Left : Hieroglyphs and bas reliefs adorn the massive columns and ceiling of Dendera Temple , dedicated to the sky goddess Nut .
“ From the decorated columns to the bas-reliefs , no inch of wall space is unused , the artwork depicting offerings to the gods , memorializing Ramesses II ’ s heroic battles or telling stories with arcane hieroglyphs : in short , a complete panorama of life , love , faith and conflict , each scene chiseled with precise intention and relentless piety ”
( O . A . T .), a company specializing in intimate excursions into exotic lands . Though Egypt has long been a tourist mecca , the Arab Spring uprising of 2011 battered what was then a $ 12.5 billion tourism industry for some eight years , shuttering many of the country ’ s hotels . Tourism , which once employed 12 percent of the nation ’ s workforce , finally rebounded in 2019 , only to collapse the following year from COVID-19 restrictions . Trips such as O . A . T .’ s Ancient Egypt & the Nile River have only recently re-launched in earnest .
Our Trip Experience Leader was something of a local legend : Jocular and gregarious Mohammed “ Big Mo ” Khalil , whose 29 years in the business have fostered an encyclopedic knowledge of Egypt past and present . A professor and ex-Egyptian Navy SEAL who spent 21 days in Tahrir Square protesting the Mubarak government during the 2011 uprising , Khalil ’ s favorite phrase —“ I know people ”— manifested often throughout the two weeks , as his connections would prove indispensable to enhancing our experience .
The journey started in Cairo , where we were put up in five-star luxury at the InterContinental Cairo Semiramis resort . Among its creature comforts were a spa , pool , casino and 10 restaurants , including surprisingly extraordinary Italian fare at Pane Vino Terrace . We had a suite with a balcony overlooking the Nile and the downtown Cairo cityscape , where the muezzins ’ periodic calls to prayer echoed off the glowing spires of mosques , and where a nightly procession of motorboats cruised the calm waters in neon blues and greens .
John ’ s Trip Experience Leader , “ Big Mo ,” was indispensable throughout his journey .
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