Category: Egypt

A Tour of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum and Historical Sites

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Cairo, the capital of Egypt was our last destination on the tour. Though we first flew in to Cairo, we went to Giza and from there on to Aswan. From there we took the Nile cruise and stopped at various temples and archaeological sites before reaching Luxor . From Luxor we flew back to Cairo and this episode covers this part of our incredible journey through Egypt.

One of the main attractions we visited at Cairo was the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities , commonly known as the Egyptian Museum. Located centrally at Tahrir Square, it is the largest repository of Egyptian antiquities and is housed in a building built in 1901. With over 1,20,000 displays, notable among them being the treasures of Tutankhamun, it literally symbolizes ancient Egypt.

The building itself has undergone restoration work as it is more than a century old. The interiors, lighting and other facilities have also been upgraded over the last decade.

The entrance to the museum

Walking through the museum, one can get lost due to the sheer size and number of antiquities displayed. A guide who takes you around is required here so that at least the most important displays are covered. Join me on a walk through this storehouse of Egyptian history…

The large statues are located on the ground floor.

The lower hall and view from upper gallery highlighting the vastness of the place

The colossal statues of pharaohs (note the height from floor to next level)

Pharaohs with Gods

The painted head of Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s statue from her temple in the valley of kings

Undoubtedly, Tutankhamun is the most popular of the pharaohs and there is a separate hall where many of his treasures are preserved. The sarcophagus and mummy are still in the tomb in the Valley of Kings. No photography is allowed inside that hall. Some of his treasures are exhibited outside. Have a look…

Entrance to King Tut’s hall with a gilded statue

A chest and a gold chair ….part of King Tut’s treasures

One of the most popular exhibits of the museum are the mummies and the coffin boxes (sarcophagi). We have all probably seen mummies in pictures but seeing a real mummy was a different experience. During the process of mummification, certain visceral organs were taken out and preserved in what is called Canopic jars .

Egyptians strongly believed in after-life and so materials required for that was interred in the tombs. Actually making food mummies ( preserved meat and poultry) and burying it with the mummy was definitely a surprise!!!

Stone sarcophagi

A mummy

Sarcophagi with mummies inside


Victual or food mummies (meat wrapped and stored for after life in tombs)

Bird mummies and a Canopic jar used for viscera storage during mummification

Many of the mummies are in multiple coffins one inside the other and wearing mummy masks .

Multiple coffins and a gilded mummy mask

If all this was not enough, entire tomb chambers are also seen apart from hieroglyphics

A tomb chamber and hieroglyphics

By this time we were all quite saturated with the wealth of information that we had encountered in this great museum. The richness of their civilization is aptly displayed here. With a very satisfied feeling of having seen most of it, we walked out of the museum and continued our tour of Cairo.

Post lunch, we visited the Cairo Citadel and mosque.

Mohammad Ali Mosque

Located at Cairo citadel, it overlooks the city and is one of its prominent landmarks. What sets it apart from other monuments is the Ottoman style of its building. Muhammad Ali, an Ottoman governor built this mosque within the Cairo citadel after demolishing some of the partially ruined palaces there.

The mosque follows the design of Sultan Ahmed mosque in Istanbul and was initially built with alabaster found in the region but later the alabaster was removed.

In front of the Mosque

The interior of the mosque is ornate with a central dome and four surrounding domes with colored mosaic glass windows on the sides. Huge chandeliers and lights add to the beauty.

The ornate interiors with chandeliers and decorated domes

The central courtyard is surrounded by arched porticoes and has a fountain in the center.

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The arched courtyard with clock tower and the central fountain

At one corner of the main hall is the tomb of Muhammad Ali hidden behind bronze metal work. A decorated pulpit for sermons is also present.

Muhammad Ali’s tomb and the pulpit

Khan el-Khalili market

The last stop on our Cairo sojourn was the famous Khan el-Khalili market. A market set between narrow streets lined by shops selling all kinds of articles from food to souvenirs, hard bargaining is the rule. Some pictures from there.

The market and enjoying some tea at a cafe there

With this we come to the end of the journey through Egypt. It had been a very educative trip where I learnt a lot about ancient Egyptians and their rich civilization. I have tried to put it all together and bring it before you. The vast amount of information had to be split in multiple episodes to cover everything. Hope I have been able to convey the feeling of awe that I experienced during this journey.

Next week we start the next series….Meghalaya, abode of the clouds.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Hatshepsut: The Powerful Female Pharaoh of Egypt

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Fancy a female Pharaoh? Well, this episode is about a powerful female pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt. First let us get to know more about this lady, and then we shall visit the temple she built for herself.

Pharaoh Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and during her teenage years was married to her half brother Thutmose II . After his death, the two year old Thutmose III inherited the throne and she ruled as regent for a son who was not her own.

The lady pharaoh went against the traditional patriarchal systems and cleverly established female kingship. In order to establish herself as the pharaoh, she started depicting herself as a male pharaoh. Like most pharaohs, she recorded her accomplishments and assumed all symbols of pharaonic position including the traditional false beard. Her rule was one of the most prosperous times of the Egyptian civilization. She was the second female pharaoh in Egyptian history but more powerful than her female predecessors.

One of the most prolific builders of ancient Egypt, she constructed several temples and the masterpiece was her mortuary temple that we call the temple of Hatshepsut today. Building Osirian statues of themselves was common to most pharaohs and she was no exception.

Towards the end of the reign of Thutmose III, an attempt to remove her from historical records was made and many of her statues were removed or defaced.

Our trip

From the Valley of Kings, located in the Theban hills, we proceeded to this temple located close by. This is a mortuary temple built by Hatshepsut facing the Karnak temple across the Nile. The specialty of this temple are it’s three terraces at different levels with porticoes lined by columns.

Reaching the Temple

The foreground has statues of Hatshepsut as a sphinx. This was part of her attempts to establish her kingship by portraying herself as powerful.

