This King is a Woman

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We had another early morning this morning, with breakfast at 5 am. We left the boat at 5:30 for the drive over to the West Bank of the Nile. Our first stop was the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh, who ruled for around 20 years circa 1460 BCE. She was able to hang on to the throne, despite being a woman, because she invented a story, accepted by the high priest, that she was in fact the result of a divine birth (she was the child of a god, and so was a god herself).

Hatshepsut's temple is in a dramatically beautiful location, at the foot of rugged limestone cliffs. It would have been even more amazing in its time because it would have approached by a sphinx-lined causeway, and there would have been a garden planted with exotic trees Hatshepsut had imported from Punt (present day Somalia).

Hatshepsut's stepson, Tutmosis III, removed his stepmother's name wherever he could following her death (if a king's name was obliterated they could not continue in the afterlife). At Karnak there are two obelisks, one for Hatshepsut and one for Tutmosis III. Tutmosis III covered up Hatshepsut's obelisk so it could not be seen (he could not destroy it because it contained depictions of gods) but in covering it up he preserved it, so it is in better condition than his own obelisk. Hah.

Hatshepsut's temple contains lots of carvings and paintings, but generally the paintings are not in great condition, although some have been restored and are very vibrant. Amr explained the meaning of many of the paintings and carvings, which adds so much to our understanding and enjoyment of these sites. I can't imagine seeing these sites without a knowledgeable guide. I enjoyed seeing Hatshepsut's temple very much.

We got to the temple about 6:30, and there was just one tour group in before us. We had such an early start to avoid the worst heat of the day. This area gets up to at least 40 degrees in the afternoon (it was really hot yesterday afternoon at the worker's village and the Tombs of the Nobles). By about 7:30 is was already pretty hot.

After Hatshepsut's temple we continued on to the Valley of the Kings. This area contains around 80 tombs, I think Amr said. This area was chosen by the pharaohs because of the pyramid-shaped mountain peak which rises above it. The tombs are from the New Kingdom (1550 to 1153 BCE). Everywhere you look you see an entrance to another tomb. We visited three tombs whose names I can't remember since I didn't have my camera to take pictures of the signs. Photos are strictly prohibited and you will be heavily fined if you attempt to take photos. So we all left our cameras in the mini van. No tipping the guards to take photos here. It must have been around 8:30 by the time we got to the Valley of the Kings and there were lots of other tour groups around . As at Hatshepsut's temple you take a small electrical train from the parking area to the tombs themselves. The first two tombs we entered were easy to get into - the corridors were not steep or very low. The paintings were very well preserved in both of these tombs. The third tomb was that of Tutmosis III which was very impressive to see. The paintings in this tomb were better preserved than the first two (but nothing like the ones we saw yesterday at the tombs in the Worker's Village). There was a long steep staircase leading up to the entrance to this tomb, and more steep staircases leading down deeper into the tomb. What would usually be an easy climb was made more difficult by the extreme heat.

It was actually quite nice to tour the Valley of the Kings without a camera. I could simply enjoy the site and not be concerned about taking photos. We bought a strip of postcards so I will take pictures of them and add them to the blog when I have some time (likely not until we get back home - so check back again!).

We made a quick stop at an alabaster factory (because several of us wanted to check out alabaster products and they are manufactured right here). We bought a few small items. They are all hand made. The vendors outside the sites all sell fake alabaster items, but these are the real thing. We always have to run the gauntlet of the vendors on the way to and from the sites. There is always a row of them conveniently located between the parking area and the entrance to the sites. Same spiel all the time. It gets pretty tiring. Same thing when we walk to our river boat, there are always several vendors who pounce on us, following us practically to the door to the boat.

We then had a quick photo stop at the Colossi of Menmon (depicting Amenhotep III). The monuments are all the visible remains of the funerary temple which lie underneath the nearby fields.

We then drove back to the East Bank, arriving at our river boat about 12:30. We had lunch around 1:30 (I was pretty hungry by this time since we had breakfast at 5 am). The meals on board are ok, but are, shall we say, uninspired. The food is quite generic and not Egyptian at all. Apparently tomorrow night though, we will be having a Middle Eastern dinner, which we are looking forward to.

Before lunch we did some more jewellery shopping (I decided to get a silver chain for my cartouche as the chain I had didn't suit it) and while in the shop we discovered some very nice rings. So I have ordered a white and yellow gold ring with hieroglyphics on it. It will be quite lovely.

After lunch we relaxed by the pool and had a refreshing dip, watching life on the banks of the Nile as we glide by. I have to pinch myself to believe that I am really here! We then decided to take advantage of the massage services on board, and we both had a nice massage. By then it was time for dinner, which was served up on the sun deck. The sun sets around 5:30 here and so the heat of the day had dissipated by then. It was very pleasant on the deck, with the breeze.

We passed through the locks at Esna earlier, and are now on our way to Edfu. Tomorrow we leave the boat for the temple at Edfu at 6:30 am, and we will have breakfast when we get back.

The riverboat is supposed to have wifi, but the server is broken, so I won't have access to wifi until we finish the boat cruise, hopefully at the hotel in Aswan where we will spend one night. So there will be a delay before I can post the blog. Sorry Mom, I know you like to read it every day!

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Photos

Balloons above Luxor
It was not cloudy, the sun was barely up.

Hatshepsut's Temple
It would have been lined with sphinxes and planted with exotic trees.

Hatshepsut's Temple
She is depicted exactly like a male King.

Wall paintings
These ones have been restored.

Ceiling
Stars are usually painted on the ceilings.

Hatshepsut's Temple
These are the unrestored wall paintings

Comments

[Valerie Brown]

More amazing-nous...! You two make me happy with all of your jewellery shopping!

[Faye]

Great photos and interesting information.

[[e-mail]]

I love the light in this one!

[Faye]

Go girl go!