Alexandria

We arrive in Cairo one day early to visit the Egyptian Museum before beginning our tour just as locals begin four days of demonstrations in Tahrir Square. Everyone we met cautions us to stay away from the museum because it’s is right next to Tahrir Square. Thirty-three people die during the demonstrations. Egyptians are glued to their televisions as news stations stream live coverage of the events.

We meet our guide and driver, then leave for two days of sight- seeing in Alexandria. We hope the demonstrations will quiet down when we come back to Cairo.

First stop. Pompey’s Pillar is a 30m column standing over the ruins of the ancient settlement of Rhakotis, the original town that became Alexandria. The column was misnamed by travelers in the past. An inscription at the base notes that it was erected in 291AD to support a statue of Diocletian.

Remains of only Roman Amphitheatre in Egypt.

Exterior of Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The walls are grey Aswan granite, carved with letters, pictograms, hieroglyphs, and symbols from 120 different human scripts.

We join a comprehensive tour inside the library. The library opened in 2002 and has shelf space for over 8 million books. The main reading room is huge and cascades over 11 levels. It’s beautiful.

The main reading room is covered by a 32meter-high glass paneled roof, tilted out to diffuse light, and measuring some 160 meters in diameter.

Another view from gallery. You can access their website at: link

Our last tour in Alexandria is the Citadel of Qaitbay. It was built in 1480AD by the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay over the ruins of the legendary Pharos lighthouse.

Looking across the bay to the Alexandria Library.

 

Egyptian Museum

We return from Alexandria and the demonstrations have quieted down. We are allowed to visit the Egyptian Museum. We surrender our cameras as no cameras are allowed in the museum.

We walk around the grounds before the tour begins. Our guide, M, gives a talk about the history of the pharaohs using the men and women from our group to play each part. Gregg is Ramses II and I’m Nefertari, his wife.

The burned out building in the background is what’s left of the February demonstrations this year.

We tour the museum and it’s almost deserted. We have the Tutankhamun’s room with his solid gold death mask weighing 11kg all to ourselves along with his two golden sarcophagi and jewels. We wander from room to room admiring all the treasures, including the pharaoh’s lion throne that’s covered in sheet gold and inlaid with lapis, carnelion, and other semi-precious gemstones.

We pay an extra admission and toured the Royal Mummy Room with mummies dating from the 17th to the 21st dynasties (1650 BC – 945BC).

As we left the museum we drove past one of the Tahrir Square entrances. People are still demonstrating, but every day there are fewer people coming.

 

Great Pyramids at Giza

The congested city suburb of Giza comes right up to the Pyramids.

First view of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Gregg standing in front of the Pyramid of Khufu, the oldest and largest of the three pyramids. It originally stood at 146 meters when it was completed around 2570 BC, but 46 centuries of wind erosion has reduced the height by 9m. Workers laid 2.3 million lime stones blocks, each weighing about 2.5 tons each.

You can’t see it, but I’m jumping up and down like a little girl inside.

We drive around the site for a panoramic view. Khufu on the left, Khafre in the middle and Menkaure on the right.

Group shot with the Pyramids in the background.

Kodak moment.

Most of the members want to ride a camel. We politely decline. We rode camels in Morocco and they’re uncomfortable.

Pyramid of Khafre. Khafre seems higher than the others, but at 136 meters high, it isn’t. It stands on higher ground and it’s peak is still capped with remnants of limestone casing.

Menkaure Pyramid stands at 62m. We paid an extra admission and climbed into one of the chambers inside.

Signs were posted everywhere. People still climbed up the rocks. The guards were busy shooing people off the ruins.

Bedouins riding camels.

 

The Sphinx

The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock at the bottom of the causeway leading to the pyramid of Khafre. Archeologists believe his features are the ones portrayed on the Sphinx.

Behind the Sphinx is the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Khufu pyramid with the 3 smaller Queen’s Pyramids.

Last view of Khafre with its remaining limestone casing at the top.

Tonight we’ll board an overnight train to Aswan. The ride is about 12 hours.

 

Aswan High Dam

The High Dam was started in 1960 and completed in 1971. The original Aswan Dam (6 km downstream) was completed in 1902. The new dam was built because the old dam was not big enough to manage the unpredictable annual Nile flooding. Behind the dam is Lake Nassar, the largest artificial lake in the world.

