Highlights of Egypt & Morocco

Set on the banks of the Nile, Cairo is a sprawling metropolis of over 9 million people, making it the largest in Africa and the Arab world. The capital city, this ‘city of a thousand minarets,’ has existed for more than 1,000 years on its present site and, in addition to its vibrant economy, presents a fascinating dichotomy of the East and the West, the modern and the ancient. The high-rise hotels overlooking the Nile contrast with the Pyramids of Giza and the Obelisk of Heliopolis that stand to the south and north respectively. As well as the Giza Pyramids complex, the city also contains the Sphinx, the world’s oldest and biggest statue, and the house of mummification at the Valley temple.

Around the modern centre, the old, medieval quarters of the city are filled with spice-filled markets, bazaars, mosques, and tradespeople. Not only does Cairo hold the biggest mass media center and film and music production hub of the Middle East, but it’s also home to the Arab league and the second oldest institution of higher learning, the Al-Azhar University.

Luxor is located in the south of Upper Egypt, on the East Bank of the Nile, and is part of the ancient city of Thebes. The ancient Egyptian nature of Luxor didn’t change, even when the Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras came through. Many churches and mosques were built near or on some of the temples, but Luxor remained a window to ancient Egyptian history and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Previously known as ‘the city of a hundred doors’, Luxor has some of the most extraordinary ruins and artifacts and is widely considered by many to be the globe’s greatest open-air museum. In an area of 417 square kilometers lie some of the most majestic temples, such as the Valley of the King and Queen Hatshepsut Temple.

The city still has an active population of over half a million people that depend almost entirely on tourism.

Located down the Nile, approximately 540 miles (or 870 kilometers) south of Cairo, Aswan has been known for millennia as the “gateway to Africa.” It may not draw the crowds of Cairo or boast as many open-air antiquities of Luxur, but there’s a certain exotic air about Aswan that visitors fall for very fast. After all, a traveler can catch a dose of the chaos of Cairo in Aswan’s busy, narrow backstreets, but just as easily discover a bucolic side to this southern Nile city.

Aswan is home to granite quarries that produced many of the obelisks found in Luxor and other ancient Egyptian sites (as well as the obelisks that are in Rome today) and visitors can stroll through the quarries to see some unfinished versions, including one that was meant to be the world’s biggest. Agatha Christie aficionados can find the hotel where she wrote “Death on the Nile ” here. And various temples and ancient structures loom outside of Aswan, waiting to be explored.

Visit nearby Elephantine Island, situated smack in the middle of the island-speckled Nile, to explore the Nubile villages, small but vibrant mud-brick settlements, bathed in blue, oozing with a cool energy. Aswan is home to a large segment of Nubians and visitors can learn more at the Nubian Museum in central Aswan.

Founded by Idris I in 789, Fez is the medieval capital of Morocco and the oldest of the country’s imperial cities. Known as the cultural capital, its walled Medina is the best-preserved old city in the Arab world and its sprawling, labyrinthine Fes el-Bali is the world’s largest car-free urban zone, with transport mainly being donkey-drawn carts. The city is famous for its old world feel, with medieval architecture and vibrant souks.

Legend has it that Merzouga was a dense jungle until the locals treated a poor woman inhospitably, so God buried the town in sand. Today, the Erg Chebbi sand dunes stretch south from this small town in the Sahara Desert not far from the Algerian border. The highest of the Erg Chebbi dunes is approximately 300 meters. Climbing them by foot or camel just before sunset is the best way to soak in the peaceful, mysterious energy of the desert.

With very little light pollution, the Milky Way is clear and the stars pulse, adding to the magic of sleeping in the Sahara between windswept sand dunes. For the faint hearted, there are hotels available with views of the dunes from the rooms.

Today there are no traders; just tourists looking to trade in their quotidian lives for a few days of leisure in the Atlas Mountains. There is a lot to explore here, including some fortified kasbahs, oases, abandoned film sets, and natural reserves.

Many visitors use Ouarzazate as a base for further exploration of the area, including the nearby magnificent Aït Benhaddou, a UNESCO-protected 17th-century hill fortress that is one of the world’s best examples of earthen clay architecture.

If Ouarzazate looks vaguely familiar, it’s because it has been the location for many popular films, including “Lawrence of Arabia,” “The Man Who Would Be King,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Gladiator,” “Kundun,” and parts of the show “Game of Thrones.” It’s no surprise the town is also nicknamed “Ouallywood.”

Marrakech is perhaps the most iconic name on the African continent. Founded by Berber farmers, it is one of Morocco’s four imperial cities and a popular tourist destination. It’s also the gateway to the interior and the Atlas mountains, and a sought-after spot for expatriate holiday homes. The city is full of riads, museums, and colorful, spice-filled souks, and is divided into two distinct parts: the Medina and the modern European district of the Ville Nouvelle.

The Medina quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an old fortified city that is full of stalls and vendors and a large souk where one can buy anything from old world rugs to modern-day appliances. In contrast, the Ville Nouvelle plays host to modern restaurants, fast food chains and big brand stores.

Immortalized by the 1942 classic Humphrey Bogart film of the same name, Casablanca fronts the Atlantic Ocean and is steeped in French colonial history, with a blend of traditional Moorish style and European modernism. Founded by Berber fishermen in the seventh century, Casablanca is one of Morocco’s most modern and largest cities and offers cosmopolitan experiences for those that aren’t heading straight off to Marrakech and Fez. One can visit the less busy markets and medinas, as well as trendy cafes and the Hassan II Mosque.