Sphinx of Hatshepsut

The three levels of terraces with porticoes lined by columns and statues at the ends.

The balustrade along the passage to the main temple has the falcon headed God Horus.

The falcon headed God Horus at the balustrade

The lower terrace has 22 columns and features reliefs on the walls. These reliefs depict the part played by her in putting up obelisks at the Karnak temple, offerings to various Gods and Hatshepsut as a sphinx defeating the enemies .

Reliefs showing offerings to Horus by Hatshepsut

The middle terrace also has porticoes lined by columns and decorated with reliefs mainly relating her to God Amun Ra, thus legitimizing herself as a ruler. A shrine dedicated to the cow headed God Hathor is also located here.

Offerings to the jackal headed God Anubis

The cow headed God Hathor

The upper terrace also has porticoes lined by columns but the highlight are the massive statues of Hatshepsut.

Hatshepsut statues on the upper terrace

Moving down from the terraces, we walked on to the foreground where there are still a lot of ruins and extensive restoration work was going on.

Ruins surrounding the temple

Another monument we visited near the Valley of Kings was the Colossi Of Memnon.

These are two massive stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, which stand at the front of the ruined Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, the largest temple in the Theban Necropolis. Both statues are quite damaged, with the features above the waist virtually unrecognizable. Earthquake and floods have ensured that with the exception of the Colossi, nothing remains today of Amenhotep’s temple.

Colossi of Memnon with the ruins of Amenhotep’s temple in the backdrop

After the exhausting visit to the Valley of Kings and Hatshepsut’s temple, we were all tired and hungry and so we proceeded to an Indian restaurant in Luxor for lunch.

A taste of India at Luxor….

Post lunch we explored Luxor market .

A riot of colors at the Luxor market

Making few quick purchases, we headed to the airport to fly back to Cairo.

Next week, we explore Cairo. Till then, do subscribe, give your comments and feedback.

Exploring the Ancient Tombs of the Valley of Kings

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

On the west bank of the Nile ; among the Theban hills (Thebes was the ancient city where modern day Luxor city lies) lies a cluster of tombs of the rulers of Egypt’s New Kingdom which is a part of the Theban Necropolis and an UNESCO World Heritage site. This is essentially what we call The Valley of Kings today. It was the principal burial ground of the royals and nobles of the New Kingdom where rock cut tombs were excavated for nearly 500 years ranging from the eighteenth to the twentieth dynasty. The world’s attention was drawn to this place after the discovery of the tomb of Prince Tutankhamen the baby pharaoh in 1922 .

This site was chosen as it was close to the temples of the ancient Thebans, it is a valley protected by cliffs, and has a good limestone bedrock .The valley is situated over 1000 ft of limestone and and other sedimentary rock ranging in consistency from finely granular to coarse stone. The ancient Egyptians took advantage of the geological features while constructing the tombs. Some tombs were quarried out of limestone cliffs, others behind clefts, and some were at the edge of rock projections created during the floods.

Towering above it is the Qurn (the horn in Arabic) , the pyramidal apex of the hills which probably inspired the shape of the pyramids and was long associated with burials . Almost all of the tombs have been robbed and are empty now but they still contain relics that point to the opulence and power of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Our group at the Valley of Kings with Al Qurn or “The Horn” in the backdrop

The valley of Kings houses 64 mapped burial sites, notable among them being that of Ramesses III, Tutankhamun and Thutmoses III. Today, the tombs are numbered with the prefix KV meaning King’s Valley .These tombs range in size from small pit tombs (KV 54) to extensive labyrinths with over 120 chambers (KV5) where all the sons of Ramesses II are buried.

The tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology revealing many of the funerary practices of that time and their belief in after life. From the grandeur of the tomb paintings to the intricate hieroglyphics, a journey through these tombs unveils the remarkable achievements of the pharaohs and their beliefs. Come along….

Our visit.

We drove down to the Valley of the kings from Luxor city . Buggies helped to take us close to the tomb site which need some walking . As we entered the main gate through metal detectors, we encountered a model of the excavation site where the location of the tombs are shown with small numbered flags and another model explaining the location of the tombs underground.

Two models show the location on the ground and the underground paths to the tombs.

Not all tombs are open to tourists as considerable excavation work is on. Some of the tombs are deep inside and considerable climbing and walking is involved. We visited some of the more easily accessible tombs.

The tombs consist of iron gate through which you enter into a long rock cut passage leading to one or more halls and finally to the burial chamber. The passages are decorated with various scenes of daily life and culture, their Gods, the pharaohs themselves and hieroglyphics.

Pictures of some of the tomb chambers…..

The Tomb of Ramesses IV (KV 2)

This is one of the tombs with the highest number of graffiti and was probably used as dwellings by Coptic priests .

Entering the tomb

Coptic Graffiti on the walls

The passage to the tomb chamber with inscriptions on walls and ceiling

One remarkable belief is that Goddess Nut swallowed the Sun as it set and delivered it the next morning. This is graphically represented in the ceiling of this tomb.

The ceiling depicting the passage of the Sun during the day. (The Sun being swallowed at night and delivered next morning by Nut)

The tomb chamber with the huge tomb of Ramesses IV

Tomb of Ramesses III (KV 11)

Hieroglyphics on the walls

Depiction of block transportation during construction

The pharaohs and their daily routines in pictures

The burial chamber is empty as the sarcophagus of Ramesses III is now at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The empty tomb chamber of Ramesses III

Ramesses IX (KV 6)

Walking towards the tomb chamber

Pictures depicting various ceremonies

Inside the tomb with the picture of the holy barque in the backdrop

Pictographic representation of the one legged God of Fertility

The pictures above tell you about the richness of the Egyptian civilization and how lot of it has got wiped out by causes natural and otherwise.

Exploration, excavation and conservation continue there even today with new discoveries springing up off and on and is one of the most popular places of interest for Egyptologists .

