Temples, pharaohs, ancient sites, and local context in Luxor and Upper Egypt, written from lived experience and on-the-ground knowledge.
Twenty-three years in Egypt. More clients than I can remember now and always – questions about Nile cruises and Dahabiyas. And for most of that time, my honest answer about dahabiyas was the same: the idea is better than the reality. The concept is beautiful – a traditional Egyptian sailing vessel, small and intimate, gliding…
The Only Tomb in the World Where You Can Sit With a Mummy. Could You Survive It? Could you sit alone in the dark with a three-thousand-year-old mummy? Not metaphorically. Not in a museum with lighting and other tourists and a gift shop twenty metres away. Actually alone. After dark. In the tomb. In the…
When a traveler sees unfinished buildings, their brain makes a quick judgment. But what looks like poverty to an outsider is actually a multi-generational family home — no mortgage, no babysitter needed, no nursing home. Mara House offers high-end travelers something no marble lobby can: a chance to understand Egypt, not just see it.
There is a profound difference between visiting Egypt and being allowed to linger. On a private journey through Egypt in November 2024, I led a small group to Abydos for rare, uninterrupted time inside the Osirion, a place that, even now, only a few experience without crowds or constraint. Walking the same corridor once used…
Philae is not just a temple — it is a memory rising from water, a sanctuary suspended between myth and history. On the Island of Isis, silence hums, the Nile slows, and the stones seem to remember everything.
Facing a united coalition, Pharaoh Thutmose III defied his generals and led his army through a single-file defile to victory at Megiddo. This is the story of the gamble that forged an empire
The air at Tjaru was the breath of Set. From this fortress on the edge of empire, a young Pharaoh and his royal sons prepared to step from the order of Egypt into the chaos of war.
They come for the gold and the legend, but the real treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb reveal themselves only in silence. This is the true story of a mysterious encounter with the young king’s mummy, shared by the one man who experienced it—a moment where the veil between worlds grew thin.
At Karnak, stone columns rise like shelves. In this moment, the temple becomes the library — and Egypt’s timeless pages unfold before me.
He loved her like a god, carving her face into temples, aligning the sun to kiss their statues — and, 3,000 years later, her stone head refused to fit until it gazed upon him, eternally watching over her king.
He carved her face into temples, aligned the sun to kiss their statues, and prayed for her soul in eternity. In Egypt, His name was Ramses II and she was… Nefertari
Step inside Luxor Temple, and you enter more than stone and shadow—you enter a mirror of yourself. For centuries, people have walked beneath its soaring columns without realizing that this temple was not simply a monument to gods and kings. According to the French mystic and Egyptologist Schwaller de Lubicz (1887–1961), Luxor Temple was designed…
She was the bringer of plague and the patron of physicians; a destroyer and a protector. Her dramatic tale of rage and pacification is key to understanding the ancient Egyptian mind. Join us to learn her story and where to find her in Luxor. Her name was SEKHMET.
Many years ago, I followed a guide through a hidden portal in Karnak Temple and discovered a secret sanctuary of Sekhmet. A story of fire, power, and the lessons of control in the presence of a goddess.
Medinet Habu is a temple, a royal palace, and a fortified stronghold. It was the stage for grand victory celebrations, daily life, and the brutal Harem Conspiracy. This is a guide to reading its stones and feeling its layered history.
Before the knife was drawn, there was a family, a court, and a community. This is the story of the people behind the harem conspiracy at Medinet Habu.
Featured image above: From the grand Hypostyle Hall to hidden chapels, Karnak Temple sparks curiosity for all ages — just ask my grandson, who explored the Sekhmet Chapel with the same wide-eyed wonder as a young Indiana Jones Many guides will tell you Karnak is the largest temple complex ever built. They will give you…
Was there really a deadly curse on Tutankhamun’s tomb? Discover the truth behind the deaths, the media storm, and the real mystery that still fascinates museum visitors today.
From obscurity to supreme power, Amun’s rise as Egypt’s most dominant god shaped history. Learn how temples, kings, and myth built his place at the empire’s heart.
Mara’s Egypt tours for adults and tours for kids in 2025 with extra free nights at Mara House before the adventure begins!