A boundless theater of history, Egypt offers spectacles of pure beauty and great variety: the blazing western desert, the immense delta of the Nile, the sandy beaches of the Mediterranean, the coral reefs of the Red Sea, the parched wadis and the red mountains of central Sinai. Few countries can boast such a concentration of romantic sights and disturbing legends and mysteries - the pyramids, the Sphinx, the royal tombs, the massive temples, the extraordinary wealth passed over to the world of the dead, the mummies, the curses of the pharaohs - few countries have such profound influence on the collective imagination. Fascinating photographs and text help illuminate the many faces of a marvelous, colorful and surprising land.