Two years ago, when Terry and Amy visited us, we traveled south to enjoy a Nile Cruise between Luxor and Aswan and visit the Valley of the Kings. Last year, we took a trip "out west" in Egypt to Siwa, an oasis town near the Libyan Border. Our major outing in Egypt this year was a three-day visit to Minya, a town about 150 miles south of our winter home in southwest Cairo.
Minya is a city of almost 300,000 people located in the Minya Governorate with a population of over 6 million. About 50% of the population in this area is Christian.
Our good friend and expert guide, Roshdy, arranged a van and driver for the trip. We traveled south along the east bank of the Nile, stayed at the Holy Family Hotel, recommended to us by our friends at Egypt Equine Aid, and would return via the highway on the west bank of the Nile.
For anyone who has traveled south of Cairo by auto in the past, the current highways will come as a pleasant surprise. The El-Sisi government's road construction programs throughout Egypt have made a world of difference over the past ten years.
We departed from our apartment a bit after 8 a.m., heading east among the heavy morning traffic on the recently widened Ring Road, across the Nile and through the suburb of Maadi under the watchful eyes of the president before turning south onto the east-bank freeway. Google Maps estimated the journey to Minya at about 4 hours duration once we were out of the city traffic.
Today's Egyptian highways truly are marvelous. The absence of speed bumps in comparison to urban roads is especially appreciated. There are three lanes for cars in each direction plus two additional lanes for heavy vehicles separated from the auto traffic. Speed limits of 120 kph (72 mph) apply for the autos.
The occasional stop at a toll plaza upon entering a new governorate is only mildly inconvenient.
The scenery along this route is quite repetitious. If you imagine most of Egypt as vast golden sand dunes, you will be very disappointed to confront the boring reality.
Our objective for the trip was to visit several important archeological sites in the area. Our starting spot was at the Tombs of Beni Hassan, about 15 miles south of Minya. Once we had journeyed sufficiently far south, we turned westward toward the Nile and the scenery abruptly changed as we approached the great river. Centuries of annual flooding have deposited some of Egypt's most fertile soil along its course producing a narrow strip, about two to ten miles wide, of very productive agricultural land.
The modern transportation techniques of highway and truck that we had been seeing, gave way to ancient methods.
We spent the balance of the day touring the Tombs of Beni Hassan before returning a few miles north to the Holy Family Hotel where he had booked a room for two nights. The next few posts will cover the archeological sites and the hotel.
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