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An aerial view of ancient Egypt's treasures

Reporter: Yasser Hakim 丨 CCTV.com

05-07-2015 00:25 BJT

Cultures and civilizations dating back thousands of years have been sustained by the Nile. But looting has deprived the present and future generations a chance to experience the splendor of ancient Egypt.

From the skies above the historic city of Luxor, threre's a tour of what remains of Egypt's biggest temple.

Balloon Trip over Luxor

This is one of the most popular ways to enjoy the full Egypt experience.

Those are the remains what was Egypt's biggest temple.

You can see how far it might have stretched. And the two statues that guarded the gates. They're known as the Colossi Memnon - or rulers of the dawn.

More than 60 tombs have been discovered so far over the Valley of the Kings - for different pharaohs, priests and other senior leaders. They all have one thing in common though. They'd all been broken into.

Balloon Ride Trip over Luxor

Thieves have been stealing Egypt's treasures for millennia. Even today there's a steady trade in stolen artefacts.And many were taken from this area, around Luxor.

Back on the ground, there's little left to steal at the Colossi. Experts though are hunting fragments of the statues still scattered around the site.

"Since 1998 the European missions have been involved. They've come here to make a temple without the temple. The mission is to restore each of the artifacts that can be found here," said Ahmed El-Tayeb, an archaeologist.

"We will make a big wall around the whole temple, to protect if from the tourists. Then we will return all the statues we have found here, to the temple and to the King."

There is still one treasure left here. And it's on the side of the colossi.

This is the river god Hapy. He's pulling together the lotus and papyrus. This symbolizes uniting north and south Egypt.

It's a powerful statement of nationhood. And a reminder: Egypt's heritage is a gift to us from the past. Preserving it is a duty owed to future generations.