The greatest masterpiece of the pyramid builders were the Pyramids of Giza, built near the capital city of Memphis for the fourth dynasty kings Cheops, Chefren and Mykernos who reign through 2589-2504 BCE.

Join Glyphdoctors' Dr. Nicole Hansen for this special tour of Luxor (Jan. 16-Jan. 27, 2008), home to the most spectacular monuments of ancient Egypt and a vibrant modern culture that most tourists never have a chance to experience. An American-Egyptian Egyptologist, Nicole brings to this tour a special perspective of ancient and modern Luxor. At the Theban Mapping Project, she was responsible for editing a Web site on the Valley of the Kings and a guidebook to Luxor written by Kent Weeks. She also is married to a physician from Luxor's West Bank. The tour will be operated by GAT Tours. For more information and to reserve your space on this tour, visit http://www.glyphdoctors.com.

Abu Simbel has been building since 1250 BC.The entrance leads into a large hall with massive pillars fronted by figures of the pharaoh Ramses II - When the temple was threatened by submersion,during the construction of the Aswan Dam, the UNESCO,in 1963,launched a world wide appeal. During the salvage operation, the temple was dismantled and raised over 60 meters up the sandstone cliff where it had been built more than 3,000 years before. Here they were reassembled, in the exact same relationship to each other and the sun, and covered with an artificial mountain. The rays of the sun would light up the statues of the gods twice a year.

Escaping the chaos of Cairo is pretty easy in Aswan, a picturesque spot on the Nile where life doesn't move too fast. It's also close to some spectacular ancient Egyptian temples and monuments.

The pyramids at Giza weren't the only pyramids built by the Egyptians. In this short video we show the evolution visible in these massive structures around Cairo.