Mix golden desert color and all tints of blue of the Red sea, add dazzling white shine of buildings and deepness of the black starry sky; and then interlace as threads in a fanciful lace of millennial history, transient today, desert, sea, sky… And also – interchange summer and winer, spring and autumn… And finally, involve all your imagination and fantasy -and that will be the refined mosaic, named Egypt.
At first thought it is quite easy to talk of Egypt: cradle of world civilization, land of pharaohs, country of pyramids, motherland of Cleopatra… But this is inconclusive and superficial. Like quotes |from gazetteer: Egypt is a country in Northern Africa, square… capital… population… religion… raw materials…
” In such a way even the fact that the Egypt is located on two continents doesn’t seem that extraordinary and interesting. And we should add that Nile may be not the longest river considering Mississippi… No, talking of Egypt in meager quotes from gazetteer is strictly prohibited. You shall feel Egypt – just like any other country. But it is much complicated with Egypt: however more you tell about Egypt that would still be only tenth of truth.
Ninetymillionth country hurling down on the million of square meters is mainly mountain desert. It like screening a movie on the old projector: picture is moving without significant changes: sands and stones, stones and sands… Only in the valley of Nile things are humming.
The valley is a stripe of fertile land, which meanders as a narrow track of about one kilometer wide on the South and expands to twenty five kilometers on the North. This valley is the one to be called a cradle of civilization – this is fair, correctly and historically true. And a mistake at the same time. Egypt modern, current Egypt can not exist without the past; it is an integral part of its blood and flesh. It’s like a miracle stove of history, which put ancient and medieval Mediterranean into perfect shape. Ancient Egypt is a great and extramental power, pervasive, universal, modern wonderful emerald, each table of which is unique.
And there’s infinity of such tables. But even several of them is enough to come closer to the sacred mystery of Egypt.
Sharm el Sheikh. It stands by the Red Sea. Surrounded by rocky Synai massifs. This is the worldknown hideaway worth comparing with Heaven. But you can describe tens of hideways in this way. Sharm el Sheikh spreads its beauty only at evenings, when the air is sweeten with aromas of Arabic coffee and kalian, and a wonderful oriental music flies over the narrow streets.