Mother of All Cities

foggy city

El-Qahira, 'the victorious', very lively, colourful city of contrasts.

Those Pyramids

Khephren's Pyramid,what else?

Fondest memory: 

-the morning among the pyramids; as if I went back into the past.
-going into Khephren's pyramid; I was SO excited.

What to take?

Luggage and bags: 

- a rucksack

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: 

- layers of clothing
- good walking shoes

Photo Equipment: 

- a camera
- batteries

Miscellaneous: 

- a bottle of water

Menkaure's Pyramid

Menkaure's (Mycerinus) pyramid's the smallest of the 3 (Mycerinus was Khephren's son and Cheops' grandson, so that might be the reason why).

I've heard that his massive stone sarcophagus was removed for transport to England, but sank on its way near the coast of Spain. All you divers, what are you waiting for?

Address: Giza

Directions: Southwest of Khephren's pyramid.

The Great Sphinx

The Great Sphinx is definitely one of the symbols of Egypt. Most people believe that it represents King Khephren as a guardian of his own monument.

It used to be coloured, but now you can see very little of the original colouring on the headcloth (nemes) and the eyebrows.

The Great Sphinx is the oldest and largest specimen of its kind.

Address: Giza

Directions: East of Khephren's pyramid.

Royal Boat

If you get a chance, don't hesitate to visit the royal boat of King Khufu. It was found in a pit on the south side of his pyramid, and was reassembled from more than 600 original pieces. It's more than 42m long and 5m wide.

Address: Giza

Directions: The south side of Cheops' pyramid.

Khufu's Pyramid

The pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the northernmost and largest of the 3. It was considered as 1 of the 7 wonders of the world, and is the only 1 to have survived.

Did you know that the Great Pyramid contains about 6.25 million tons of stone and that the individual blocks weigh between 2 and 15 tons? That really sounds impressive.

Also, if you want to go inside, be sure to come early, because only 150 people have that pleasure daily. Unfortunately, we weren't among them. Perhaps next time...

Address: Giza

Directions: Northeast of Khephren's pyramid.

Khaefre's Pyramid

waiting to get in

The pyramid of Khaefre ( Khephren ) is the 2nd of the 3. It still has the white cap of stones on its pointed top.

We had the pleasure of entering the Second, Khephren's, Pyramid and I have to say that the way in was a real adventure. We had to walk through very narrow corridors in order to reach the King's Chamber where his sarcophagus once stood. It all looked very mysterious. And the acoustics were excellent. The sound made in this chamber could be heard outside! It really was a great experience!

Address: Giza

Directions: Between Cheops' and Mycerinus' pyramids

The Wonders of Giza

Another pyramid?

The world-famous complex of 3 stone pyramids and the Great Sphinx is a true classical symbol of the Egyptian state. So it would be a great waste to go to Egypt and not visit the pyramids.

Pros: pyramids, of course
Cons: souvenir sellers and camel-men

Row, row, row your boat

a boat ride

In order to get to the other side of the Nile, and Luxor, we had to take a boat. It was a small boat, too much decorated, with music that was so loud we couldn't hear each other. As we were crossing the Nile, some of us for the 1st time, we even managed to hit another boat! We'll never know what the 'captains' yelled to each other when that happened.

A tourist train

the Temple of Hatshepsut plateau

As soon as you pay your admission fee at the gate of the Temple of Hatshepsut or the Valley of the Kings, you're asked to board a tourist train that'll take you closer to the sights.

What to take?

The Valley of the Kings

You'll do a lot of walking, so put on comfortable walking shoes, wear layers of clothing and always have a bottle of water with you!

Another Sacred Place

the entrance

Probably the best time to visit Luxor is at dusk, when everything is illuminated in a special way, and looks even more impressive.

Explore the temple, take a look at its walls covered with reliefs of famous battles and religious scenes, admire the statues of Ramses II and papyrus columns with bud and open-flower capitals, visit the 'Birth Room' with the reliefs on the walls depicting the divine birth of Amenophis III...

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: the southern end of the Thebes east temple complex

Website: http://www.touregypt.net

Taking pictures

the Temple of Hatshepsut

Beware of the guards at the Temple of Hatshepsut! They will try to follow you around offering to take pictures with you, for money.

No cameras!

the entrance to the tomb

It's strictly forbidden to take pictures inside the tombs, so don't embarrass yourself! There are several guards watching your every step!

The Police

The Valley of the Kings

The police are everywhere, along the roads, on the bridges, at the sights...Their job's to make the tourists feel safe.

Sacred Lake

The lake served for ritual purposes and the purification of the priests.

The sacred boats of the Theban Triad floated on the lake. They were decorated and statues of gods were placed upon their canopies. At night, torches were lit and priests sang hymns while burning insense.

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: north of Luxor

Website: http://www.touregypt.net

The Hypostyle Hall

As for me, I was totally impressed with the hall of lotus and papyrus columns. They were all built of reddish-brown sandstone semi-drums and they all have the reliefs of their builder, Seti I, and his son, Ramses II.

It's believed that about 100 persons can stand on each of the open-flower capitals!

