Ancient Egypt - Land of the Pharaohs
Khufu's/Cheops Great Pyramid, Khafre's fourth dynasty lesser pyramid, and the smallest of the three - built by Menkaure.
Earlier in the day, we explored inside the pyramid, the Grand Gallery, the Queen's Chamber and the King's Chamber.
Truly mystical experiences... Our day was filled with intrigue.
Our Adventure took us to the temples of Kings Seti I and Ramasses II, at Abydos, one of the most sacred sites in Ancient Egypt. According to one tradition, this is where the God Osiris was interred. We visited the temples of Hathor, the nurturing mother cow-goddess, the temple at Dendera, and the temple of Philea, the main sanctuary of Isis.
We were enthralled with the beauty of wall paintings, drawings, and hierglyphics in the tombs (burial chambers) of Tuthmosis IV, Amenhotep II, Seti I, and Ramesses VI. The most beautiful drawings were in the tomb of Nefertari, the favorite wife of Ramasses II.
The larger temple at Abu Simbel, with its collosal statues, was dedicated to the sun gods Re-Horakhty and Amun-Re, the creator god Plah and the deified Ramasses II. The smaller temple was dedicated to the godess Hathor and Ramasses II favorite wife Nefertari. (During the 1960s, these temples were moved to safety during the Aswan Dam construction).
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As we reached the summit of the Great Pyramid, standing in the bright sunlight 450 ft. above the desert floor, evening shadows were already engulfing the sphinx at the base of the pyramid. We started our climb in the late afternoon, pulling ourselves up over the huge stones - one by one - up the rough pyramid surface.
We gazed wide-eyed, in awe, at the size of the famous Sphinx - carved from an outcrop of rock on the Giza Plateau. The lion's body symbolizes royal power, while the head is a portrait of the 4th. dynasty Pharaoh Khafre.
Our adventure continued as we traveled by train and then by boat on the Nile River to Upper Egypt.
The colossal mortuary temple of the beautiful Queen Hatshepsut (the female pharaoh) lies up against a huge cliff at Deir el-Bahri.
Erected by Amenhotep, the amazing Colossi of Memnon - two gigantic statues - sit where once stood the enormous mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
Luxor Temple, erected by Ramassess II was originally embellished with six statues and two obelisks. (An obelisk from Luxor Temple was erected in Place de la Concorde in Paris, France in 1836).
The Luxor Temple is connected by an avenue of sphinxes to the temple complex of Karnak.
Across from Thebes, on the East Bank of the Nile, lies the Valley of the Kings - Royal Burial Ground for kings of the New Kingdom (c.1550 - c.1069BC).
Of course, we visited the the most famous tomb of all - that of King Tutankhamun with its magnificent treasures and artifacts.
Our adventure travel took us further up the Nile to the famous Nubian Temples of Abu Simbel. They were cut into a cliff in the reign of Ramasses II (c.1279-c.1213BC).
Our tour would not have been complete without visiting the Cairo Museum, the fertile delta famous city of Alexandria - and Port Said, the portal to the Suez Canal.
