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

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.