 

Philae Temple

We’re visiting the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae. The temple was built and enlarged over a period of 500 years (285BC – 305AD) by successive pharaohs. After the completion of the Aswan High Dam UNESCO moved the complex (1972 – 1980) to higher ground so it wouldn’t be submerged by the rising waters of Lake Nassar.

First temple view.

Outer Temple Court.

Standing in the Outer Temple Court looking towards the First Pylon and the Gate of Ptolemy. To the right is the Temple of Imhotep.

We wander into the complex and view the inner temple dedicated to Isis. We finish up at the Kiosk of Trajan before leaving the island.

 

Abu Simbel

We get up at 2:30am to drive 4 hours to Abu Simbel. We have an armed police escort

Sunrise over the desert:

Our hotel has provided a boxed breakfast. Hostess Twinkies are very popular in Egypt. They’ve become a running joke in our group.

The early wake-up call and four hour drive are quickly forgotten as we walk the path to Abu Simbel. We’ve traveled 280 km south of Aswan and are only 40 km north of the Sudanese border. Abu Simbel overlooks Lake Nassar. The two monuments (Great Temple of Ramses II and Temple of Hathor) were originally carved out of the mountain on the west bank of the Nile in the 13th century BC.

The Great Temple of Ramses II is more than 20 meters high. Ancient engineers aligned the temple so that twice a year (February 22nd and October 22nd) the first rays of sunrise pass through three interior chambers and illuminate four seated statues.

Lake Nassar was created after the building of the Aswan Dam and the ruins would have been submerged if modern days engineers didn’t move them. The entire complex was moved by Unesco in 1968 to two man-made domed structures (to accommodate the interior courts and galleries) high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. Modern day engineers aligned the temples so the interior chambers are illuminated at sunrise on February 23rd and October 23, one day later than the original.

Temple of Hathar. Rock cut facade fronted by 6 ten m standing statues of Ramses and Nefertari.

Last view of Abu Simbel.

 

Sailing on the Nile

Today we’re sailing feluccas on the Nile.

We are divided into two groups. We stow our gear, then get ready to sail. Our group has the nursery fabric floor. We’ll sail the better part of the day, then pull up to a support boat with a communal dining deck and western style bathrooms. Tonight we’ll sleep on the deck of our feluccas.

We have a crew of two Nubians.

We’re zig-zagging back and forth across the Nile. With each turn the wind fills our sails and pushes us downstream.

The water is getting more choppy. The felucca dips closer to the water line with every turn. Our guide, M, is getting nervous. The wind has started pushing the current harder and white caps are forming.

It’ll take too long to sail against the wind to our destination. After a couple of hours M calls for the support boat to tow us. We’re towed to a sandbar in the Nile and the crew shimmies up the mast and ties up the sails.

Our feluccas follow in towed formation. Another group has given up on sailing the Nile and joined us on the motorized boat.

Passing under the Aswan bridge at sunset.

A delightful and unexpected surprise. Gregg is invited to pilot the boat! Fortunately, he has a better sense of direction than I do.

We arrive at our destination after sunset to a wonderful dinner and lots of laughter talking over the days events. We choose our spots on the felcuca deck and lay out the sleeping bags (and extra blankets) and drift off to sleep.

 

Kom Ombo Temple

The Temple of Kom Ombo stands on a promontory at a bend in the Nile river. It is a double temple. One side is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god while the other side is dedicated to Horus the Elder. There are twin entrances, two shared hypostyle halls and twin sanctuaries.

wandering among the ruins.

standing in front of a carved relief.

standing in front of a carved column.

Horus and Isis.

broken columns.

 

Temple of Horus at Edfu

The temple we see today was built over a period of 180 years starting in 237 BC, but built on much earlier structures, some dating back over 3000 years. The temple relief carvings are so well preserved that archeologists have much valuable information about the temple rituals and the power of the priesthood.

Entrance with double Horus falcon statues.

Double cobra with winged sun disk over entrance.

Detail of Horus falcon statue.

Court of Offerings leading to the Outer Hypostyle Hall.

Horus falcon statue in black granite outside Outer Hypostyle Hall.

Walking among the columns in the Outer Hypostyle Hall.

Wall carvings.

This is my favorite carving. The goddess Isis wraps her arms protectively around a pharaoh to shield him from any evil.

Wall carved relief of Horus.

Horus with the body of a lion.

Scarob carving on an exterior wall.