Tag: Egypt

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.

Exploring the Pyramids of Giza: A Timeless Adventure

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Waking up to a pleasant morning at our hotel in Giza, we knew that it would turn out to be an iconic day for us. We were scheduled to visit the Pyramids which are synonymous with Egypt and undoubtedly the highlight of our Egypt trip. Before I get into the details of our visit to the Pyramids, let me take you through their history and highlights .

Some facts about the Pyramids…

The Pyramids of Egypt are monumental tombs built around 4500 years ago and were expected to last an eternity. These pyramids housed the bodies of the kings and kept it safe and was a demonstration of the social status. Egypt’s Pharaohs expected to become Gods in afterlife and built these temples and tombs filled with things they would need in the next world. That explains the enormous amount of treasures recovered during excavations here.

The fourth dynastic King Sneferu ( 2686 – 2667 BC) was the first to build the pyramid structure that we associate Egypt with today. He built three pyramids ; out of which the first two were failures due to structural instability and they were abandoned. The third one, called the Red Pyramid built of red limestone blocks became the world’s first successful true pyramid.

With the red pyramid, Sneferu set the outlines for future pyramids including burial chambers, mortuary temples and a causeway leading to the valley temple. This formed the basis of the largest pyramid ….. The Great Pyramid in Giza built by Sneferu’s son Khufu.

There are over 100 recorded pyramids in Egypt, most of them belonging to minor royalty or have no known owners. They stood out conspicuously in the landscape as potential troves of wealth attracting robbers. Soon the Pharaohs realized this and stopped building pyramids.

In common parlance, when we talk of the pyramids ; what we refer to is the pyramid complex at Giza.

Map of the various locations where pyramids were built

The Giza Pyramid complex

The complex which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Memphis and its Necropolis” consists of three main pyramids , many small pyramids, The Great Sphinx and several archaeological monuments

The three main pyramids in the Giza complex are The Great Pyramid (Pyramid of Cheops or Khufu), The Pyramid of Khafre and The Pyramid of Menkaure built on a rocky plateau on the west bank of the Nile .

The Great Pyramid is the oldest of the pyramids and remains largely intact. It is an engineering marvel built over a twenty year period by the Pharaoh Khufu (2575 – 2566 BC) with approximately 23,00,000 limestone blocks each weighing 2.5 tonnes. It was entirely cased in white limestone creating a uniform surface. Destructive forces have ensured that none of this remains and the exterior appears irregular.

How the external surface was originally

The four corners of the Great Pyramid face four cardinal directions, the sides form an angle of 51 degrees and the original height was 481 feet. The pyramid was encased with smooth limestone paste for several centuries which was later destroyed. There are three known chambers inside the pyramid and visitors are allowed to the King’s chamber which has a granite sarcophagus which lies empty now.

The next Pyramid in the complex is The Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren ) built by Khafre ( 2558 – 2532 BC); the son of Khufu. This pyramid lies near the Great Pyramid and deceptively appears taller due to its location at a higher ground level. It is actually only 447 ft. tall. The peculiarity is that the apex still retains some of the limestone casing.

Khafre also built the Great Sphinx; a mysterious limestone monument with the body of a lion and head of a pharaoh . The face of the sphinx is believed to be that of Khafre himself. Before the 1800s this was buried in sand with only the head visible. It has unfortunately been partly mutilated and reconstructed multiple times.

The smallest of the three pyramids is the Pyramid of Menkaure built by Menkaure (2532 -2503 BC) ;the son of Khafre. Its height is only 228 ft.

The Pyramids were looted and plundered internally and externally. Various accounts of mummies, and treasures having been found are available. In fact one report claims the presence of three shrouded bodies, a sarcophagus filled with gold, a corpse in golden armour and a ruby as big as an egg!!!!Most of the treasures are now missing and the limestone casing outside is destroyed except for the apex of the pyramid of Khafre.

The Pyramids of Menkaura (front), Khafre(middle) and Khufu(last) at Giza Pyramid complex. Multiple smaller partially damaged pyramids lie in front.

How were the pyramids built?

Ancient Egyptian engineering was so impressive that even today, modern scientists and engineers are not sure of what techniques they used. The Nile and its network of waterways were probably used to transport granite and other materials from Aswan, Sinai peninsula and even Lebanon. Giant ramps are believed to have been used to move the blocks to the top. Imaging technology will in future probably provide the blueprint for how they built these timeless monuments.

Our Trip

Driving down from our hotel at Giza, we were at the entrance to the Pyramid complex. There was a long queue for the tickets but as our local guide had already arranged for the tickets, we had a quick entry .

The crowd and the modern entry plaque

Walking in , the Great Pyramid of Khufu was right in front of us and the sheer size of the structure was bewildering. In fact it was difficult to get the entire pyramid in one frame…

The Great Pyramid

At The Great Pyramid

The walls are made up of irregular stones, many of them showing signs of wear and tear.

The blocks that make the walls of the pyramid and the steps leading inside

There are two openings on the pyramid from where one can enter to reach the final burial chamber. The lower one which was created later is the one through which tourists are allowed to enter. It is called Robbers Tunnel.

The two entrances

Climbing the steps to reach the entrance is itself quite difficult with the height of the stones. After we entered the pyramid, it was a narrow passage with steps and people going up and down; it was like a traffic jam. The closed passage gives one a claustrophobic feeling apart from the humidity and sweating which can be uncomfortable. After the steps, there is a ramp and climbing that was also challenging. After the ramp is a very narrow passage where one has to literally crawl for a few meters before we enter the King’s Chamber. This is the burial chamber where the empty sarcophagus is seen.

