Our tour of Egypt included a cruise down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. It was a once in a lifetime holiday. We were able to visit several temples and ancient sites.
Edfu,
Kom Ombo and
Philae Temples were intriguing. Each one was unique, but had similarities. I like the Kom Ombo Temple and its dual role as a temple for Horus (the falcon) and Sobek (the crocodile). We even saw a mummified crocodile. The ancient Egyptians personified their gods in creatures they either feared or respected. With the Sobek, they wanted to give offering to him to protect themselves from crocodiles.
High Dam in Aswan
Nile River Cruise
Kom Ombo
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| Calendar |
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| Entrance to Sanctuary |
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| Ceiling Painting of Horus the sky god |
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| Crocodile mummy |
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| Wall carving Tutmosis III bearing gifts to Isis and Horus |
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| Wall carving of defeated enemies |
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Philae Temple
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| East Colonnade |
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| First Pylon - Pharoah Defeating Enemies |
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| Temple of Isis Columns at entrance |
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| Temple of Isis |
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| Temple of Isis Sanctuary |
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| West Colonnade |
Edfu
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| Enclosure Wall to keep enemies out |
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| First Pylon |
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| Nilometer. Every year they would measure the water level determine taxes. If the water was higher, higher taxes because the more water, the more crops. If the water was lower, lower taxes. |
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| Sanctuary with sacred barque. Used to carry the god/goddess during ceremonies. |
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| Vestibule with Abigail |
Valley of the Kings. We were able to enter three tombs, Ramses III, Meremptah and Ramses I. Ms A went inside one and she had enough. It was hot, dark, humid and cramped. Reed and I took turns watching her while the other went inside the second tomb, then our guide watch her when we went inside the third tomb. It was amazing to see the colors, drawings and carvings. We were able to see
Merenptah's stone sarcophagus.
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| Meremptah entrance |
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| Ramses III entrance |
The Temple of
Queen Hatshepsut was fabulous. We visited the temple toward the end of Ramadan, so there were several people visiting the sights. We were surprised to have people ask to take a picture of Ms A despite the fact that there was a HUGE temple behind them being ignored.
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| The Egyptian people loved Ms A. So many wanted pictures with her, she got a little tired by this point. |
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Queen Hatsheput Statue
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| Colossi of Memnon - This little boy wanted to sell Ms A a trinket, but she was more interested in glo bracelets. |
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| West Bank - Deir el-Medina Ptolamaic temple |
Karnak and
Luxor were amazing.
Two movie tidbits: In
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen the final battle between Optimus Prime versus Megatron, The Fallen, and Starscream takes place in the hypostyle hall at Karnak. Also, Karnak is featured in the James Bond movie
The Spy Who Loved Me.
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| The two temples used to be joined by a road that had rams on either side of the road. |
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| The ram-lined road still exists, but it is in ruins at certain parts. |
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Columns
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| The Lucky scarab is a favorite thing to do. Scarabs bring good fortune. Legend says if you walk around it three times you'll find love; five times children and seven times wealth. |
Luxor. Our guide had us wait a little to visit the temple at dusk. It was beautiful with the lights and sunset.
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| Cartouche of Ramesses II |
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| Courtyard |
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| Ramses II with Papyrus and Lotus Flower. Both represent wealth, health and good fortune |
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| Sitting Ramesses II Colossus inside |
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| Luxor Temple at dusk. There used to two obelisks, but one stands at the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. |
