Travellers to Egypt have wondered at the archaeological wonders for centuries, ever since the Ancient Greeks visited the pyramids. Today, millions of travelers are fascinated by the pyramids, temples, mosques and great monuments of the Nile Valley, as well as the stunning diving resorts of the Red Sea, every year.

In 430 BC, when Greek historian Herodotos visited the splendid monuments in Egypt, many of them were already 2,500 years old. Most, from the pyramids of Giza to the amazingly beautiful temples of Karnak or Philae, or the painted tombs in the Valley of the Kings, can still be visited today. The complete age of this great civilisation is just astonishing.

The life-giving Nile runs north through the country towards the Mediterranean, and feeds an emerald ribbon of irrigated fields adjacent to the villages that hide in the shade of the date palms. Whether you are on a cruise ship or a more traditional felucca boat, life on the Nile’s waters is a constant visual feast, while the few huge, dusty cities - Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor - are a babble of exotic sounds and smells.

Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheik, on the Red Sea coast, provide the doors to the magical underwater world of technicolour fish and coral that draws divers from all around the world. Other adventurous travelers also head inland, where you can discover monasteries amid the arid mountains of Sinai or the distant desert oases, home to the hardy nomads whose camel trains still wander the Saharan sands.

Egypt is at the heart of the Arab world and has played a central role in the region's political situation in modern times. After three wars in 1948, 1967 and 1973, peace was attained with Israel in 1979, which lead to Egypt's expulsion from the Arab League (they were restored in 1991). Egypt has since played a vital role in the Middle East Peace Process.