Land of the Pharos

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A photography-special tour to some famous as well as less known sites in EGYPT....
Amazed with the mysteries of the hidden cities of the past....
Cruising through ruins of the mytical era of the Pharos....
Interpreting hyeroglyphics and the language of stones...
and taking back with us some mesmerising memories....

Egypt is truly amazing.
All you need to do is read about the places before you land there. Makes a big difference.

I made this trip with my sister, a friend who studies archeology, and another crazy chap who loves temple architechure and mythology as I do.
All 4 of us had our own Nikon D80s, a 10-20 wide angle lense (a must !! to capture the mammoth structures), and an 18-35 tele. We did not use the 300mm at all. A tripod is again a must, especially for the Sound and Light Shows.

To us this was more than just a study and photography trip. It was an examination of what we had read for years, our ability to interpret the culture and most appropriately a trip to deig into the questions un-answered.

(Have covered most of the trip logistics at the end of my blog, will help you conduct your trip)

We had 10 days in hand and had to cover the entire belt from Cairo to down-south Abu Simbel. Also had to cover as many as sites as we could - sites which are structurally intact aswell as places with better interiors and script...and also important was the element of fun, food, comfort and variety for us ...! 😊

Heres our basic travel plan:

Day 1 - Transfer from Airport to the hotel, check-in, Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx, Fresh-up at Hotel and trs to Train to Aswan
Day 2-Transfer to hotel, Fresh-up, Temple of Isis, High Dam, Kalabsha, Post lunch to Philae temple, unfinished obelisk, back to hotel
Day 3-Early morning to Abu Simbel, temple of Hathor, trs to Cruise, on board time, evening felucca ride - back to ship
Day 4-morning/noon at Kom Ombo, On Board
Day 5-Edfu Temple, pass Esna Lock, S&L at Karnak, On Board
Day 6- Valley of kings/Queens, temple of Queen Hatshepsut,Colossi of Memnon, Karnak temple,Luxor temple, rest day free, On board.
Day 7-5am balloon ride, Freshup at hotel, checkout, Abydos & Dendera Temples,Temple of Hathor,Nag Hammadi, eve trs to Luxor station for train
Day 8-arrive at Cairo, Memphish Tour & Şaqqārah, rest day free, Hotel
Day 9-Museum, Khan-el-khalili, S&L show of pyramids, collect bags from Hotel - Trs to Airport

The only thing we missed was the 'Ramesseum' on the west bank, coz' it was closed for some work.

WINNERS !
Structurally the Karnak Temple wins the ground.
However, wall paintings, intact scripts, intact temple structures/stair cases and colours of the paintings are much-much better and richer at Abydos and Dendera.
Dont miss these at all.

Also , surprisingly the Valley of the Queens is more visually satisfying than the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. Tombs of the queens are smaller, the complex/valley is a smaller area too, but the wall paintings and stories have remained more intact. Tombs of the Kings are massive and deep inside the Earth. The Longer the span of ruling - the deeper and richer is the King’s tomb. We saw the longest tomb there, Ramesses II. It had 13 chambers and was really deep down. Felt like an entire colony underneath.

Special MOMENTS !!..........

As far as our experience goes, we did everything from playing table-tennis to eating road-side beans for fun. There is so much to do….Eating falafels and humus, local ice creams, nuts, dates, olives, seeing local spice markets, jewelry shops, buy the ‘kartush’ with your name engraved with Ramesses II (I Did !), walk by the Nile, laze on the sun deck at night, look at bridges crossing over your head, sunsets, felucca rides in the Nile, shop, dinners at floating restaurants on the Nile, enjoy a nice herbal massage, check out the 500 odd spices that grow and sell in Egypt and enjoying the luxury of a cruise !!

The first unforgettable moment was witnessing the Pyramids. Reading and seeing magazine pictures is not the same as standing in front of this inspiring monument. A single block weighs 150 tons. It was double my height. Just beyond words. We actually tried different angles and poses to get it in our frame, just couldn’t. I feel tourists shouldn’t be allowed to climb and touch it. We also caw couples scribbling their names on the stones, and breaking pieces to carry home as a souvenier. Quite sad !

Another such moment was the Temple of Philae. It was another temple (like Abu Simbel) which had drowned in the floods. Archeologists lifted it up as it is and re-assembled it on the banks of Lake Nasser. Courtyards as big as football grounds, sky-scraping pillars, high walls filled with embossed hieroglyphics and carvings and larger than life temple palace. Even the window frame is carved out. With a fore ground of water and a backdrop of a hill, this temple looked great in the frame.

