WAY too Many Photos for two days!

Note:  There are SO many photos from yesterday and today, that I’ve broken them into Seti I, Tomb & Temple, and all the rest with this posting!

 

Hello!

 

It has been a busy day since yesterday afternoon when we decided to get home.  First, we had to make sure we could get from Luxor back to Cairo, and then we had to change our flights back to the U.S.  Fortunately, we do have a computer with us, which made things much easier.  They weren’t without issue though!  First of all, we tried to change our current Luxor-Cairo ticket on Egyptian Airlines.  No success!  We pulled up our reservation and did everything we thought we were to do, but when it came to making the actual change, we kept getting an error message.  So, finally, in desperation, I made us a totally new reservation for tomorrow. Forgot, though, to get seats … which is always nice!  Then, R tried to call United to get an agent to help us rebook our return to the US.  Unfortunately, when he finally got through to someone … the call failed.  So finally, we tried on line.  And that actually seemed to work!  There of course was a fare increase, but we were able to make the changes we wanted as well as booking seats.  Success!!  So, we leave Luxor tomorrow at 10:40 am, will overnight for two nights at the Hilton Hieropolis, which is very close to the airport in Cairo, and we’re off on Monday!  Turns out there is an Egypt Airlines office immediately next to the hotel – but of course, they closed at 2 pm on Thursday!  So, today, we tried again – but they were closed for the main call to prayer around 12:30 pm.  We were assured, however, by one of the hotel people that they would re-open – as soon as the call was completed.  So … we sat down on the curb to wait … and wait … and wait… I finally looked up how long the Friday call to prayer took – and the answer?!  45 MINUTES!  (And I thought High Mass was bad!).  My ears, truly, are still ringing!  Anyone who has ever been in a Muslim country can vouch for the volume of those prayers – five times each day … but as Friday is the Muslim holy day, it’s l-o-n-g-e-r.  At any rate, after all the guys got back into the office, got their coffees or whatever, we were able to talk to someone.  He very kindly verified our flight for tomorrow, and actually cancelled our unused flight!  However, he couldn’t refund it … we had to do that on-line.  Did it, so hopefully all will be well there!  

 

Now, I’d like to finish up from yesterday, and detail today’s accumulation of tombs and temples.  From yesterday, I am including photos of Luxor Temple.  

 

Luxor Temple

Original Sphinxes from Avenue of the Sphinxes

Incised Ramses II carving in his chariot

They built 'em big here!

Beautifully colored walls and ceilings

Luxor Open-Air Museum -- now those are pieces!

Like I said:  If you carve it deeply enough, no one can deface it!

Then, also from yesterday, I’m going to write about Karnak Temple.  (Some folks have asked how I manage to blog every day – and the answer is simple; if I don’t I forget what we’ve seen!  And that is especially true in Egypt, where there are so many Pharaohs and Viziers and Nobles and Gods and Goddesses.  An amazing array!  [Margaret, it turns out, has become something of an Egyptologist with a good grasp of the King List and especially the Egyptian pantheon.  – R]

 

Karnak Avenue of Ram-headed sphinxes

Another amazing ceiling

Love those Lions!

Karnak Temple includes an open-air museum (which is basically where archaeologists have piled up all the rocks they couldn’t find a place for – it’s like a huge greater-than-life jig-saw puzzle – lots of pieces everywhere!) and is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons (basically entrance gates) and obelisks dedicated to the Theban (Thebes) Triad – Amun, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu.   The site covers over 2 sq. kilometers and is large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals.  Over 1500 years, Karnak was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom period.  I do have to say that there are many, many, many (repeat, please!) statues of Ramses II.  One thing is absolutely certain – he certainly did like to see his likeness everywhere possible!  I will try to label the photos as best I can, but it’s not going to be great!  Sorry!  

 

We then moved hotels to the Winter Palace.  I could never spend 5 days here – the rooms are tiny, but we have a front top floor balcony, and the view over the Nile is spectacular!  Also, they’re very stuffy here – doesn’t seem like R can wear shorts anywhere.  So, he had long pants and a collared shirt on this morning for breakfast, which seemed to pass muster, even considering his blue jeans and tennies, and then came up and changed into shorts and t-shirt before Abdul got here.  He was, of course, early, and out we were four today’s round of sight-seeing!

Main corridor for the hotel dining rooms

Abdul and me!

That's one big balloon basket!

 

I told him I wanted to see Seti I, which is supposedly the best decorated tomb in the Valley of the Kings, and possibly Tutankhamen’s, even though we’d already seen it some 23 years ago.  Also, the (Howard) Carter house (he of discoverer of Tutankhamen fame) and the replica of Tutankhamen’s tomb that has been carefully made and donated.  Also, I wanted to get to Mediat Habu, to see Ramses III’s memorial temple.  Here, though I made an error – inadvertent, I assure you!  When I said I wanted to see Seti I, Abdul thought that I meant the TEMPLE of Seti I, not the tomb!  With so many temples and tombs, one must apparently be very clear as to what one wishes to see!  

