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Published: December 1st 2009
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Sabah el khir (Good Morning) from SAFAGA, EGYPT.
We disembarked early for our 3-hour ride to LUXOR, which was punctuated with many security checkpoints along the way. As we left the industrial port of Safaga in a 12-bus convoy, (more safety measures) accompanied by our knowledgeable guide Odah and our very own security guard Ahmed, we began our desert drive.
The Red Sea Mountain range, bleak and desolate at first, soon gave way to sandy plateaus. We passed a number of Bedouin camps and as we neared the Nile, saw more verdant areas….. Lots of fields with crops of the fine Egyptian cotton, plus corn, wheat, alfalfa and sugar cane.
Luxor, one of the oldest inhabited areas of the planet, is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting places on our voyage. Again, our second visit here, but one we wouldn’t miss. (….but don’t let me bore you with it…jump down to the pictures if you prefer.)
During the ride, Odah enlightened us on the ancient history, hieroglyphics, mythology and culture of Luxor (originally known as Thebes). Our guide was a wealth of information about life in current day Egypt. We learned about the
politics, religion, history, geography and culture, and she answered the many questions we had.
The name Luxor has an interesting origin. As Thebes, it was dubbed “The Hundred-Gated City” by the Greek historian Homer. The city grew, and during the ancient Arab reign, because of the impressive and beautiful edifices, it was renamed Luxor, City of Palaces. (Could this be the origin of the words luxe, luxury and luxurious ?)
The Nile river gave life to the deserts of Egypt, since without it, there would be no civilization here. In fact, 95 % of Egypt’s area is desert. Except for the 5 % area of fertile land around the Nile, not much grows in this dry country with a population of 80 million, (and growing).
In he early Egyptian era, vast Temples were built on the east side of the Nile and the tombs were built on the west side, because the ancient Egyptians believed that life belonged on the east (rising sun), and death and the underworld on the west (setting sun).
Our first stop was lunch (natch) at our hotel, the St. Georges Sonesta on the Nile.
Then, off to the Karnak Temple
(not Johnny Carson’s ‘All Knowing Karnak.’….this one means “holy place” in Arabic). As the most important sanctuary in Egypt, it was first begun over 4000 years ago by the Pharoahs, as a temple for the sun god Amun-Re, and was improved upon and added to by every succeeding Pharoah. (After all, they were regarded as ‘gods’ and they wanted to assure their own places in history….and I guess they succeeded).
The temple structures, the huge statuary and the wall inscriptions, décor and pictographs are most impressive and quite overwhelming to even the most well- travelled tourist. Actually, visitors even from ancient times have been journeying to Luxor to marvel at the wonders.
Next, we toured the equally striking Luxor temple, with its’ fascinating obelisks and huge pillars resembling papyrus stalks.
(Note to M.E.H.….everything here is the same as we left it on our RTW trip,… and just as fantastic the second time.)
Completely awed, we returned to the hotel to freshen up (and of course, eat again….can’t miss a meal ) before returning to Karnak, for a clever “Sound and Light” show, using the modern technology against the background of the antiquities, to tell the story
of thousands of years of this civilization. This eerie night-time illumination within the temple grounds was a dramatic conclusion to our exciting day.
The next morning we ventured to the West bank of the Nile to say hi to a few of the mummies in the Valley of the Kings.
These guys sure knew how to do tombs…it was easy to imagine the scope of the glittering treasures of these 3000 year old dynasties, stored in the tombs’ antichambres (but years ago stolen) . The inscriptons and pictures deep within the tombs are “the real deal”. The experience was a thrill, as we marveled at these original hieroglyphics and decorations describing the passageway to the underworld and the god Osiris.
I could go on and on, but enough is enough…Pictures are better than words anyway.
Next , a quick stop at the Valley of the Queens to see the huge funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who was apparently quite a powerful gal.
As if we hadn’t seen enough, we then went to the nearby Medinet Habu Temple (also known by the ancient Egyptians as Djanet. This is an extremely well preserved complex of structures built by
Ramses the Third (who spent all the family fortunes…who says you can’t take it with you ?) These buildings included storehouses, workshops, administrative offices and residences of priests and officials. Told ya these ancient Egyptians were pretty advanced.
And last but not least, no visit to Luxor is complete without a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon , which are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. (Don’t be impressed…I got the name from the guidebook). For 3400 years these immense figurines stood in the Theban necropolis across the Nile, but now stand alone in a farmer’s field. (well, that’s the way it goes sometimes ).
We boarded our bus, much more enlightened as we began our drive back to the ship . We travelled through the quiet beauty of the desert with the spectacular setting sun, as we reflected on our good fortune and remarkable shared experiences.
‘Shukran’ (thank you) for sharing our voyage and ‘Bisilama’ (farewell) from Egypt.
Don't forget to view all the Luxor-ious pictures at the end.
Next stop....Petra
xoxo
Lindsay and Harvey
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