Our Visit to Abu Simbel was quite an adventure. A convoy of buses and cars leaves at either 3.30am or 4.30am (takes about 2.5hrs to reach). The roads and the drive is superb and passes through the Sahara Deserts. No car/vehicle is allowed to drive by itself after this convoy has left. This was they control the number of tourists going to Abu Simbel, ensure safety from the desert and keep a track of vehicles etc…. Also, since this place is deep inside the desert it gets really very hot and dry by noon, hence advisable to see the place in the morning and return back to Aswan by lunch time.
Our guide called us 2am to say that an extremely rough sand storm had erupted and our convoy at 3.30am won’t go. He said he will try for the next one, or we’ll have to miss the temple (we were ready to walk thru’ the storm - but not miss Abu Simbel). Half sleepy, we assemble in my room to discuss and pray that things work out. Our Hotel called each of the rooms to warn us from opening doors/windows. (Our first experience of a desert sand storm). As we were waiting, our poor guide called up again to mention that the storm has worsened and wont leave at 4.30am either. Bad news.
Probably our will power and prayers made the difference. Our guide called us again at 7am, to say that both the cancelled convoys will leave for Abu Simbel, together at 11am. And we did !!..... (see my pics).
As we drove, with at least 20 vehicles in the front and behind us, we could see blowers being used to blow the sand off the road and clear our way. Heaps of Sand dunes had shifted base. Vehicles were finding their way thru’ sand on the tar road. We reached Abu Simbel at 2:30pm and the mercury at a scorching 430 celcius. Wow !! It was like facing a high-beam light. We almost went blind. But eventually, was worth the trip.

Some PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND LEARNINGS (also some DOs and DONTs) before I forget them… 😉