Modern radar scanning techniques have revealed natural shelves below the surface we see today.

Next week we visit the Temple of Hatsheput, the female pharaoh . So be prepared for some ancient Woman Power…

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Luxor ; The Temple of Festivals

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Located in the town of the same name, the Luxor temple complex is located on the banks of the Nile and built around 1400 BC. Major part of the temple were built by Amenotep III and Ramesses II. During the Roman period, parts of the temple were converted into a church.

Unlike all other temples we visited, this temple is not dedicated to any cult God or any defied Pharaoh making it unique. Instead, it is dedicated to rejuvenation of kingship and most probably was the location of coronation of many pharaohs. It was also the location of the Opet festival , the most important festival in ancient Egypt when the Gods from Karnak temple would come in a procession to Luxor and stay here for a few days. The processional route used is an important part of this temple complex.

Our Trip

From Karnak temple we proceeded to the Luxor temple and it was dark and so the temple was lit up adding to the beauty of the structures. The avenue of sphinxes lead us to the entrance of the temple.

Avenue of Sphinxes

This is a 2.7 km passage between the Luxor temple and Karnak temple lined on either side by sphinxes. There are more than 700 sphinxes with the body of the lion and the head of a pharaoh signifying the strength of the lion and wisdom of the king. At the Karnak end, the head of these statues is of a ram while on the Luxor side, its a human head.

It follows the processional route used by pharaoh Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC . This was also the route used when Amun Ra would leave Karnak and go to Luxor during the festival.

The Avenue of Sphinxes

One of the sphinxes

The Main Temple

We entered the temple through a pylon consisting of two towers on either side of a doorway with niches that originally held flag staffs .Built by Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, the size of the pylon and the adorning statues makes one feel little!!

In front of this pylon are six statues of Ramesses II ; four in standing and two sitting posture ; some of them partly damaged. The standing statues have the left foot forward depicting a very traditional pose. The statues wear the double crown representing union of upper and lower Egypt which he reigned. Built of sandstone blocks, the temple design shows all features of Egyptian architecture.

The pylon itself has inscriptions of the war with the Hittites.

The front pylon of the Luxor temple with the six statues and an obelisk

The Obelisk

An obelisk is a long monolith stone with a pyramid shaped top and decorated with reliefs celebrating the achievements of the pharaoh.

There is an obelisk towards left side of the entrance which is attributed to Ramesses II, weighing over 200 tonnes and is 26 meters high. At the base of the obelisk are statues of baboons . Baboons are symbol of wisdom in ancient Egypt as the baboons were believed to dance before the sunrise welcoming the Sun. The body of the Obelisk has several hieroglyphic depictions mainly of the pharaoh and various deities.

Originally there were two obelisks. The obelisk on the right side was gifted to Louis IX by one of the Ottoman kings Muhammed Ali and now adorns the Concorde square in Paris ! .

The Obelisk with hieroglyphics and the pyramidal top

Baboon statues at the base of the obelisk

Crossing the first pylon, we entered the Court of Ramesses II which is an open courtyard with double row of columns having papyrus capitals on three sides. Many of these columns have colossal Ramesses II statues between them, some wearing the crown and some partially damaged.

Some of the statues in the hall were those of his predecessor Amenotep III which were rechristened as himself by Ramesses II.

The 74 columns in this hall have inscriptions depicting the pharaoh and his family receiving the blessings of the Gods.

Ramesses II statues in the hall with some damaged columns on the right

Ramesses II statues in between columns, some with crown and some damaged.

Inscriptions on the columns

One of the important depictions on the reliefs here is that of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt about which Ramesses II would pride himself.

The inscription showing the unification of upper and lower Egypt.

Abu Haggag Mosque

One corner of this court is taken up by a mosque; the Abu Haggag Mosque. This is a functioning mosque. The peculiarity of this mosque is that it lies on top of a church. The church was built in the Roman period but subsequently got buried in the sand and mud. Subsequently a mosque was built here and the remains of the church were discovered during excavations.

The Abu Haggag Mosque. The black arrow indicates the ground level when the mosque was built. The lower part was discovered to be a church during excavations.

Walking further ahead, we reach the temple built by Amenotep III . The pylon has disappeared but there are two rows of seven columns which originally had a ceiling but does not exist now. The damages are due to both natural causes and deliberate destruction for religious reasons.

The Colonnade

In front of the colonnade are the statues of Amon and Mut who along with their son Khonsu was the triad of Gods worshiped at Thebes.

Amon and Mut at the entrance to the colonnade.

Once we crossed the colonnade, we were at the second courtyard called the Sun court. This is another impressive courtyard lined by 64 papyriform columns with fluted shafts. the blocks have detailed hieroglyphics but some have been deliberately defaced.

The Sun Court

Note the ornate pillars with fluted shafts in the Sun Court

The sacred boats were kept at this square during the festival of Opet when Amun Ra, Mut and Khonsu would come in a ceremonial procession from Karnak to Luxor and spend eleven days here. The Pharaoh would receive them at the sanctuary.

From here we enter an area that was converted into a church during the Roman period. Here as well as in many other parts of the complex, there are visible evidences of defacement. At many places the hieroglyphics have been chiseled out, re-plastered and paintings done on top.

The part converted into a church…note the Roman style tops of the columns

Deliberate removal of hieroglyphics with plastering and Roman painting

From here we enter the sanctuary which represents the original sanctum of the temple. This was where the king received the Gods during the Opet festival. The walls of the sanctuary have reliefs depicting the offerings to the Gods by the pharaoh.

The Sanctuary

Some of the reliefs on the walls

Alexander the Great is closely connected with Luxor temple. He is seen as a pharaoh giving offerings to the Gods in many reliefs in this temple.

From the sanctuary, we walked out along the central passage and proceeded to our cruise ship after an exhausting but amazing trip to two of the most popular temples of ancient Egypt.