 

So, back over the bridge to the West Bank and first to the ticket office for some of the artifacts – Seti I’s TEMPLE, Medinat Habu, and the Carter House.  Not, however, the Valley of the Kings, which has its own ticket office and entryway.  Lovely newly paved and striped road to the Valley, and even though we were fairly early (about 8:15 am) the parking lots was already jammed with buses!  However, the tickets to Seti I’s tomb are 1000 Egyptian Pounds, (~$33 US) and Abdul assured us that there would NOT be a crowd there!  Fortunately, they have big golf carts to take visitors to the beginning of the actual tomb area, and it wasn’t long before we were able to find Seti I.  

 

To say that it is stunningly beautiful is indeed an understatement.  It does, however, run 137 meters long, and very, very, very deep!  The pathway was lined with wooden stairs and ramps, on which one needs to be really careful.  Art from Seti’s reign is among the finest in Egypt, and with Robert’s photographs, you’ll see what I’m talking about.  We got there about 8:30 am and, as someone coming up from below said to me, “It’s getting warm!”  Well, it certainly was!  But the tomb, re-opened after restoration in 2016, is well worth every single penny!  Also, because it is so expensive, most people don’t go there – and we had it all to ourselves for probably 10 minutes or longer.  The guides aren’t supposed to open some of the areas up, but we had no problem – we were actually led from room to room, but a very nice Egyptian who was, of course, suitably rewarded afterwards!  He wanted to know if we were “happy” – and indeed we were!  

 

After Seti I, we toured Tutankhamen’s tomb – a very, very different story!  That tomb was packed to overflowing, with people quite literally fighting for spaces from which to take good photos.  R took some, and I had a good look, but then really – let’s get out of here!!

 

Painted decoration of Tut's tomb

Tut's Sarchopagus

As we had seen five different tombs 23 years ago, and by the end of our tomb-viewing day, we honestly couldn’t remember which ones we had seen, and also judging from the crowds that were literally pouring into the valley, we decided we’d seen what we came to see, thank you very much, and wanted out!  Oh!  One nice thing!  Twenty years or so ago, we had the opportunity to meet the archaeologist Kent Weeks, thanks to Art Center’s attorney, Debbie Hall, when he gave a lecture to an assortment of Allen, Matkins (Debbie’s law firm) friends and clients. (Thank you SO much, Debbie!)  He was the discoverer of KV5, and runs the Theban Mapping Project.  KV5 is one of the most important discoveries of the 20^th century in Egypt!  It is the huge, multi-leveled tomb for the sons of Ramses II – and there were MANY of them – about 52!  Excavation work continues … but remember, it took Carter more than 10 YEARS to fully excavate Tutankhamen’s tomb and contents!

 

KV V

KV 5 tomb entrance

LOTS of people this morning!

Out of the tombs and found Abdul.  He seems to have timed us practically, as he is almost always right there we emerge, bedraggled and hot, from wherever he has left us.  Don’t know how it does it!

 

Off now to the view the Carter House, which is just to the side of the Valley of the Kings, and very convenient for excavation work.  Here, the house was really lovely.  Made entirely out of mud-brick, but nicely designed (by Carter).  It contains an assortment of archaeological equipment as well as some photographs; made for a nice visit.  By this time, I was getting a bit frazzled, so as we had already seen his actual tomb earlier, we decided we could skip “Faux Tut” as R calls it.  We believe the plan is to close the real tomb because of the damage caused by the presence of so many tourists and rely on the replica instead.

 

Outside Carter House

Study

Office

Bedroom

Kitchen

Many Tombs of the Nobles

Next stop was the TEMPLE of Seti I, not to be confused with the tomb!  And here, thankfully, we had to the entire temple to ourselves!  Yeah!  Seti I had died before his memorial temple was completed, so it was completed by – can you guess?  his son, Ramses II himself!  The differences, though in the sculptural style is striking.  Ramses II did not want ANYONE to ever deface or change his monuments – so the images and the hieroglyphics are very deeply etched into the stone.  Seti I didn’t really have that concern, and his sculptures are much more finely drawn and very beautiful!  The Temple was damaged extensively in 1994 by floods, and restoration work continues to this day.  

 

Our last visit for the day was to Medinat Habu, Ramses III’s memorial temple.  It is really lovely – although again, Ramses II pops up everywhere, still (attempting) to smite his Hittite foes!  (I wish he had gotten over it, but apparently not!).  What is really interesting though, are the two floors above the ground, where there are large windows where apparently Ramses III used to show himself to his subjects! Not many people here, although more (greater than none…) than at Seti I’s temple.

 

Medinat Habu stunning detail

Ramses III smiting again

Skeet, Lion Goddess

Windows where the subjects could see the Pharaoh

First Pylon (entrance)

Decorated ceiling

Talk about deeply incised

After that, we were exhausted, and headed back to the hotel.  Upstairs now, having finished our Egypt Air business, stopping to buy a few large bottles of water, and we’re probably in for the night.  However, as it’s Friday afternoon, the cruise boats from Aswan are all pulling in to dock now!  More balloons tomorrow!

 

So – closing now!  Abdul is coming at 7:30 am tomorrow, so we’ll be up and about early.  Need to repack everything and head to the airport!  More later!

 

m

xxx