1......Tipping is a way of life in Egypt. Salaries are very low and this is how most people make up. So, keep a bunch of 1 Egyptian Pound handy…for porters, waiters, guides etc
2.......WCs (Toilets) are available at the entrance gates of all the temples/museums/monuments. These are really very clean, and the operator may take an entry ticket of 1 Eg.pound.
3.......Electricity is available every where / even on the cruise to charge your appliances (it’s a two point round plug there)
4.......Do not let the tour operator include tips in the tour cost. The money hardly reaches these hard workers. (we did this mistake)
5.......Your local tour operator may not have an idea of distances and cruise timetables. Its always best to contact his co-ordinator/operator in Egypt. Our Indian interface (Hop Tours, Mumbai) wasn’t very informed and knowledgeable. He promised us many places and things he wasn’t aware of. It was the Egyptian counter part who handled things for us; made sure we saw everything and expressed difficulty over some expectations. (I strongly recommend Ahmed Salem as a tour operator for Egypt, write to [e-mail] or [e-mail] )
6.......Food for us was not an issue at all; we got lovely vegetarian options every where.
7.......Sunglasses, Sunscreens, Caps are a must in all seasons in Egypt. The Sun is very harsh.
8.......Temperature at Cairo was 19degrees cold and windy……and it increased as we reached the southern most border, Abu Simbel, at 43degrees. We almost got roasted. So, check temperatures before u go, and carry clothing accordingly.
9.......Shoes are a must to protect you from dust and red sand (floaters/ heel will ruin the trip)
10.......If you are taking a cruise as well, as we did, do carry at least 1 party wear. They have these wonderfully-fantastic belly dance shows and Galabeya parties on board, with lots of Egyptian music and games and dance….
11.......It’s a good idea to convert your currency to the Local one. (Egyptian Pounds / Eg.pounds) There are many exchange centres and the rate is the SAME ever where unlikely other countries.
12.......A liter of water costs you 2.5 egyptian pound. We got fooled at times, and bought a bottle for 12 pounds too. It’s best to buy a dozen bottles/ a crate at Supermarkets.
13.......Don’t give away your camera to any stranger (to take your picture), they may ask for money.
14.......If you local people, camels in the desert and such interesting sights, focus at them un-intentionally, or they run after you asking for money. (I used to make my sis stand in front and focus on the camel behind her to take it’s pic)
15.......V. IMPORTANT -Abu Simbel can be visited from Aswan by road. A convoy of buses/cars leaves at 3.30am and 4.30am (takes about 2.5hrs to reach). The roads and the drive is superb and passes through the Sahara Deserts. No car/vehicle is allowed to drive by itself after this convoy has left. There are security checks everywhere. Be clear of this arrangement with your operator.
16.......No pictures allowed inside the temple of Abu Simbel. Buy a set of photos at the gate. This set also consists of some pictures that show the re-construction of this enormous structure on an artificial mountain. It’s a Civil Engineering miracle !! Do carry loads of water and snacks. (Water is as expensive as gold at the coffee shop there). Wash rooms are clean.
17.......V. IMPORTANT -Your tour operator here will only manage your picks/drops/co-ordination and arrangements. Guides who have studies Egyptology are a separate set of people there. Drivers are never guides. Also, guides on land will NOT accompany u on the cruise. Every ship has its own guide. The day your cruise ends, which is mostly Luxor, the Land-guide or the Opeator come to pick you for the next destination.
18.......V. IMPORTANT - Once on board the cruise, it becomes your responsibility to take the day schedule from the reception, check the sites they are seeing, meet the on-board guide and understand timings. (For example: 3pm, we assemble at the Ship’s reception, 3:15pm the ship parks at the Kom Ombo deck, we take a tour of the temple with the guide, be around our group, listen to his commentary, we also get some spare time to take pics, but we MUST enter the ship at the prescribed time, i.e. 5pm, or the Ship may leave you).
19.......All the souvenir shops, especially those in the famous Khan el’ Khalili bazaar at Cairo, bargain TO 1/4TH THE PRICE (If the quoted price is 100 Eg.pounds, the shopkeeper will give it to you at 20Eg.pounds too, if you bargain). Souvenirs/gifts are really cheaper at Khan el’ Khalili bazaar. You can save shopping for the last day of the tour.
20.......IT’S SAFE AFTER DARK. Luxor, Aswan, Cairo are more lively and bustled with localites after 8pm. Families/kids/ladies come out to walk/eat/play till 12am….Its amazing to walk along the Nile pavements at Aswan and Luxor. We used to have an early dinner at 7-7:30pm, and get out to see local markets and activities. People are warm and helpful.
21.......Also, if you plan for a BALLOON RIDE (at Luxor), ask your tour operator to check with the Authorities. Ours got cancelled one day before, as the weather ran dry and raised a fear of sand storms. We did get out entire 90USD reimbursed.
22.......At the VALLEY OF THE KINGS, 1 pass entitles you to see any 3 tombs from inside. Only King Tutankhamun’s tomb is a separate pass of 500Eg.pounds (we didn’t go, as the tomb isn’t well decorated either).
23.......No Video Cameras allowed beyond the gates of the Valley of Kings & Queens and No pictures inside any of the tombs AT ALL. The inspectors there know the ‘delete all’ function of your camera if they see you trying to capture one. Why create a scene, instead it’s a good idea to buy a set of pictures of the interiors at the gate, for 20Eg.pounds. We did.
24.......SOUND AND LIGHT SHOWS are a must-see, both at Karnak and Giza. We did. If you have time add Abu Simbel to it. Karnak was the besttttt !! Lovely narration and tremendous light effects. Awesome !
25.......A Memphis and Saqqara visit is mostly followed by an obligation from the guide to visit the CARPET WEAVING FACTORY. They claim to be poor crafts-people, however the costs are exorbitantly high. (I chose a wall hanging of jute, costing us 200Eg.pounds at the centre. I didn’t buy it. Later, we saw the same one for 30Eg. pounds at a road side stall, we bargained and bought it for 15Eg.pounds….WOW ! can u beat this ??)
26.......The ESNA LOCK is another amazing concept on the Nile…and the ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD where this happens. Its was a waterfall years back…and scentists used the Nile waters to fill this gap and facilitate trade.
The huge cruise ship enters the gate into an artificially filled pool. It is then pushed into a narrow creek and locked by gates from front and behind. (These huge steel gates close entry of water from the river and are as deep as the river) (Check my pics). Once the back gates are closed, water is released slowly from the front gates of this pool. The Ship is thus lowered 50 feet as water gets released. Once it is at the level of the river bed on the other side of the wall, the front gates open and the Ship sails out. Wow !! we reached Esna lock at 11pm, and first saw the over-head bridge at eye level. As our ship lowered, it was funny to see the brige raise above, and by 2am, we sailed from below the bridge. The entire crowd of enthusiasts cheered and clapped …..

27.......The Cairo Museum (Open from 9am to 6pm now) is a must see. The ticket is 25 Eg.pounds. The first floor is full of treasures and gold from Tutankhamun’s tomb and more interesting. Gives you an idea of the riches and wealth that the Pharos owned….they almost ate gold/silver/precious stones as snacks. We also too took an additional ticket of 100 Eg.pounds to enter the 2 Mummy’s rooms. Here they have displayed excavated mummies of Pharos, Kings, and Nobles (including Ramesses I/ II/IV/ VI etc, Tutmoses, Saptah, Merenptah, Seti etc) It surprising to know that these Pharos were not very tall and broad structures. Average height of a well-built man was approx 5 feet-4inches, and women were even shorter. The Mummy’s room confirmed this to us. The Sacrophagus which enveloped the wrapped mummy was so small. (Probably Hollywood movies have biased our imagination to some extent, and we are used to seeing a 7 feet - well built Yule Bryner as a Pharo in the ‘Ten Commandments’ !!). Horse carts sidplayed at the museum were such delicate and small ones - again confirming to us that these people were quite frail, yet brave.

