UNESCO Sites in Egypt and How to Visit Them

Egypt has seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, and five of them were listed in 1979. The best-known monuments are not separate listings: the Giza pyramids belong to the Memphis inscription, Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings belong to Ancient Thebes, and Abu Simbel and Philae belong to the Nubian Monuments. We have tour pages that reach five of the seven.

Key Takeaways

• The seven listings date from 1979 (five of them), 2002 and 2005.
• There is no separate Pyramids of Giza listing; it is part of Memphis and its Necropolis, which runs from Giza to Dahshur.
• Two listings are in the south: Ancient Thebes in Luxor and the Nubian Monuments around Aswan and Abu Simbel.
• St Catherine can be reached from Dahab or Sharm El Sheikh, and the Sharm El Sheikh trip starts with a night climb of Mount Sinai.
• No tour page of ours stops at Abu Mena or Wadi Al-Hitan.

The seven listings at a glance

Egypt's pyramids, temples and tombs

Memphis and its Necropolis. The Pyramids, Memphis and Saqqara Tour reaches Giza, Saqqara and Memphis in one day, and the Grand Museum and Pyramids Tour combines Giza with the Grand Egyptian Museum. Read the guide to Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur for the sites south of Giza.

Ancient Thebes. Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings are all on the Full Day Tour to East and West Banks of Luxor; the Luxor West Bank Tour Full Day Tour and Luxor East Bank Tour split the day between the two banks. Our guide to Luxor in one day helps you choose.

Nubian Monuments. Abu Simbel is reached on the Abu Simbel Tour, and Philae on the High Dam and Philae Temple Tour; see how to visit Abu Simbel for all the routes.

Historic Cairo

Historic Cairo is the district of medieval mosques, madrasas and mausoleums described in our guide to Islamic Cairo. The Egyptian Museum, Old Coptic and Islamic Cairo Tour includes the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali.

St Catherine and Wadi Al-Hitan

The Saint Catherine Area is the one Sinai listing. From Dahab, the Mount Sinai and St Catherine Monastery on a tour from Dahab visits St Catherine's Monastery, which the page calls one of the oldest functioning monasteries in the world, with its icons, manuscripts and the site of the Burning Bush, and then climbs Mount Sinai. From Sharm El Sheikh, the Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery Tour from Sharm El Sheikh reverses the order: the climb begins around 2:00 AM with a Bedouin guide so you reach the summit for sunrise. See Dahab day trips for the other options from there.

Wadi Al-Hitan is the other listing without a tour page of ours. It is a fossil site in the Western Desert, covered in our guide. Abu Mena, one of the five 1979 listings, also has no tour page on this site.

Planning around the list

Four of the seven listings sit on the classic Cairo, Luxor and Aswan route, so a first trip along it covers most of the list. For the length of that trip, read how many days you need in Egypt.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many UNESCO World Heritage sites does Egypt have? Seven, at the time of writing.

Are the Giza pyramids a UNESCO site? Yes, as part of Memphis and its Necropolis; there is no separate Giza listing.

Are Abu Simbel and Philae listed? Yes, together under the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae.

Which listing was added most recently? Wadi Al-Hitan, the Whale Valley, in 2005.

Can I visit St Catherine from Sharm El Sheikh? Yes, on a day tour that starts with a night climb of Mount Sinai.