Next week we are at The Valley of the Kings, a vast area where multiple tombs and burial chambers have been discovered. Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Karnak Temple: The Largest Ancient Temple Ruins in Egypt

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

The Karnak temple complex is Egypt’s largest single gathering of temple ruins. It looks more like an open air museum filled with massive pylons, columns , statues , obelisks and a sacred lake. It is so vast that it has often been called a historical document in stone!

One of the peculiarities of the temple is that it was built over 1500 years ; added by generation after generation of pharaohs resulting in a collection of temples, sanctuaries, pylons and other structures. Stretching from the Middle kingdom to the Ptolemaic period and over thirty pharaohs contributing to its building ; it lacks a systematic plan ; but the expanse and complexity of this temple is not seen elsewhere. The ruins are still impressive though nothing remains of the houses, palaces and gardens that surrounded the temple in ancient times. It was also modified by later cultures for their own religious purposes such as Coptic churches . Even today, it is considered to be the largest temple complex ever built.

The history of the Karnak temple is largely the history of the city of Thebes and it’s changing role in Egyptian culture. Karnak and other areas of ancient Thebes including Luxor, the Valley of King and Valley of Queens are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. We will be visiting all of these in subsequent episodes.

The original name of the temple was Ipet-Isut meaning the “Most Select of Places” while the modern name Karnak comes from the village nearby called el-Karnak meaning “fortified village”.

The complex is a vast open site and has four temples but only the one dedicated to Amun Ra, the Sun God is open to the public and hence is very often interpreted as the temple of the Sun God.

Our Trip

We visited the Karnak temple after the cruise had docked at Luxor.

Just as we entered the complex there was a model of the temple which actually gave us an idea of the vastness of the temple we were going to explore.

A model of the temple. The location of hall of pillars and the obelisks are clearly seen

The avenue of rams

The first thing that greets us as we approach the main temple is the avenue of rams with obelisks in front . This is a wide passage lined on either side with statues of rams .

On close observation, each of the statues has the body of a lion in sitting position with the head of a ram . A statue of the king is held between the legs of the lion as if protecting the king. Some of these statues are partly damaged but most of them are intact. This avenue leads us to the first pylon marking the entrance .

The avenue of rams leading to the main temple

The king’s statue being protected by the ram

The pylons and the halls

There are 10 pylons in the temple separated by halls and courts forming professional gateways, some along the main axis and some at right angles. The reliefs on these pylons reflect the king who built them. The first pylons to be built were the ones inside starting near the sanctuary. The others were added on the outer side of the older one. The first pylon that we see , is in fact the last to be built .

The first set of pylons is incomplete and lacks any kind of decoration or reliefs. It has openings where they used to erect flags. This was the last one to be built and hence the lack of finish….

Our group in front of the temple with the first set of pylons behind us, the avenue of rams on either side and some parts of the serial pylons seen along the passage behind.

Crossing the threshold and the first set of pylons we reached the open courtyard where there are three shrines; the biggest one of Amun-Ra, and the others are one for his wife Mut and one for his son Khonsu. The walls of these shrines have reliefs of offerings to these Gods.

The shrines of Amun-Ra, his wife and son.

Apart from this, the courtyard has partially destroyed columns and a single well preserved column. The columns look as if they have been shaven off but they were destroyed in an earthquake. Ruins of various smaller shrines were also scattered all over the courtyard.

Partially destroyed columns and a single surviving column seen in the midst of ruins.

As we approach the second pylon, there are two massive statues of Ramesses II on either side with a statue of his favorite queen Nefertari between his legs.

The colossal statue of Ramesses II with wife Nefertari ( ruins seen in the backdrop)

Once we crossed the second pylon, we entered the fascinating Great Hypostyle Hall. The pylon itself has colorful reliefs unlike the first incomplete pylon.

The colorful reliefs on the second pylon

The Great Hypostyle Hall (hall of pillars)

This great hall has 134 massive columns with architraves on top weighing 70 tons each. 12 of these columns are 70 ft high while the remaining are 40 ft tall. As we walked around the hall, the sheer vastness and size of these columns left us in awe. The columns have extensive relief and paintings, some still retaining color after centuries!!

This was in fact an unbelievable piece of Egyptian architecture. Have a look at the pictures below.

The Great Hypostyle Hall with colossal columns

Note the reliefs on the columns

Note the reliefs with preserved colors

The fourth pylon marks the entrance to the sanctuary of Amun and the courtyard in front had three pairs of obelisks built by the kings Thutmoses I,II and III. Many of the obelisks are in ruins, some have toppled down and some are broken at multiple places.

Courtyard with obelisks

The most well preserved obelisk. (note the detailed hieroglyphics)

Another interesting feature here is the statue of Pharaoh Thutmoses III with inscriptions of all the countries he conquered.

Statue of Pharaoh Thutmoses III (partially in ruins)

Hieroglyphics related to the countries conquered by Thutmoses III.

The entrance to the sanctuary lies immediately behind this. The Sun God’s shrine was so built that light focused upon it during the winter solstice.

The entrance to the sanctuary of Amun Ra

The altar where the sacred barque (boat) of Amun Ra was once kept

The Sacred Lake

As we exited the sanctuary and walked towards the side, we came across the sacred lake. The lake is filled by the water table and was used by priests to purify themselves before various sacred rituals. It was also used for navigation of the sacred barque.

The sacred lake

This brought us to the end of the tour of the Karnak temple. I am sure you must be overawed at the sheer vastness of this temple complex and the size of it’s pylons. A wonder in art indeed!!!

Our next destination was Luxor temple and we proceeded there.

See you next week at Luxor Temple.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Cruising the Nile: A Memorable Experience

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

The Nile

The mighty Nile flows through eleven countries in Africa and is the primary source of water for Egypt playing a major part in its economy. Most cities in Egypt lie along the banks of this river for obvious reasons. Most of the ancient Egyptian cultural and historical sites also lie along the banks of the Nile and it was a major source of transportation from time immemorial.

