-at-heart traveler looking for a taste of how Egyptians lead their lives, a trip along the waters of the Nile atop the “falucca” is a must. Herein accommodation arrangements are basic and you will have to sleep out in the deck. But that would be a whole new way of experiencing Egypt: the sphinx might just reveal its long-held secrets to you as you glide past the sandy dunes and valleys or you might spot Ra moving across the night sky as you gaze up from the deck.

Handy Tips To Think Over Before Your Nile River Cruise

Before you book the tours and sign the check, there are certain things to be kept in mind about a Nile river cruise:

• The stretch between October and middle of April is the ideal time for a cruise on the Nile. You will not have to contend with the scorching sun and the Nile river locks will be open.
• Expect a rise of 25-50% in the usual prices of the tours during peak tourist seasons like Christmas and Easter.
• Ensure that your cruise is “all-inclusive”, that is to say, the package includes accommodation, sightseeing and also the transportation.
• Accommodation in the lower decks come cheaper than the ones on the upper deck.

The Nile cruise is an excellent way of experiencing the magic and mystery of Egypt.