1. Giza

Giza, now in the suburbs of modern Cairo, was originally part of Memphis, the ancient capital. It contains Egypt's most familiar icons, including the Sphinx, which was carved from limestone more than 4,500 years ago, during Egypt's 4th dynasty. Giza is also home to the Great Pyramids. Originally, the surface of these giant monuments would have been skinned with white limestone and topped with a gilded cap. Even without this surface decoration, their sheer size makes them one of the world's most awesome sights.

2. Saqqara

This site was also once part of Memphis. Tombs here date back to the earliest days of Egyptian history. But the most famous monument in Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, a 3rd Dynasty king. This pyramid is thought to be the oldest stone funerary structure in the world. The pyramid shape was innovative when Djoser had it built, around 2667 BC – 2648 BC.

3. Deir el-Medina

This ancient village on the west bank of the Nile near the site of Thebes is an interesting counterpoint to the pyramids and other great monuments. Deir el-Medina was once peopled by the workmen who built the Valley of the Kings and Medinet Habu (see below). Although many of the impressive stone structures these ordinary Egyptians laboured to build remain, few of their own mud-brick dwellings have survived. At Deir el-Medina, you can walk the narrow streets between the ruins of artisans' cottages and marvel at the resilience and skill of the people who once lived there.

4. The Valley of the Kings

Grave robbery was a serious problem for ancient Egyptians, so later pharaohs chose a more secluded location for their internment. The Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, once contained untold riches in addition to its mummies. But the tomb raiders cottoned on in the end and most of the tombs here were heavily ransacked. In 1922, however, archaeologist Howard Cater discovered the largely intact tomb of Tutankhamun. It was crammed with priceless artefacts and immediately captured the public imagination.

5.Karnak

Modern Karnak is on the site of Thebes, ancient Egypt's religious centre. There's evidence of a small settlement dating back to around 3400 BC but Karnak's most famous structure is the vast New Kingdom temple built to glorify the sun-god, Amun-Re. Several pharaohs contributed to the structure over hundreds of years. The centrepiece is a pillared hall of around 5,000 square metres, commissioned by Ramesses I and finished by his grandson, Ramesses II.

6. Amarna

Akhenaten, who came to the throne around 1353 BC, was ancient Egypt's most controversial king. He broke with the tradition of worshipping Amun-Re, preferring the sun-disc Aten to all other gods. He ordered a new capital to be built and named it Akhetanen, in honour of his god. He filled it with temples and moved the court there. But the cult of Atenism died with him. Akhetaten (known as Amarna today) was abandoned and left to decay.

7. Abu Simbel

Ramesses II was Egypt's greatest builder. At Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, he constructed two temples carved out of a cliff on the west bank of the Nile. The entrance to the main temple is renowned for its four, 20-metre-tall statues of Ramesses. During the 1960s, the temples were painstakingly disassembled and rebuilt 60 metres above their previous site to save them from rising waters created by the Aswan Dam.

8. Luxor Temple

Ramesses II was also responsible for much of the temple at Luxor, near the site of ancient Thebes. The building was started by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramesses II. It's dominated by a huge obelisk, one of two that originally stood outside. The other is now in Paris. Inside, Ramesses decorated the temple with carvings celebrating a great "victory" at the battle of Qadesh. In fact, Ramesses was rather lucky at Qadesh but that didn't stop him going on about the battle whenever he could!

9. Medinet Habu

Historians believe that the huge mortuary complex of Medinet Habu in western Thebes was built by people from Deir el-Medina. Ramesses III, who reigned from 1184 BC – 1153 BC ordered its construction. He also ensured that the walls were decorated with scenes of his military triumphs against the Libyans and the Sea Peoples (a loose coalition of aggressive migrants originating from the Aegean and Anatolia).

10. Temple of Horus, Edfu

Horus, the hawk-god, was one of ancient Egypt's oldest and most enduring deities. Horus was said to have landed on the mound of creation at the dawn of time. At the centre of the this wonderfully preserved temple, a polished stone shrine echoes the mound of creation. The temple dates from Egypt's Ptolemaic period (332 BC – 30 BC), named after the dynasty of rulers founded by Ptolemy, the first Macedonian governor of Egypt appointed by Alexander the Great.