
Cross the Nile to the West Bank, the land of the dead. Step into the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs carved their journeys to eternity into painted walls, and enter Tutankhamun’s own tomb, with the boy king still lying inside. Walk the terraces of Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari, a statement of power rising against the cliffs, then descend into the radiant tomb of Nefertari, often called the Sistine Chapel of ancient Egypt. From painted banquets to royal artisans’ villages, this is Egypt at its most vivid.