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: north of Luxor

Website: http://www.egyptvoyager.com/karnak_virtual.htm

I am the One and Only

Greetings

Hello there, my fellow travellers, thank you for stopping by my page.

My name's Dragana, which is an old Serbian name meaning 'dear', 'darling' or 'precious'. As such, it's mostly used in poems.

Family

I come from a huge family, with a lot of relatives living not only in Serbia, but also in Slovenia, France, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Australia and other countries. Even my grandfather (my mum's dad) was born and lived for some time in the USA (Pueblo, Colorado).

I haven't met some of my relatives, yet, but I visit those close ones on a regular basis and often hear something interesting and new for my Family Tree. So, I can say that it's in my blood not to stay at one place but to explore the world. My plan's to visit at least one country a year, and I'm on the way to fulfill it.

Work

I've been teaching English since September 2002. During this time, I've spent a lot of memorable time with adorable 7-15-year-olds. I'm proud to say that my younger pupils and I founded a Drama Club in October 2007 and have had several performances of plays called 'The Lost Lamp', 'The Story of Santa Claus', 'Cinderella' and 'Little Red Riding Hood' since.

I've also been the editor of our school e-magazine since October 2008 (designed the pdf version of all the issues, some of which with the help of my niece, and started the blog) and the local FLT coordinator since 2009 (started another blog).

I've done some voluntary work too, including Belgium and Northern Ireland. Thanks to this international volunteerism, I've become richer in friends and wonderful experiences.

Interests

a part of my home library

Beside travelling, meeting new people and cultures, I like reading books (my all-time favourites are 'The Giving Tree' by Sheil Silverstein, 'The Hobbit' by Tolkien and 'Lust for Life' by Irving Stone), taking photos and collecting stamps.

The Sacred Place

1st court

If you want to go back to the past and feel the power of the pharaohs, you should definitely visit Karnak.

Karnak consists of several temples that honour the Theban Triad (Amun, his wife Mut and son Khonsu, the moon god). But the most important temple here is the Temple of Amun-Ra which is the largest in the world.

Website: http://www.culturefocus.com/egypt_thebes.htm

a court

The 1st thing that'll strike you is the long Avenue of ram-headed Sphinxes that connects Karnak with Luxor. Then, there are pylons with different historic scenes, courts, chapels, the obelisks of Thotmosis I and of Hatshepsut (the upper part of it lies near Sacred Lake in the temple) and the colossal scarab.

Website: http://www.travel-to-egypt.net/ancient-egypt-temples-karnak.html

columns and obelisk

Karnak is actually the site's modern name. Its ancient name was Ipet-Isut, meaning 'the Most Sacred of Places.'

The temple complex was built by many generations of ancient builders. It took them over 1300 years.

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: about 3km north of Luxor

Royal Tombs

entrances

In this necropolis, you can visit 3 royal tombs of your choice for the price of 1 (55 L.E.) and admire coloured reliefs and paintings on their walls and ceilings.

Rameses III

Most of the tombs were cut into the limestone and have 3 corridors, an antechamber and a sunken sarcophagus chamber.

They are all electrically lit which makes everything more impressive.

Website: http://www.thebanmappingproject.com

Rameses IX

The texts in the tombs are from the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Gates and the Book of the Underworld, with the instruction of how a pharaoh can have a safe trip to the underworld and how he can avoid the obstacles on his way.

The picture's showing the notice at the entrance to the tomb of Rameses IX, the last tomb built in the valley.

Website: http://www.crystalinks.com/valleykings.html

King Tut's tomb

More than 25 kings of the 18th to 21st Dynasties were buried in the Valley of the Kings. Among them, King Tutankhamon, whose tomb remained almost intact, only to be discovered by modern archaeologists.

Website: http://www.touregypt.net

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: the west bank of the Nile River

The Northern Monastery

The Temple of Hatshepsut, also known as Deir el-Bahri (northern monastery), is carved into the rock and consists of 3 terraces linked by ramps.

According to some, this is 1 of the most beautiful monuments of ancient Egypt and 'a fine example of the integration of architecture and natural site.'

The architect was one Senenmout.

Here you can see numerous statues of Queen Hatshepsut, colourful walls with the scenes from Hatshepsut's life and reign, such as her miraculous birth, her coronation or the carrying of 2 obelisks to Karnak, and the locked chapel.


Website: http://www.touregypt.net

Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmosis I and the wife, and probably half-sister, of Thutmosis II. After his death, Thutmosis III became the pharaoh. But, since he was very young, Hatshepsut took everything in her hands and proclamed herself pharaoh. She even wore a false beard, male clothes and was depicted as a pharaoh.

Website: http://www.maatkare.com

the relief

Hatshepsut's death is still a mystery. 20 years after the Queen's death, her nephew destroyed everything connected with Hatshepsut. Neither her tomb nor her mummy have ever been found.

The picture's showing the relief with King Tuthmosis III offering 'nu'-vessels with liquid to god Sokar. In exchange, he receives millions of years and many celebrations of jubilees.

