Laura Tanna, Contributor

A tomb guardian at the Valley of the Kings. - Photo by Laura Tanna

Cleopatra, Tutankhamun, the Holy Family, Mohammed Ali, King Farouk - we are immersed in the celebrity of Egypt, alluring in its antiquity, calling to us as though part of our own eternal past.

Nowhere is more breathtaking than the magnificent complex of temples at Karnak, by Luxor, dating back 2,000 years before Christ. With the reunification of northern and southern Egypt in the New Kingdom from 1550 BC, each Pharaoh added to the temples' greatness, described by Egyptians as being of 'prodigious opulence' with 779 statues of alabaster, marble and other stone, 17,000 statues in bronze and countless wooden ones, the latter lost over time.

Ten buildings the size of St Peter's Basilica in Rome could fit into Karnak, with the Great Hypostyle Hall the most incredible. Gigantic columns, 134 of them, 33 feet in circumference, 80 feet high, tower above me. So big, so close, impossible to photograph their concentrated power. Dwarfed beneath, I stand in awe of those who built such grandeur thousands of years before, while simultaneously humbled at the thought of how insignificant we are with such evidence that all civilisations rise and fall.

The ruins have no roof. Where once stood the Temple of Amun, king of the gods, tiny brown sparrows live in the crevices of broken eaves; a constant chirping accompanying one's wandering through history. Visiting the sound and light show after hearing from a guide by day what each temple meant to those who built it, and then hearing the panorama of history at night while in the midst of the ruins is a rare experience. The grandeur of the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak definitely dominates my memories of Egypt.

For more than 1,000 years, the temples were buried under sand and only rediscovered in the mid-19th century. One sees deeper brown on those walls not exposed to sunlight. Along the Nile, two kilometres of sphinxes once connected Karnak with the Temple of Luxor, now in Luxor's city centre. Huge granite statues of Ramses II grace the entrance of Luxor Temple and its one tall obelisk pierces the sky. The other dominates Place de la Concorde in Paris, a gift to France by Mohammed Ali during his reign from 1805 to 1849.

Dated events

It is ancient Egypt under the Pharaohs which attracts most visitors, that is the monuments left from The Old Kingdom (3100-2180 BC) the Middle Kingdom (2180-1550 BC) through the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC) and into the Nubian or Kushite Pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians dated events according to specific years in each pharaoh's reign. Adding to the confusion are references to Upper and Lower Egypt. Looking at a map, visitors assume Upper Egypt to be in the north, near Cairo, when in fact the reference is to the Nile, with Upper Egypt being much of what is now Sudan, since the Nile starts in the inner reaches of East Africa and flows down into Lower Egypt and the Mediterranean.

We visit Egypt between November and February when the weather varies from 45 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, avoiding dust storms in April/May and searing heat in summer. Flying from London to Cairo on British Airways, we then fly on Egypt Air from Cairo to Luxor. Whatever the cost, agree to pay a hotel or travel agency to meet or deliver you at the airport.

Visas appear swiftly, luggage disappears into check-in, congestion at security dissolves into priority service under the watchful guidance of whomever knows the ropes and graciously orchestrates your entrance or exit. Four times we take Egypt Air for internal flights and not once do they leave on time. Airport waiting rooms and bathrooms are clean - everywhere on the tourist trail is clean - and once on board, the flights are perfect. Airport security, especially searching for liquids in hand luggage, is time consuming. Tourist police are abundant to assist visitors since tourism is Egypt's premier industry and they handle all aspects of it extraordinarily well!

Ancient capital

Luxor, 415 miles south of Cairo stands on what was once Thebes, the ancient capital of the warrior kings of the New Kingdom who threw out the Hyksos or Palestinians. They enriched their empire with wealth from as far north as the Euphrates and south to the gold mines of Nubia, now Sudan.

The Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens where the tombs of so many Pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, were hidden deep into the arid mountainside to avoid their riches being plundered.

The Valleys are just a 45-minute drive across the Nile from Luxor. We rise early, leaving at 5:45 a.m. to be at the Valley of the Kings at opening, avoiding crowds which arrive after we have visited four of the tombs. Then to the Colossi of Memnon and the Temple of Medinat Habu. Our one regret is that we don't visit the Luxor Museum where many treasures from the tombs are displayed.

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