There are few places in the world which conjure up imagery as vivid and powerful as Egypt. It is a country long associated with mystery, ancient secrets, riddles, curses, the undead, mummies and hidden tombs. The iconic Sphinx and ancient pyramids have been the backdrop to every kind of tale imaginable.

Moses, Tutankhamen and Antony and Cleopatra have all had their stories retold innumerable times not to mention everyone from Poirot and James Bond to Indiana Jones and the sci-fi adventures of Stargate. Indeed, few contemporary fictional characters worth their salt have failed to pass along the Nile, visit Cairo or face-off an adversary among the pyramids.

But there is much more to modern Egypt than this. Aside from its tourist industry which attracts millions of people each year, it is a major player in culture, media and agriculture and there are high hopes for its natural resources.

It was the first Arab country to have its own satellite and is the undisputed media hub of the region leading the way for its neighbours in film, television and radio. However, it has been the backdrop to some serious political tensions and conflict in the 21st century and it easy to forget that it sits at the heart of a region famed for its instabilities.

The economic upturn of the 1990s century has not remedied the extreme poverty still faced by many of Egypt’s citizens and Recent years have seen instances of unrest over civil liberties and a resurgence in old tensions with other Islamic countries.

Discover a country steeped as much in the realities of the 21st century as the myths and mysteries of the ancients.