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Egypt
Cairo
We arrived in Egypt excited to see in person, everything we have heard about in classrooms for so many years. Therefore, we set straight out for the Pyramids in Giza. On first sight, we were awestruck by the monstrosities of ancient construction before us. The complex has a total of nine pyramids. Three of them are the major pyramids of the pharaohs and the other six are minor pyramids for their wives and high priests. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for the pharaoh Khufu in approximately 2560 B.C. and was the tallest man made structure for 3800 years at 455 feet tall. On this day we were one of the only 300 people who were allowed inside of this pyramid. The climb up to the burial chamber was through a narrow passage and incredibly steep. Climbing up the Great Pyramid was one of the most inspiring moments on our trip. The second pyramid was built by Khufu's son, Kharfe. Out of deference to his father, he could not build a taller pyramid, so instead he built a shorter one on higher ground which makes it look larger. We were able to climb inside of this
one and visit the burial chamber as well. The third pyramid is the smallest of the three and was built by Kharfe's son, Menkaure. We took a camel ride around all of the pyramids and out a bit into the desert where we could get a great view of all nine of the pyramids at once. Finally we visited the Sphinx which was built by Kharfe and is believed to be his face on a lion's body. Napoleon's army shot off the nose of the Sphinx when they invaded as well as destroying several other artifacts around the country.
We went to the Islamic quarter of Cairo where the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar and the Al Azhar Mosque are located. We spent several hours walking around the bazaar and went into the mosque to observe prayer time. We then relaxed at one of the most famous coffee shops in Cairo called Al-Fishawi. We both really enjoyed the fresh mint tea there. The next day we went to the Egyptian Museum which has a massive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, mummies, sarcophagi, and everything that was found in King Tut's tomb. The collection from King Tut's tomb was astounding with a
remarkable number of jewels and gold. His tomb was the only tomb of a Pharaoh to ever be discovered without first having been robbed. Since he ruled for only 4 years, it is speculated that the other tombs had unimaginable treasures. Unfortunately they do not allow photographs in the museum.
The food in Egypt was fairly unremarkable. They eat an enormous amount of breads and grains. We ate a lot of falafel and shwarma. We also tried the national dish which was called Kushari and consists of: spaghetti, macaroni, rice, and lentils covered in a spicy tomato sauce. Can you say "Carb Overload!!!"
Abu Simbel
We took the train down south to "Upper Egypt" to visit the temples of Abu Simbel which are the best preserved temples in the entire country. The temples were built by Ramses II, one for himself and one for his wife, Nefertari along the Nile river at the southern border of the Egyptian kingdom to show all travelers on the Nile that they had entered Egypt and to display their might. The outside of the main temple has 4 giant statues, one of which was destroyed by a lightning bolt. Inside the
temples were filled with intricate carvings and amazingly well preserved hieroglyphics which retained their color. That night we watched a sound and light show about the history of the temples set to music and featuring the projection of visuals onto the mammoth temples.
Nile Cruise
We boarded our "5 Star" cruise ship for our 2 night cruise on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor. On the first day we stopped at the Kom Ombo temple. That night on the cruise ship was Egyptian night and much to our surprise a number of the guests payed to dress up in ancient Egyptian costumes for dinner and a "party." This was especially amusing to us when the "party" was supposed to start and no one wanted to get up and dance to their Egyptian music. It wasn't until the Macarena came on that the largely Spanish crowd got up and started dancing. The next morning we woke up and visited the Temple of Edfu which was a very large and well preserved temple except for the fact that the Christians had scratched out many of the faces on the carvings during the Crusades.
Luxor
We went on a
tour of the East and West Banks of the Nile river around the city of Luxor. The first stop was the Valley of the Kings, which housed the tombs of 63 pharaohs. We were able to go into three of these tombs and see the size, design, and decorations. It was amazing to see the color of the hieroglyphs preserved by egg whites having been painted on top of them in ancient times. We also learned a lot about the mummification process and the secret traps which were built to prevent tomb raiders. Again, cameras were not allowed into the tombs.
Next we headed to the Temple of Hatshepsut which, other than Abu Simbel, was the only temple in ancient Egypt which was carved into the side of a mountain. Hatshepsut was the mother of a very young pharaoh and she sent him to prison in order to rule in his place. She is also the only woman to be buried in the Valley of the Kings and not the Valley of the Queens. We then stopped at the Colossi of Memnon to take a quick look at the two statues.
After a lunch on the banks of
the Nile we went to the Karnak Temple which is the largest temple complex in the world. The temple was so large, because every pharaoh who ruled in the Luxor area was required to add something to the complex. It was quite amazing to see all the different additions, from the 96 columns of the largest hypo-style hall to the obelisks towering above everything else. Here we learned a lot about how the ancient structures of Egypt were built. The Egyptians floated enormous granite blocks down the Nile and used ingenious means to move the blocks to their final location. This is also one of the starting/ending points of the Avenue of the Sphinxes which had over 700 statues lining the 2 mile road between the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple. We visited the Luxor Temple which is unique because it has a mosque and a catholic chapel in the ancient temple structure.
The Red Sea
We headed to a town on the Red Sea called Dahab where we spent several days relaxing on the shore. We also did some diving in the Red Sea around Dahab. One of the dives had some of the most extensive
and beautiful coral growths either of us had ever seen. We then went on a dive trip to Thistlegorm and Ras Mohammed. Thistlegorm is a World War II British ship that was sunk by the Germans. The boat still has all of it's cargo which included jeeps, trucks, motorbikes, airplane wings, boots, rifles, and a bathtub. Swimming inside the ship was one of the most interesting dives we have ever experienced. Our final dive was in the Ras Mohammed National Park which is a well preserved reef off of Sharm el Sheikh. The dive was around three reefs and we saw a huge moray eel, numerous large fish, beautiful corals, and a huge number of toilets which were from a cargo ship which sank around the reefs.
Overall, we were glad that we visited Egypt as the sites were truly remarkable. We were convinced that the ancient Egyptians had figured something out intellectually that got lost somewhere along the way. The feats of architecture and engineering that they conquered were phenomenal. The only downside was that the Egyptian people were extremely aggressive in their sales techniques almost to the point of harassment. Despite this, Egypt is a beautiful country
with unparalleled history and culture.
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Anita
non-member comment
Very cool! Now Kenya, huh?
Ian and Rachel! So cool! I can't believe all the things you saw and did in Egypt. You really are seeing the world! Poor Ian with the carb overload. Too bad Pemba wasn't around to bring you sausage and yak cheese! :) Have a great time in Kenya!