Just entering the pyramid

The steps and narrow passages inside the pyramid

Inside the King’s chamber with the sarcophagus behind

The empty sarcophagus

After viewing the sarcophagus we made our exit from the pyramid through the same passage and were very happy to be finally outside with fresh air!!

After all of us had returned, we visited the Panorama Point. That’s the place where all the pyramids can be seen together and offers good photo options. (The pyramids are so huge that its difficult to get them all in a frame from close up)

Panorama point from where all three pyramids can be simultaneously visualized

Here there were plenty of camels available for taking camel rides.

Camels ready for rides

After some pictures at panorama point, we visited the Sphinx which is actually associated with the pyramid of Khafre.

The Great Sphinx front view with the Pyramid of Khafre behind (note the intact apex)

The side view highlighting body of lion and face of man

In the sphinx complex there was another peculiar feature. There were extensive fields of flat topped funerary structures. These are the Mastabas, which are arranged in a grid fashion and were used for burial of the relatives of the kings or officials. These smaller tombs symbolized the social inequalities between them and the kings .

The Mastabas…smaller tombs for the lower ones on the social ladder

After an exhaustive trip to the pyramids, we boarded our bus and continued our journey to other interesting Egyptian destinations.

The Sound and Light Show

Late in the evening we revisited the pyramids for a spectacular sound and light show which took us through the various important events in the history of these massive creations

Enjoy the pictures and video below

Video of the sound and light show

It was a once in a lifetime experience visiting this ancient wonder. I hope you enjoyed the visit to the Pyramids.

From Giza we moved on to Aswan. See you next week with more from Aswan.

Till then, do subscribe, like and comment.

Discovering Egypt’s cultural ethos on a dinner cruise

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Egypt

Egypt and it’s history had always fascinated me and it was in November 2024 that I had the opportunity to visit Egypt . It was a journey that led me through a lot of history, taking me to some gigantic monuments and temples that were waiting to tell me the story of lost civilizations. The sheer vastness and expanse of some of these monuments held me in awe and at times kept me thinking of human nature; of how entire civilizations were erased from the face of this earth. The ruins led me to stories of human greed and at the same time, the excavations and restorations told me a story of man’s resolve and determination. As I start this series on Egypt, I hope to unfold many of these facets in front of you.

From my introductory remarks, it should be clear that the episodes that follow will be loaded with information on the gigantic monuments built by the pharaohs over many centuries. Most of them considered themselves as intermediaries between God and the commoners. Some considered themselves as God and that explains temples with colossal statues of kings. The belief in life after death had led most of them to bury the dead with all materials needed for an after life. That explains the vast amount of treasures unearthed during excavations. The richness of their civilization will leave one astounded. So gear up for some exciting episodes to follow. Let me start on a lighter note focusing on their music and dance. Let’s go….

Flying in to Cairo, I was fortunate to have a window seat and that gave me the opportunity to witness the infinite expanse of sand and sand dunes as we cruised over the Sahara. A patch of blue caught my attention and as we neared it, I could see it was a water body with ships . This was the Suez canal, an economic lifeline of Egypt.

The Suez Canal (the white spots are ships)

Landing at Cairo, I almost felt I was landing in a desert…even the runway was sandy and seemed to merge with the desert landscape…

The desert landing….

I started this journey with a group of 24 senior citizens and a young and charismatic tour manager.

Starting our journey through history….at Cairo airport

After the formalities at the airport, we boarded the bus to our hotel at Giza close to the pyramids. The Pyramids slowly came into our view as we approached Giza.

The first views of the Pyramids

We checked in to our rooms and settled down for sometime .

At the hotel entrance with my roommate

Soon we were on our way for a dinner on board a cruise boat. The wharf from where the cruise started was all lit up and decorated. The decor there highlighted some of the architectural features of the monuments we were to visit in the next few days.

Our group near the wharf entrance

The decorated wharf side. A model obelisk and a sphinx can be seen.

We walked on to the illuminated cruise boat

Entering the cruise boat

Taking our seats we proceeded to the buffet table to collect our food. The spread was good with a variety of Egyptian food including the famous Koshari , Falafel and Hummus. Koshari is rice with some lentils, falafel is similar to our dal vada and hummus is more like a dip. The rice we had throughout our trip was a little sticky and had a different flavor.

The dinner spread with falafel, hummus and pita bread

Enjoying the dinner on board the cruise boat

Once we had settled down, the boat started cruising on the Nile letting us savor the night views of Cairo. The boat had two decks and we could go up and enjoy the views too…

Night views of Cairo from the cruise boat

Meanwhile, the entertainment on the boat started off with an Egyptian song and very soon, the guests also joined in for a dance.

The singing and dancing added to the fun of the cruise

The ace drummer

A graceful belly dancer glided on to the stage setting many a heart on fire!!….Belly dance is a very famous dance form of the middle east and some parts of Africa and she danced gracefully and enthralled us with her movements…

The twist of the belly!!!

A Sufi whirling dervish performance was the last of the cultural treats of the evening. He whirled around with such perfection and grace that made me wonder how me manages to not lose his balance…

The dervish dance

Having immersed ourselves in the cultural and culinary feast we had not realized that the boat had reached back at the starting point. We soon alighted from the boat and took our bus to the hotel.

With instructions on the next days plans, given by our tour manager, we all rested for the night looking forward to an exciting stay in Egypt..

Our next day tour was to Alexandria….so see you next week at Alexandria. Till then, do subscribe, like and give your comments.