28.......An optional trip could be to the Coptic Museum as well. The very first scripts defining Christanity. The first “book” of the world is stored here. The books excavated from Nag Hammadi are stored here.


Some of my learnings and Information on some LESSER KNOWN PLACES ………………

I. Nag Hammadi (On the way to Abydos)

Nag Hammadi textsNag Hammadi is best known for being the site where local farmers found a sealed earthenware jar containing thirteen leather-bound papyrus codices, together with pages torn from another book, in December 1945. The farmers burned one of the books and parts of a second (including its cover). Thus twelve of these books (one missing its cover) and the loose pages survive. The writings in these codices, dating back to the 2nd century AD, comprised 52 mostly Gnostic tractates (treatises), believed to be a library hidden by monks from the nearby monastery of St Pachomius when the possession of such banned writings, denounced as heresy, was made an offence.

The contents of the Coptic-bound codices were written in Coptic, though the works were probably all translations from Greek. Most famous of these works must be the Gospel of Thomas, of which the Nag Hammadi codices contain the only complete copy. The collection of books contains religious and hermetic texts, works of moral maxims, Apocryphal texts, and more curiously, a rewriting of Plato's Republic.
In addition to the importance of the manuscripts for the history of books (they are the oldest known books to date) and Coptic palaeography, they represent a key source of evidence for the history of philosophy and primitive Christianity.Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to analyse them, because we know nothing of their authors, circumstances or place where they were written.
On the other hand, they can currently be considered as a decisive element in the research of the beginnings of gnosticism.
These religious (or Gnostic) texts propose interpretations and Christian rituals that are different from those officialised in 325 AC and which were immediately rejected as heretical at the time. That is why they were gathered together, protected and hidden by the so-called deviant communities.
Gnosis means knowledge. In this respect, Gnostics differed from Christians in their relation to the sacred texts, given that they attached importance to the esoteric, and not the historical sense. Gnostics consequently considered the divine to include aspects like interior and secret knowledge, which is passed on by tradition and initiation.

The Nag Hammadi library offers a wealth of evidence of such trends in Gnosticism that claim to contain a secret teaching whilst sometimes drawing inspiration from the Old Testament.

II. Dendera (200km from Luxor)

Dendera Temple complex, (Ancient Egyptian: Iunet or Tantere)(19th century English spelling in most sources, including Belzoni was Tentyra). located about 2.5 km south-east of Dendera, Egypt. It is one of the best preserved complexes in Egypt. The area was used as the sixth Nome of Upper Egypt, south of Abydos. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick enclosed wall. Dendera was a site for chapels or shrines from the beginning of history of ancient Egypt. It seems that pharaoh Pepi I (ca. 2250 BC) built on this site and evidence exists of a temple in the eighteenth dynasty (ca 1500 BC). But the earliest extant building in the compound today is the Mammisi raised by Nectanebo II - last of the native pharaohs (360-343 BC).

The features in the complex include
o Hathor temple (the main temple),
o Temple of the birth of Isis,
o Sacred Lake,
o Sanatorium,
o Mammisi of Nectanebo II,
o Christian Basilica,
o Roman Mammisi,
o a Bark shine,
o Gateways of Domitian & Trajan and
o the Roman Kiosk.

The all overshadowing building in the Complex is the main temple, namely Hathor temple (historically, called the Temple of Tentyra). The temple has been modified on the same site starting as far back as the Middle Kingdom, and continuing right up until the time of the Roman emperor Trajan. The existing structure was built no later than the late Ptolemaic period. The temple, dedicated to Hathor, is one of the best preserved temples in all Egypt. Subsequent additions were added in Roman times.

