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Published: November 23rd 2008
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Ten days in Egyt resulted in several bursting note books. So I have decided to break it down a bit. On the first day after some hot coffee we head to
The Valley of Kings - Hundred's of Tombs and a Temple
Still half asleep, looking through a dirty van window at 6am, dreams of Pharaohs, and gods fade away to the dawn lit dust of the West Bank, here in Luxor Egypt.
Let’s kick this off with three interesting facts. Firstly most buildings here are made from sandstone or limestone. Next the hieroglyph for Egypt is KIMIT, which means ‘The Black Land’, due to the colour of the silt from the Nile River. And thirdly temples are only erected on the East Bank, where the rising sun represents life. Tombs are placed on the West Bank where the setting sun symbolizes death.
However this last statement is not entirely true. There is one temple on the West bank. It belongs to Hatshepsut.
Hatshepsut is regarded as one of the most prolific ‘builder Pharaohs’. And she’s a chick!
Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as Pharaoh for 22 years around 1500 BC after the death of her husband. She possibly would have ruled for longer but she was murdered by her husband’s bastard child Tutmosis III. He then went on to destroy all images of her in paintings, carvings and sculptures. Though this did little to tarnish her reputation. Now over 3 thousand years later hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come every year to see this, the only temple on the West bank.
Anubis, the God of the underworld who is depicted as a jackal is highly respected by all the pharaohs, as it is he who dictates their passage in the afterlife. One of the side chapels in her temple has various images that have been engraved into the stone walls then painted over in vibrant blues, yellow and reds. Most of the colour has faded now, however in the corners the paint is still strong and you can easily imagine how bright and impressive it must have been. The dominant picture is Hatshepsut making offerings of the four sacred liquids, water, milk, wine and beer to Anubis.
Egyptian architecture, culture and society has captivated human interest all over the world, and it is not until you enter a
temple here in The Black Land that you can fully appreciate the ancient and advanced grandeur that they represent and the reason for our fascination.
One could easily spend all day inhaling the simple atmosphere of this place, imagining what events and conversations must have happened within these walls, what conspiracies and actions were made outside them, how daily lives could have played out. But there are things to do and people to see. The dusty road calls for our attention and so we snap up every angle and composition in haste before climbing back into the air conditioned van where Magdy our guide imparts more of his knowledge to us. Our destination? The legendary Valley of The Kings.
Entering an Egyptian tomb for the first time is an absolute visual overload. Every inch of the walls and ceilings are completely covered in Hieroglyphs. As at the temple of Hatshepsut they are engraved then painted. The detailed and intricately written language tells the life stories of the person inside. Particularly emphasizing how good and respectful of the gods they were.
Flash Photography destroys the few remaining pigments in the paint, so be sure to bring a mini tripod,
alternatively there will always be a selection of stalls where you can buy some good post cards. When at the markets though, do not to touch anything unless you are positively certain you are going to buy it, and definelty don’t pick anything up. I saw seveal visitors get into a bit of a dispute over this.
Inside their tomb’s Pharaoh’s are equipt with a rainbow variety of items from the material world that they might need in the afterlife, everything from giant boats to pet cats. However most of these items are no longer in the tombs, they are carefully preserved in either in the Luxor museum, or at various museums around the world. The British in particular managed to loot and later be gifted, substantial amounts of Egyptian antiquities and a quick visit to the British Museum in London will show you everything from entire walls of temples to Mummies and ornate jewelry. The treasures from Tutankamun’s tomb , The Child Pharoh, were found less than a hundred years ago, and in very good condition. They are often on a world tour and are currently in London’s O2 Centre, which I mamaged to see on my return.
Would you believe that during the middle ages so many mummified cats were unearthed that they were exported to Europe as fertilizer!
With the sun now high in its zenith pouring down heat like molten lead, any piece of land with shade is prime real estate. We huddle together as though sheltering from a storm while we wait for the mini train to take us back to the car park where the van waits.
Slumped in my seat from the heat we discuss all that we have learnt today on our trip to the West Bank. Although I have read about Egypt before and seen its images on TV, the wealth of knowledge I have gained by coming here is truly something dreams are made of. Outside my window a donkey pulls a flat wooden cart along the sandy road, driven by a white robed man with dark weathered skin.
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anne
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am enjoying the travells in Egypt. Makes me interested enough to want to go there for my self one day. Keep up the good work.....