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Some journeys stay with you for decades, and my trip to Egypt is certainly one of them. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since I first set foot in this extraordinary country, yet the memories haven’t disappeared completely. They have simply become a little softer around the edges, preserved in my mind through the analogue photographs I took and the old scrapbook remnants I still have from the journey. Looking through those photographs today feels almost like opening a door into another version of myself, back to a time when travel meant film cameras, printed photographs and carefully saved ticket stubs. My Egyptian adventure began at JFK Airport in New York, where I boarded an EgyptAir flight bound for Cairo. I remember the anticipation as we crossed the Sahara, knowing that somewhere beneath us was a landscape and civilisation I had spent years reading about. Then came Cairo, loud, chaotic and endlessly fascinating. After a couple of days exploring the city, I visited the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities with a private guide whose knowledge seemed almost as extensive as the collection itself. Standing in front of the treasures of Tutankhamun, the golden mask and ancient mummies, I found myself looking at objects that seemed almost impossible to connect with the modern world around me.

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The next morning brought one of those travel moments you never forget: my first close-up view of the Pyramids of Giza. This had been a childhood dream, and suddenly I was standing in front of the enormous structures I had seen countless times in books and photographs. No photograph could quite prepare me for their scale. As the sun went down, the pyramids became the backdrop for a spectacular laser and light show, and for a few hours the ancient world was brought dramatically to life against the darkness of the Egyptian night. From Cairo, I flew south to Luxor, where the scale of ancient Egypt seemed to become even more overwhelming. I wandered through Luxor Temple on the east bank of the Nile, surrounded by enormous columns, statues and intricate carvings, and then ventured into the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of pharaohs were hidden beneath the desert. Nearby, Deir el-Bahari and the magnificent Temple of Hatshepsut offered another glimpse into the extraordinary architectural achievements of ancient Egypt. Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be another story carved into stone.

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From Luxor, I continued my journey aboard a Nile River cruise, one of the most memorable parts of the entire trip. There was something wonderfully relaxing about drifting slowly along the river, watching palm trees, villages and ancient temples pass by while the desert stretched beyond them. Instead of constantly packing and unpacking, I could simply wake up somewhere new each day. Along the way, I explored the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, and the magnificent Philae Temple complex at Aswan, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Every stop seemed to add another layer to the enormous story of Egypt. In Aswan, I also visited colourful Nubian villages along the Nile, where brightly painted homes created a completely different atmosphere from the monumental temples and tombs. I wandered through the streets, was welcomed into homes and had the opportunity to experience something of Nubian culture and daily life. It was a reminder that Egypt’s history isn’t confined to ancient monuments; it is also found in the communities that continue to live along the Nile today.

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My Egyptian journey eventually came to an end at the Aswan Dam, a remarkable contrast to everything ancient I had seen during the trip. Standing there with my ticket stubs and little souvenirs in hand, I remember feeling that strange mixture of exhaustion, satisfaction and gratitude that comes at the end of a great journey. Looking back nearly 25 years later, what amazes me most is how much Egypt managed to fit into one trip: chaotic Cairo, the timeless pyramids, the tombs of pharaohs, temples along the Nile, colourful Nubian villages and the peaceful rhythm of a river cruise. Egypt is more than a collection of famous monuments. It is a place where ancient history and modern life exist side by side, where the Nile still provides the thread connecting communities, landscapes and civilizations. Today, my old analogue photographs allow me to return there whenever I want, even if only for a few moments. They may not have the sharpness or perfection of modern digital photography, but perhaps that’s what makes them special. They carry the fingerprints of time. And every photograph brings back a fragment of a journey that I will never forget.

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Egypt is a country filled with extraordinary contrasts and stories. Its ancient civilisation produced remarkable achievements in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and writing; the Suez Canal remains one of the world’s most important shipping routes; the Great Sphinx continues to inspire questions and theories thousands of years after it was created; the Red Sea is famous for its spectacular coral reefs and marine life; and Egyptian cuisine offers wonderful dishes such as ful medames and koshari. Alexandria was once home to the legendary Library of Alexandria, while the Nile has shaped Egyptian civilisation for thousands of years. Modern Egypt has also produced remarkable cultural figures, including Nobel Prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz and legendary singer Umm Kulthum. And, of course, there are the pyramids themselves—the Great Pyramid of Giza standing as perhaps the most enduring symbol of ancient Egypt and one of humanity’s greatest architectural achievements. Looking back through my photographs today, I realise that the greatest treasure from that journey wasn’t something I bought or brought home. It was the experience itself—the privilege of standing in places that had fascinated me since childhood and seeing them with my own eyes. Thanks for joining me on this journey back through time. The photographs accompanying this story are my own, preserved from my original travels, and are watermarked and copyrighted, so please don’t use them without permission. Until our next adventure.

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