III. Distribution between the East and the West bank of Luxor is as follows:

East Bank
o Luxor Temple
o Luxor International Airport
o Karnak Temple
o Luxor Museum
o Mummification Museum
o Winter Palace Hotel

West Bank
o Valley of the Kings
o Valley of the Queens
o Medinet Habu (memorial temple of Ramesses III)
o The Ramesseum (memorial temple of Ramesses II)
o Deir al-Madinah (workers' village)
o Tombs of the Nobles
o Deir el-Bahri (Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, etc.)
o Malkata (palace of Amenophis III)
o Colossi of Memnon (memorial temple of Amenophis III)


IV. Temple at Abydos

It was significant in historical times as the main cult center of Osiris, the lord of the netherworld. At the mouth of the canyon at Abydos, which the Egyptians believed to be the entrance to the underworld, one of the tombs of the 1st dynasty kings was mistaken for the tomb of Osiris, a thousand years later, and pilgrims would leave offerings to the god for another thousand years. The area is thus now called Umm el Qa’ab, "Mother of Pots."
Abydos was the burial place for the first kings of a unified Egypt. But it contains remains from earlier, in the Predynastic period. In 1900 the Predynastic cemetery of el-Amra was excavated with hundreds of graves from all Predynastic phases. Other important cemeteries were found at Naga ed-Deir, el-Mahasna, Mesheikh, Beit Allam and the various cemeteries at Abydos itself. In addition, settlements have been found, most representing small farming villages. El-Mahasna had beer-brewing facilities.

The Predynasty/Early Dynastic cemetery is located in the low desert. It consists of three parts: predynastic Cemetery U in the north, Cemetery B in the middle with royal tombs from Dynasty 0 and the early 1st Dynasty, and in the south the tomb complexes of six kings and one queen from the 1st dynasty and two kings from the 2nd dynasty. Most of the 1st dynasty tombs show traces of immense fires. Many had also been plundered many times.
Royal graves at Abydos became more elaborate, until the last and largest royal tomb built there for Khasekhemwy, last king of the 2nd Dynasty. His tomb, called Shunet es-Zebib, the Storehouse of the Flies, measures about 230 feet long and varying between 56 and 33 feet in width. Near Khentyamentiu’s temple, a mile north of the Umm el Ga’ab (Qa'ab) cemetery and nested among the enclosures were fourteen (found to-date) large boat graves The remains of the ancient ships, dating to the 1st Dynasty, were uncovered in the desert. Each averages 75 feet in length and had been encased in a structure two-feet thick with whitewashed mud-brick walls. Whether they were meant to represent solar barques, anticipating the ship built by Khufu and found within his Pyramid at Giza, is not yet known.

North Abydos contains an ancient settlement and also the remains of a large stone temple from the 30th Dynasty, along with a portal structure of Ramesses II, and a fairly recently discovered temple built by Tuthmosis III. Most of the early town lies beneath modern groundwater and the remains of later settlements. Another temple, that of Khentyamentiu which was later identified with Osiris as his temple, dates from the later third millennium BCE. Royal cult buildings or ka chapels were built here by kings from the Old Kingdom through the New Kingdom. Buildings to the west and southwest of the cult buildings proved to be houses spanning the period from late Predynastic to the 2nd Dynasty.

A residential and industrial section have also been found to the southeast of those excavations, dating to the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period. A number of mudbrick houses, consisting of between 7 and 10 small rooms, courtyards and a narrow street have been found. A workshop, the earliest and most complete faience workshop in Egypt, was also uncovered, complete with kilns.

V. Colossi of Memnon (West Bank, Luxor)

Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) built a mortuary temple in Thebes that was guarded by two gigantic statues on the outer gates. All that remains now are the 23 meter (75 ft) high, one thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive.
Ancient Egyptians called the southern of the two statues "Ruler of Rulers". The statues are made from carved blocks of quartzite quarried either at Giza or Gebel es-Silsila. The Northern statue depicts Amenhotep III with his mother, Mutemwia, while the southern statue is of Amenhotep III with his wife, Tiy and one of his daughters. On the sides of the statues are reliefs depicting Nile gods joining together plants symbolizing Upper and Lower Egypt.
Due to an earthquake in 27 BC, these statues became known for a bell like tone that usually occurred in the morning due to rising temperatures and humidity. (As wind passed through the crevices in the rock of the statue, a strange whistle like sound came into hearing every morning)Thus they were equated by the early Greek travelers with the figure of Memnon, the son of Aurora who's mother, Eos, was the goddess of dawn. To be granted a song meant that you were very much in favor of the gods. Visitors came from miles around to hear the music, including Emperor Hadrian, in 130 A.D. The Roman emperor Septimius Severus, seeking to repair the statues in 199 AD, inadvertently silenced them forever.


I hope you enjoyed reading my blog....
Do write to me if you have any doubts .....
Comments r most welcome !!

Njoy the pics.
Anu

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Photos

Temple of Hatshepsut her face cut
The beautiful and powerful lady Pharo - Hatshepsut.