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Cruising on the Nile Continued |
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Day 5 was a full day of touring Luxor and Thebes. We headed first to the West Bank of Luxor called Thebes. Along the Nile, all tombs were built on the west banks because the west bank was the land of the dead. All the temples and palaces were built on the east bank because this side was the land of the living. The pyramids in Giza are also on the west bank of Cairo. The Valley of the Kings, Queens, and workers resides in Thebes on the west bank. We visited the Valley of the Kings first, exploring 4 of the buried tombs out of 62. The pharohs built the tombs after the pyramid time, hoping to hide their tombs and treasures from robbers by building the tombs deep underground. This was unsuccessful as all the tombs except for King Tutankhamun's were raided. Still, the walls of the tombs are vividly painted with heiroglyphics and scenes mostly depicting the journey after death. Photographs are not allowed inside the tombs, so we have no pictures to show. But really, the tombs are beautiful inside and fascinating to study. |
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Colossi of Memnon in Thebes |
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| Valley of the Kings with buried tombs |
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Ev and Lisa in front of Hatshepsut Temple |
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| Painting in Hatshepsut Temple |
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Peter in the Karnak Temple |
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Obelisk at the Karnak Temple |
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After touring the Valley of the Kings, we decided to look at the Valley of the Workers instead of the Valley of the Queens. There are two well preserved tombs in the Valley of the Workers, both elaborately painted. Though not as deep or grand as the Kings tombs, the worker tombs show how important it was that workers be buried in the same style as the kings.
The next stop was the Hatshepsut Temple. Hatshepsut was a queen who ruled Egypt for a short time. She is said to have dressed as a King while she ruled. Only Peter, my dad and I ventured up the long stairs to see this temple. It was about 100 degrees F and the girls and my mom decided to stay in the shade at the bottom.
After having lunch back on the boat, we ventured into Luxor to visit the Karnak and Luxor Temples on the east bank. Again, our guide in Luxor was great in explaining everything we toured today. Karnak Temple, or the Temple of Amun, is a huge complex, growing over the centuries as each pharaoh added to and changed the buildings. This temple also lay under sand for 1000 years before being excavated in the mid-19th century. Even in its decayed state, it is almost possible to imagine what it looked like, painted and complete. |
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The Temple of Luxor is smaller, but also beautiful. We were able to see Karnak Temple again in the evening for the sound and light show. Though exceptionally beautiful at night, the show was exceptionally boring.
Our last night on the boat was early, as we had a very early flight out in the morning. |
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Luxor Temple |
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Ramses II at Luxor Temple |
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October Egypt Trip Main Page |
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Red Sea Travel Log |
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