While visiting many of the temples and archaeological sites in Egypt, we find a canal leading to the Nile from the temple and this was used for the sacred journeys that the Gods undertook during their festivals. The barque or sacred boat is an essential part of these festivals and is preserved at the temple sanctuary there highlighting the importance that the Nile played during that period.

The location of many of the tourist spots along the Nile makes a cruise on the Nile an interesting way of exploring these sites. It was precisely for this that we undertook a three day cruise on the Nile during our Egypt trip. Boarding the cruise from Aswan, we cruised up to Luxor halting at various locations on the way to visit the temples there. A summary of that cruise forms the subject of this episode. Come along and join me on an incredible cruise on this mighty river…

Our Cruise

We boarded the cruise at Aswan. There were three decks on the ship and we had comfortable cabins with large windows making the cruise a wonderful experience. The ship had all modern recreational facilities including a swimming pool , a bar, a restaurant and a shop. Some pictures from the ship…

Boarding the cruise at Aswan

On boarding, we reached a lobby where our guide allotted our rooms and we proceeded to our rooms.

The lobby with a bar

From the main lobby, there was a narrow passage with rooms on either side and a stairway leading to the upper rooms.

The stairway and the passage with rooms on either side

My room mate and me in our room with a creation by the room boy!!

There was a huge dining area and every meal was a buffet with a variety of Egyptian and continental dishes. The upper deck also had a gift shop.

The dining area

The upper most deck was open with a swimming pool and nice relaxing chairs for the guests to enjoy the views.


The swimming pool and the open deck on top for relaxing

As we sailed on the Nile, the landscape on either side was predominantly desert like with few green areas with vegetation. At places we passed small towns and cities.

The views from our window as we sailed along.

When we docked at Kom Ombo we could see the temple from the ship…

Kom Ombo temple from the ship

The locks…

We had one very interesting and unique experience during the cruise. We crossed the Esna locks. Here the ship enters an enclosed space where the water level is maintained by using mechanical devices and then when the locks are opened, the ship safely sails to the other side . This becomes necessary when water levels are different and the ship has to be safely brought to the corresponding water level.

Acrobatic business!!!

As we approached the locks, locals in small boats came alongside and started selling their wares. The cool thing about it was they would throw the materials in a plastic cover on to the ship and we could put the money back in the cover and throw it back to them. Some acrobatic business deals!!!!

Approaching the locks and a small boat comes along selling local goods

There were lot of other ships and they were all in a queue formation and awaiting their turn to cross the locks.

Two other ships crossing the locks

We could see the lock mechanism opening and letting the ship sail through.


The lock mechanism that controls the water level

Our ship, clears the locks

This whole process took around half an hour and all of us were on the top deck enjoying this unique experience.

In the evenings after our sightseeing trips and dinner, belly dance and other cultural shows were organized for our entertainment. The staff on the cruise encouraged us to dance to local music which was fun… take a look.

Dancing to Egyptian music

Our final destination on the cruise was Luxor and after the local sight seeing trips we left the ship to the airport for our flight back to Cairo but not before a picture to save our memories of this unique experience…

Our group bids farewell to Radamis II, our ship that was our home for three days.

Hope you all enjoyed this cruise. Next week we meet at a different destination. Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Crocodile Mummies and History at Kom Ombo Temple

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Standing on the banks of the Nile, is this unique TWIN temple in the town of Kom Ombo ,near Aswan in Egypt. One temple is dedicated to Sobek, ( crocodile headed God with a human body) and other to Horus,( falcon-headed God). Dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods ,the temple is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis, has two entrances, two halls with carvings of the two gods on either side and twin sanctuaries. Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes and invaders.

The Nile was at one point of time infested with crocodiles who would attack the locals and it was believed that if they made it an object of worship, they would not be attacked. Kom Ombo temple was at one point of time teeming with crocodiles. Captive crocodiles were kept in the temple and even today, mummified crocodiles are seen here.

The temple has a crocodile museum where crocodile mummies have been displayed.

Sobek ( The crocodile headed God)

Sobek or the Crocodile God is depicted as a crocodile headed man wearing a crown with two ram horns and a sun disk and two plumes. The ancient Egyptians prayed to Sobek for protection, strength and fertility. Though initially he was believed to be a protector from crocodiles, later he was known as the “Lord of the Waters” as they believed that the Nile was created with his sweat. Since crocodiles bask in the sun and return to the dark waters at night, Sobek was also regarded as the protector of Ra or the Sun God. This illustrates the importance attached to crocodiles in ancient Egyptian culture.

Sobek…the crocodile headed God

Our trip

We were on a Nile cruise and after sailing from Aswan at noon, we reached Kom Ombo by evening. The temple was visible from the cruise itself as we docked at Kom Ombo.

View of the temple as we docked at Kom Ombo

Soon we alighted from the cruise and walked up to the temple. It was getting dark and the lit up temple entrance looked awesome.

The illuminated entrance to the Kom Ombo temple

The main feature of the temple was the hall with multiple pillars with reliefs depicting the Gods and the kings.

Entering the hall

The hall with massive columns with reliefs.

Many of the pillars have symbolic representation of upper and lower Egypt by the lotus and lily flowers.

The symbolic floral representation on top of the columns

Images of some of the important reliefs seen on the columns…

The coronation of the King

The other interesting feature is the large number of hieroglyphic displays. Here are two such displays…

Hieroglyphic numbers

Hieroglyphic representation of seasons

The pillared halls lead to a central courtyard and from there on to the inner chambers. Many of the chambers were used to store valuables and papyrus documents but lie in ruins now . However, secret underground passages are seen. It is believed that these chambers were used by priests to answer the petitions of pilgrims as if it is spoken by God adding authenticity and belief among the devout.