Website: http://www.crystalinks.com/egypthatshepsut.html


Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: the west bank of the Nile River to the south of the Valley of Kings and Queens necropolis

The Memnon Statues

This pair of statues is all that remains of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III.

The right statue represents Amenhotep III, and the left 1 represents, who else but, Amenhotep III. Each giant was sculpted in a single piece of stone.

The Greeks recognised their hero Memnon in these statues, and that's why they're now known as the Memnon Colossi.

Website: http://www.akhet.co.uk/memnon.htm

While the big guy (18m) is sitting, his mother Mutemuia and his wife Tiy, much smaller in size, are standing beside his legs.

The throne bears the royal names and titles in large hieroglyphs and is decorated with the symbolic unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Website: http://badawi.com/egypt/temples/colossi.htm

Once it was possible to hear some sounds from 1 of the statues, but it isn't the case now.

Website: http://www.touregypt.net

Address: Upper Egypt, Thebes

Directions: the west bank of Luxor

Temples

Karnak

Visiting Luxor can be an amazing experience. The temples and tombs are truly incredible. I was astounded at the detailed drawings and temples that still have their original painted colours after thousands of years.

Our guide was very educated. He explained everything to us and helped us learn more about ancient Egypt.

Egyptian Night

Alf Leila Wa Leila

For 15 euros experience the sound and taste of Egypt-horse riding, belly dancing, fakirs, dervish dancing and all. And hear the short version of Egypt's exciting history in English, German, French and Russian.

Theme: Eating and Drinking
Website: http://www.pickalbatros.com

A step from the sea

The Dana Beach Hotel is a huge complex of modern buildings with a beautiful park just a step from the sea.

This is the hotel I passed by on my way to the beach. I also had some time to explore its grounds.

Unique Qualities: This hotel has its own beach where you can play sports or take part in different organized activities.

It's very good for children, too. There's the Giant chessboard with giant figures, mini golf...

Directions: the outskirts of Hurghada

Paradise on Earth

The name '1001 night' really fits it, because the whole complex, with the hotel, is just like Aladdin's palace, with its colourful domes, huge gates, marble paths and all.

All the rooms have a balcony, sat TV, phone, bathroom and a minibar.

Everything's very clean, and you can always see cleaners (male, by the way) tidying and dusting around.

The service's great and everyone's always willing to please you.

Unique Qualities: This is a 4-star-hotel with its own private beach (20min far if you go on foot or 5min if you go by bus), swimming pools, restaurants, sauna...

the stairs

It's also perfect for children. There's a playground and a small zoo, and, what's more, friendly guards stand in front of the main gate so you can feel really safe.

Address: Safaga Road

Directions: 15min drive from the Hurghada airport

Phone: 065 466 401

Website: http://www.pickalbatros.com

Pita Sphinx

A warm and friendly atmosphere!

Favorite Dish: You should definitely try grilled veal (reash)! It's great!

Address: Hurghadh Al-Skala- Sheraton Road
Price Comparison: about average
Directions: behind McDonalds across the Regina Hotel
Phone: 065/449 105
Price: less than US$10

Herbal Tea

Alf Leila Wa Leila hall

If you choose to go into a shop in Hurghada, especially the 1 selling perfumes, you'll be asked to drink a cup of herbal tea with the owner. Don't refuse! It's their way of saying 'welcome'.

Where're You From?

street scene

Try to get used to being asked where you are from! You'll be asked that same question wherever you go. You can answer it, and prepare yourself for more personal ones, or ignore it, and be left alone! You choose! 

Bedouin Dinner

Dinnertime!

The dinner we had at the Bedouin village wasn't real Bedouin dinner. It was brought from our hotel, but we enjoyed it as if Bedouins themselves had prepared it for us.

After the candle light barbecue dinner, we had the pleasure of listening to a small concert and dancing bare feet.

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com  

Sunset

Is there a better way to end a day in the desert than watch the sunset? That's what we did from the top of a hill a few minutes from the Bedouin village.

The picture's also showing the Bedouin village and a pigeon house.

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com

Rocky Desert

Here's the proof that there aren't just sandy deserts in Egypt but rocky, too. Look at that spectacular landscape with colourful mountains and canyons!

This is where we visited a relatively new well, a present from the state, and watered a palmtree nearby.

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com

Camel Ride

on the camel

This was the 1st time I ever rode a camel and I have to say it was a really amazing experience. I wish it lasted longer!
Just 1 advice - lean forwards when the camel gets up or down to escape the possible but unnecessary pain when hitting your back against the wooden saddle!

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com

Bedouin Village

This is where we found out a lot about the Bedouin way of life, watched their women making bread (made from flour, salt and water and baked on an iron plate into thin pancakes called 'fetir' - delicious!), visited their houses (amazing where people can live!), pharmacy, selling home-made medicine, and shop, selling colourful necklaces, bracelets and scarves.

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com

Wild Race

go, go, go!

What followed was a race down the dune for a Bedouin toothbrush.

When we got to the Bedouin village, the winner got his prize - a kind of stick that a Bedouin uses to clean his teeth.

Website: http://www.redseadesertadventures.com