Egypt, North Africa

Called by the alluring Saharan sands and ever fascinated by MENA cultures and architecture, we recently travelled from Amsterdam to Northern Africa to visit the sacred land of Egypt for a visual exploration.

Engulfed in vivid African light we made a lively road trip across Egypt. After a delighted welcome by the Red Sea we were happy to be accompanied by Hassaan, a local guide and soon-to-be-friend, on our way to Upper Egypt. We crossed the Red Sea Mountains and Arabian Desert towards the Nile River, where vast plains coated with volcanic basalt preside over the landscape.  Intrigued by the ancient tombs and temples of Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, we were eager to learn more about the enduring mysteries of the ancient world.

The mornings were gracefully introduced by the sweet orchestra of singing birds in the peaceful and blossoming, palm rich garden of the Old Winter Palace Hotel. After crossing the Nile River and reaching the vibrant desert valley of the West Bank we explored several archeological excavations at the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Medinet Habu. Situated on the road to the Valley of the Kings lies the Stoppelaere house, built around 1950 by the celebrated Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and recently renewed by the Tarek Waly Centre & Factum foundation for training purposes for the local community and the preservation of the Egyptian Heritage. There, we also found the Howard Carter House, former homebase to renowned archeologist Howard Carter and his team.

From Luxor our journey continued - an 11hrs drive - to Lower Egypt, where we were greeted by the Orion constellation from the heavens while the Great Pyramid rises high above the modern capital city of Cairo.

We’re looking back to a captivating journey - from ever- changing colour palettes in the sky, to mountain ranges on the horizon gradually turning into faint silhouettes as dusk falls, to endless barefoot hikes on rich mineral abundant desert soil. All whilst - for a very brief moment in time - taking part in the mystery and grandeur of the sacred land, where the ancestors built their architectural marvels based upon deep knowledge of science, cosmology and sacred geometry in honour of the divine.