The secret underground chambers

As we walk along the outer passage we come across a stone block where pictures of ancient Egyptian medical instruments were depicted.

The display of ancient Egyptian surgical instruments

Nilograph

A deep well with height measurements clearly marked on the sides surprised us. Zak, our guide pitched in to explain that this was a Nilograph. This was used in ancient Egypt to measure the water level in the Nile as it was connected to the river lower down. Taxes for the locals were calculated as per the water level in the Nile as drought years were low tax years!! Can you even imagine that the Nile controlled so many aspects of ancient Egyptian life?

Nilograph

The Crocodile Museum

As we move outside the temple, we reach the crocodile museum. This museum has various exhibits connected to the relationship between ancient Egyptians and crocodiles. Mummified crocodiles and sarcophagus of crocodiles can be seen here.

Some pictures from the Crocodile museum

A crocodile sculpture

Mummified crocodiles

Crocodiles wrapped in linen saturated with oils and resins after desiccation with salts. Palm leaves helped in supporting the mummies and preservation.

Crocodile Mummies wrapped in linen soaked in oils and resins

Crocodile mummies in ceramic coffins with pots and other burial goods

Crocodile Eggs

After finishing the visit to the Kom Ombo temple , I must admit I was left with a strange feeling. I was shaken up with all the crocodile mummies and the strange customs of the ancient people.

I left with the feeling that the world never leaves us with a dearth of things to ponder on!!!

Next week we shall enjoy the cruise on the Nile that actually took us to these destinations and more to come….

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Discovering Abu Simbel: A Journey Through History

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Abu Simbel is a historic site on the banks of Lake Nasser some 230 kms. from Aswan in Egypt which houses two massive rock cut temples. Egyptian kings often deified themselves and this is one such example where the great temple is dedicated to Ramesses II, the king and the Gods Amon-Ra, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah. The smaller temple at the complex is dedicated to the queen Nefertari and the Goddess Hathor, the cow headed God of love, music and fertility.

History

Built between 1264 -1244 BC, by Ramesses II to commemorate his victory against the Hittites, it is one of the most impressive structures built by him. Nubia was an important region controlled by Egypt and it was very rich in gold and other precious metals. The building of this temple by Ramesses II is also attributed to his wanting to impress the Nubians about his prowess. By 6th century BC, the temples fell into disuse and was covered by sand. It was in 1813 that a Swiss researcher Burckhardt discovered the partly buried temple.

Relocation

When Egypt embarked on a project to build the Aswan High Dam, the temple was in danger of submersion. It was the UNESCO and other partner nations who together embarked on an ambitious project to relocate this temple between 1964 and 1968. Relocation of this temple was one of the greatest challenges of engineering undertaken by a multinational team of archaeologists, engineers and heavy equipment operators. The entire complex was dismantled, lifted and relocated to a higher and farther location from the river bank.

The relocation process and a model of the old (red) and new(green) locations of the temple (archives)

Our Trip

We had checked into our cruise liner at Aswan the previous afternoon and indulged in some activities like a felucca (sail boat) ride and a visit to a Nubian village. From the cruise liner, we started early morning with packed breakfast for a 3 hour drive to Abu Simbel .The drive was through the desert and offered us nice views of the desert …. particularly the sunrise .

The sun rises on the Sahara

The desert road and a pit stop on the way

As we drove along, we were very close to the Sudan border as this temple is very close to Sudan. Finally, we arrived at our destination and a short walk along the banks of Lake Nasser took us to the temple threshold.

The Pathway to the temple by lake Nasser and the board showing old and new location.

As mentioned earlier there are two temples in the Abu Simbel complex, The Great Temple and The Small Temple.

The Great Temple

This is the first temple that we come across as we approach the complex. The Great temple at Abu Simbel is dedicated to the Gods Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah.

The entrance to the temple is incredible to behold. There are four colossal statues of Ramesses II in a sitting position and wearing the crown of upper and lower Egypt; two on either side of the doorway to the inside. The statue to the immediate left of the entrance was damaged during an earthquake and was not restored but placed at the feet of the statues where they were found. Next to Ramesses’s legs are smaller statues of his wife Nefertari, his mother and his children.

Just above the doorway is a bas-relief of the king worshiping the falcon headed God Ra-Horakhty

Entrance to the Great temple with the four statues and smaller statues near the legs.

Bas-relief above the doorway showing Ramesses II worshiping Ra-Horakhty (falcon headed God)

The inner part of the temple has the same layout that most Egyptian temples follow. The hall has 8 huge columns depicting the deified king Ramesses II .

The inner hall with huge carved columns resembling Ramesses II

The interior of this hall is adorned from floor to ceiling with reliefs of Ramesses II making offerings and engaging in war with the Hittites and various hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Ramesses II making offerings to Horus

War scenes where Ramesses II is seen attacking the Hittites

The reliefs on the ceiling

As we enter the second hall, there are gigantic pillars with reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

The second hall of the Ramesses II temple with pillars having reliefs

Bas-relief showing Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari

From this hall we are led into the sanctuary of the temple which is similar to the sanctum sanctorum.

Here on a black wall are four rock cut statues ; Ra Horakhty, Ramesses II, Amun Ra and Ptah. It is believed that the axis of the ancient temple was so designed that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the Sun would illuminate the three statues except Ptah who is the God of the dead who always remains in dark.

At the sanctuary with four sculptures

After we exited the Great temple, a walk of about hundred meters ahead, lead us to the Small Temple

The Small Temple

The Small Temple is dedicated to Goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari.

The entrance facade of the Small Temple

The rock cut facade is decorated with six statues of the king and queen ; three on either side of the doorway. This is the second temple in Egyptian history to be dedicated to a queen; the first one being the one dedicated to Queen Nefertiti. Remarkably, this is one of the very few places where the queen’s statue is of the same size as the king! Usually, they are all depicted below the knees of the king.

