Our first day in Egypt finds us in Luxor, just a quick hour flight south of Cairo on the Nile River. Luxor is the gateway to some of the most significant ancient Egyptian artifacts including the Luxor and Karnack Temples, the Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple. The temples, located on the east side of the Nile River, were built over thousands of years by several different Egyptian kings and queens. During their respective reigns, each Kings would add onto the existing temple. The Valley of the Kings, located on the west side of the Nile, is home to many different tombs including the tomb of King Tutankhamen or better known as King Tut.
The temples were used by the kings and priests while they were alive. As a result they were built on the east side of the Nile because the sun rises in the east and represents life. The sun setting in the west represented death or the end of a king or queen’s life on earth. Therefore the tombs were built on the west side of the Nile in the Valley of the King’s.
Today’s picture was hard to choose as we have over 80 pictures from today alone. However we had to choose and Sam picked the entrance to Luxor Temple.
“The Luxor Temple was built by Amenhotep II and Ramesses II. It was connected to the Karnack temple by the avenue of sphinxes which is nearly a mile and a half long. The temple was used by three different religious cultures; Egyptian, Christian and Islam. The Christians used it as a hiding place from Romans to avoid persecution in Egypt. The Christian’s occupation of this temple is evidenced by a picture of the twelve disciples on one of the walls in the temple. They used plaster to cover the Egyptian markings and then painted their own representations of their faith. Much of the plaster used by the Christians has fallen off revealing the original Egyptian marks from the 20th dynasty. Additionally, they built a mosque inside the temple for Islamic people.
The Luxor temple is much smaller than the Karnack temple but just as beautiful. The original coloration in this temple is much better preserved than at Karnack due to less water damage. There is even a statue of Tutankhamen and his sister/wife in this temple. The Luxor temple is a very beautiful and well preserved.” -Sam
And if you’re wondering if the tombs at the Valley of the Kings is worth a visit, YES! We toured three tombs and all were pretty amazing. However, the tomb of Thutmosis III was my absolute favorite. My brother-in-law Ron Cockle visited last year and gave me the tip. He didn’t steer us wrong. We climbed a set of stairs that took us about 50 feet up the side of a mountain. From there we descended several flights of stairs into the mountain. About 100 feet down into the mountain we entered Thutmosis’ burial chamber. The original pictures on the wall of the king’s 12 hour journey in the afterlife looked like they were painted yesterday. It was absolutely remarkable.
Any attempt to fully describe what we saw today and how it made us feel would be an attempt in futility and quite possibly render the experience less meaningful. Fortunately for us, just the few words we have shared with you today have somehow extended today’s adventures an etched in our minds a memory of a lifetime.
The temples were used by the kings and priests while they were alive. As a result they were built on the east side of the Nile because the sun rises in the east and represents life. The sun setting in the west represented death or the end of a king or queen’s life on earth. Therefore the tombs were built on the west side of the Nile in the Valley of the King’s.
Today’s picture was hard to choose as we have over 80 pictures from today alone. However we had to choose and Sam picked the entrance to Luxor Temple.
“The Luxor Temple was built by Amenhotep II and Ramesses II. It was connected to the Karnack temple by the avenue of sphinxes which is nearly a mile and a half long. The temple was used by three different religious cultures; Egyptian, Christian and Islam. The Christians used it as a hiding place from Romans to avoid persecution in Egypt. The Christian’s occupation of this temple is evidenced by a picture of the twelve disciples on one of the walls in the temple. They used plaster to cover the Egyptian markings and then painted their own representations of their faith. Much of the plaster used by the Christians has fallen off revealing the original Egyptian marks from the 20th dynasty. Additionally, they built a mosque inside the temple for Islamic people.
The Luxor temple is much smaller than the Karnack temple but just as beautiful. The original coloration in this temple is much better preserved than at Karnack due to less water damage. There is even a statue of Tutankhamen and his sister/wife in this temple. The Luxor temple is a very beautiful and well preserved.” -Sam
And if you’re wondering if the tombs at the Valley of the Kings is worth a visit, YES! We toured three tombs and all were pretty amazing. However, the tomb of Thutmosis III was my absolute favorite. My brother-in-law Ron Cockle visited last year and gave me the tip. He didn’t steer us wrong. We climbed a set of stairs that took us about 50 feet up the side of a mountain. From there we descended several flights of stairs into the mountain. About 100 feet down into the mountain we entered Thutmosis’ burial chamber. The original pictures on the wall of the king’s 12 hour journey in the afterlife looked like they were painted yesterday. It was absolutely remarkable.
Any attempt to fully describe what we saw today and how it made us feel would be an attempt in futility and quite possibly render the experience less meaningful. Fortunately for us, just the few words we have shared with you today have somehow extended today’s adventures an etched in our minds a memory of a lifetime.
Be well and shokran (“thank you” in Arabic)
Barry and Sam
Was the Luxor Temple named after the famous hotel and casino? Just kidding. :-) Sounds like an amazing trip - I can't wait to read more!!
ReplyDelete-Jessica T-