Entering through the doorway, we reached a hall with pillars but here the focus is on the Queen Nefertari and Goddess Hathor.

First pillar hall of Nefertari temple

One of the most illustrative reliefs here is of Queen Nefertari making offerings of Papyrus to Hathor, the cow headed Goddess on a boat in a papyrus grove.

Nefertari making papyrus offerings to Hathor

Another bas relief showing the queen making offerings

Many of the pillars here have Goddess Hathor with the cow head depicted on the top.

A Hathoric pillar

The interior is entirely done up with coloured reliefs

The interior walls with coloured reliefs

Moving into the sanctuary, the main sanctum has a niche in the wall with the cow goddess Hathor coming out of a mountain with the queen making offerings to her.

The main sanctum of the small temple.

As we move out of the temple complex there are beautiful views of Lake Nasser.

Lake Nasser as we see it from the Abu Simbel Temple.

Soon, we all assembled at the appointed location and proceeded to the bus . We had to reach the cruise ship by noon to sail to Kom Ombo . The Kom Ombo temple dedicated to crocodiles was our destination that evening.

See you next week at the crocodile temple. Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Aswan: From pet crocodiles to scenic felucca rides

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Aswan; in southern Egypt is a slow paced, historic and picturesque city on the banks of the Nile . The unique island temples like Philae and the ancient villages of the Nubians around have led to its popularity as a tourist destination.

The Aswan High dam was built to control flooding in the Nile, provide irrigation and hydroelectric power and it has changed the economy of this city. The dam helps provide year round irrigation developing agriculture with cotton, sugarcane and lentils forming the major agricultural produce.

However, when the dam was built, large areas of the old Nile valley was flooded and thus was born the Lake Nasser. It inundated many of the temples and archaeological sites along the Nile; Abu Simbel and Philae temples being the more significant ones. Extensive and special engineering techniques have helped relocate many of these sites to higher locations .

The stone quarries of ancient Egypt located at Aswan was the source of granite used to build most of the colossal statues and obelisks and monolithic shrines found all over Egypt including the pyramids. The techniques used by ancient Egyptians to quarry and transport these massive blocks to different locations is still a mystery to the modern world.

We flew in to Aswan from Cairo and were put up at a hotel overlooking the Nile. The elephantine island across and the graceful felucca boats provided splendid views from our room.

The Elephantine island across the Nile and a felucca gracefully sailing along

Philae temple was our first destination at Aswan and we spent the morning at this famous temple dedicated to God Isis. Philae temple was exclusively covered in the last episode. After visiting Philae, we drove past the Aswan High dam which is one of Aswan’s land marks.

Aswan High Dam

Built between 1960 and 1970, across the Nile river, this dam is one of the largest embankment dams in the world. There is an old Aswan dam built much earlier and inspite of that, flooding was a regular hazard along the banks of the Nile causing lot of damage. The new dam helped control that besides providing irrigation support and electricity.

Driving towards the dam we saw a monument to the Soviet Egyptian Cooperation in building this dam.

The monument of Soviet Egyptian partnership

The Aswan High Dam and attached power station

Feluccas

Feluccas are traditional wooden sail boats with single sails seen in many Mediterranean countries and in Egypt. It can typically accommodate around 10 passengers and is used as a mode of transport here. Sailing on a felucca is a unique experience offered to tourists at Aswan and we enjoyed this ride with the boatmen singing traditional songs.

Felucca boats on the Nile

Enjoy an Egyptian song by clicking on this video above.

On a felucca

Enjoying these local performances, we spent about an hour on the felucca sailing on the Nile.

After the felucca ride, we had another interesting plan and that was a visit to a Nubian village as suggested by our local guide

Nubians

Nubians are indigenous people of northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They differ ethnically and culturally from other Egyptians. The Nile has several islands and many of these islands in southern Egypt are inhabited by Nubians. Most Nubians practice Islam.

Their houses have unique architectural features with large ornately decorated gates facing the Nile. Geometric patterns, motifs and symbols connected to the family adorn the walls of their houses.

Crocodiles form a significant part of their culture and are often kept as pets in Nubian homes. They are believed to bring good luck

We visited a Nubian village by a motor boat. Some pictures from this visit…

The Aga Khan Mausoleum on one of the islands on the Nile

The Nubian village as we approached it

After we alighted from the boat, our guide helped us clear the steps in partial darkness and we soon stepped into the village. It was live and active with many shops selling local merchandise and villagers going about their daily routines. The most peculiar feature was the brightly painted houses and shops. It was a riot of color everywhere.

The streets of the Nubian village

Soon we were at the entrance to a home.

The colorful entrance

We were welcomed to their home and we reached a central hall where again the walls were painted. We sat down comfortably and soon realized that there was a central shallow tank that housed a live crocodile. It looked very cruel to put an animal in such a small enclosure. But that is supposed to be a part of their custom and is now used to attract tourists and bring in the money.

The hall with painted walls and the shallow tank with the crocodile

The pet crocodile in the tank (looked pathetic)

A young boy then came up with a baby crocodile whose mouth had been tied up. The guests who wanted to hold the baby or have a picture with it were allowed to do so. It felt rather cruel to me and I did not venture in to that.

One of the baby crocodiles

We were served some tea and local snacks and then taken around the house.

Other areas of the house

After the visit to the Nubian village we walked back to our boat and sailed back to our ship with mixed feelings. Though the houses were very colorful and we liked the customs of the locals, the crocodile part felt bizarre. The cruelty meted out to the baby crocodile also was upsetting.

That brings us to the end of this episode. Next week we meet at the Abu Simbel temple.

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Philae Temple: An Engineering Marvel of Ancient Egypt

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

After our sightseeing at Cairo, we took a domestic flight to Aswan, an Egyptian city on the banks of the Nile. It was from here that we visited many of the temples of ancient Egypt that will be chronicled in forthcoming episodes. We start this , with an episode on the Philae temple dedicated to the Goddess Isis.

Legend of Isis

The legend associated with this temple has all the elements of a crime thriller. Isis, the Mother Goddess, her consort Osiris and their son Horus form the characters of this story . Isis was believed to posses magical powers and knowledge of secretive formulae. Osiris was killed by his brother Seth. His body parts were strewn at many places so that they could not be retrieved. His wife Isis used all her magical powers and managed to get them and put them back together and miraculously brought Osiris back to life. Then, they had a son Horus. He too had a snake bite and Isis used her wisdom to save him. The Isis cult found its way to the Mediterranean too; thus explaining the Greek and Roman connections of this temple.

A painting depicting Osiris (left) and Isis (right) with the sun disk and horns.

History of Philae Temple

Philae is actually a small island in the Nile situated south of Aswan. It was the epicenter of the cult of Isis popularly known as Mother of God. She was worshiped by the Egyptians and Nubians ( Ethiopians ) alike. The Ptolemies built temples to the most beloved Gods and Goddesses of the Egyptians. Ptolemy II (285 – 246 BC) started the construction of the temple and from there starts the history of the Isis temple at Philae. This also explains the Greek and Roman architectural features here in contrast to the other temples. Christianity came to Egypt under Theodosius around 379 AD and after that, there was a systematic attempt at destruction of the temple and conversion to a church . The Philae temple thus stands as the last outpost of ancient Egyptian traditions.

When the old Aswan dam was built , the temple came under threat of inundation and when the height of the dam was increased in 1912, the temple lay inundated for part of the year. Subsequently with raising the dam height further, the temple was inundated for most of the time with only the high pylon being visible above water level.

A monumental Engineering feat

When the new Aswan High Dam was built ; leading to the formation of Lake Nasser , it was clear that the temple would be lost forever and then with the help of UNESCO, the temple was dismantled and relocated to the Agilkai Island where it is today.

A coffer dam was built and water was pumped out exposing the limestone blocks. There were 47000 stones and they were dissected, stone by stone, cleaned, treated, numbered and stored. While this was on, granite from the Agilkai island had to be blasted to maintain the original look of the temple. The stones were then transported to their new home and reassembled exactly like the original. Following this, the temple was thrown open to visitors.

This was indeed a monumental feat of engineering. Even now the numbers on the blocks are visible. The meticulous and precise work that has gone into this gigantic project is awe inspiring indeed!!!

Our Visit

We were dropped off by our bus near a boat jetty from where we boarded a motor boat to the Agilkai island on the Nile.

On the boat to the Philae temple

After alighting from the boat, a short walk took us to the courtyard in front of the main gate. This courtyard was lined by shops selling everything a tourist wants…from trinkets to clothes to souvenirs.

Courtyard with shops on either side and the items on sale

Soon we were at the main gate of the temple.

The main entrance to the temple with Lake Nasser behind.

Walking along the sides of Lake Nasser, we reached the threshold of the main temple. There is an open courtyard with decorated pillars on either side leading to the entrance pylon.

An open courtyard with pillars on either side .

The entrance pylon lies ahead with two towers ,one on either side of the doorway. These towers are decorated with figures of a pharaoh wearing the crown of upper and lower Egypt lifting his club and holding his enemy by the hair and punishing him in the presence of Isis. Thus the Pharaoh takes credit for suppressing the enemies and keeps up the tradition of the land.

Two granite lions( partly mutilated) guard the main doorway.

Entrance pylon with the Pharaoh wearing the crown of upper and lower Egypt and punishing enemies in front of Isis

The other half of the entrance pylon with the damaged lion guarding the entrance.

Passing through the doorway we reach a central courtyard again with columns on either side. The other end of the central courtyard lies the second pylon with entry into the actual temple of Isis

The doorway leading to the central courtyard

The row of columns surrounding the central courtyard. The Corinthian (Petals on top) pillars are typically Greek and Roman styles.

Corinthian pillars typical of Greek and Roman architecture

The Reliefs on the columns depicting ancient Egyptian kings and Gods

In front of second pylon where the main temple entry is located.

A Stael in front of the second pylon with hieroglyphic inscriptions

After crossing the second pylon, we enter the main temple. Here, the walls are decorated with fine reliefs of the Ptolemaic kings making offerings to Egyptian Gods. At many places there is evidence of deliberate attempts to damage the reliefs.

Some pictures inside the temple of Isis.

The offering of eyes to the God. Note the deliberate chiseling to damage the relief.

There is also a hall where the walls show reliefs connected to perfumery which had been famous in ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphic inscriptions on perfume preparation are also found here.

The King offers a baboon. Note the hieroglyphic depictions below the king’s hand

Walking further inside, we reach the main sanctuary of the temple. Here there is evidence of it being converted into a church. The main altar has the sign of the cross etched on it.

The altar at the sanctuary with etched crosses

Once we exited from the sanctuary, we reached the beautiful views of Lake Nasser. From here, the original position of the temple is visible as some projecting pillars in the lake.

The pillars in Lake Nasser where the original temple was located.

The Kiosk of Trajan

Adjacent to the lake front is another structure, the Kiosk of Trajan which is perhaps the most publicized picture of the Philae temple. A rectangular building with 14 columns with floral capitals, where the Emperor Trajan is shown burning incense as an offering to Isis.

The Kiosk of Trajan

By now we had exhausted our designated time at the temple and we made our way to the bus and on to our lunch halt.

To sum it up, this temple built by Ptolemy II was initially dedicated to Goddess Isis and her family but with the advent of Christianity, gradually it was converted into a church. It shows features of Egyptian, Greek and Roman architectural features. Almost submerged in Lake Nasser after the building of the Aswan High dam, it was miraculously relocated by a marvelous engineering feat.

Hope you enjoyed this visit . Next week we visit Abu Simbel , another great temple of ancient Egypt.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.