VALLEY OF THE KINGS, KARNAK, LUXOR, EGYPT, APRIL 7, 2008
The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt). The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Luxor, which was ancient Thebes.
Luxor, has frequently been characterized as the “world’s greatest open air museum.” The ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these temples and their presence represents a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. Indeed tourism represents billions of dollars of for the country in total.
At 7am we boarded the 27 buses for Luxor on the Nile and our police security lead convoy began the 220km (137 mile) journey. Since the terrorist incident 13 years ago the government is very careful and protective of its tourists.
After 4 hours of travel through mountains, deserts and finally the small towns bordering the irrigation channels from the Nile, we arrived at The Valley of the Kings.
The area has been a focus of concentrated archaeological and egyptological exploration since the end of the 18th century, and its tombs and burial continue to stimulate research and interest. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. We arrived and were taken to 3 of the 63 tombs: Ramses I, Ramses IV, and King Tut. The best part of the tombs was the fabulous ancient art. The colors after all these years were still bright and vibrant.
We stopped briefly and Queen Hatchepsut to see the amazing structure not too far from the Valley of the Kings.
The Sheraton hotel where we had lunch was right on the Nile and docked was one of the numerous river cruise ships that plied the river from Cairo to the Anwar dam.
In the afternoon we visited the magnificent temple of Karnak and the adjacent temple of Luxor. It is said that about 15% of the treasures of Egypt have been discovered. The ancient 3 km avenue between Luxor and Karnak is currently built over by the modern city. Egypt is trying to buy up the city properties and begin an extensive excavation to discover more of the ancient treasures.
The Karnak Temple was built over two millennia by generations of Pharaohs dedicated to their god Amun. With its Ramses statues, obelisks, and the great Hypostyle Hall including a veritable forest of 164 columns (used in the James Bond film) it could take days to explore.
The Luxor Temple has an avenue of human head sphinx’s leading to the Karnak Temple. Its extensive columns appear in this novice’s eye to be precursors of the famous Greek columns. By the way Athens is our next stop after the Suez Canal.
The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt). The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Luxor, which was ancient Thebes.
Luxor, has frequently been characterized as the “world’s greatest open air museum.” The ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Thousands of international tourists arrive each year to visit these temples and their presence represents a large part of the economic basis for the modern city. Indeed tourism represents billions of dollars of for the country in total.
At 7am we boarded the 27 buses for Luxor on the Nile and our police security lead convoy began the 220km (137 mile) journey. Since the terrorist incident 13 years ago the government is very careful and protective of its tourists.
After 4 hours of travel through mountains, deserts and finally the small towns bordering the irrigation channels from the Nile, we arrived at The Valley of the Kings.
The area has been a focus of concentrated archaeological and egyptological exploration since the end of the 18th century, and its tombs and burial continue to stimulate research and interest. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. We arrived and were taken to 3 of the 63 tombs: Ramses I, Ramses IV, and King Tut. The best part of the tombs was the fabulous ancient art. The colors after all these years were still bright and vibrant.
We stopped briefly and Queen Hatchepsut to see the amazing structure not too far from the Valley of the Kings.
The Sheraton hotel where we had lunch was right on the Nile and docked was one of the numerous river cruise ships that plied the river from Cairo to the Anwar dam.
In the afternoon we visited the magnificent temple of Karnak and the adjacent temple of Luxor. It is said that about 15% of the treasures of Egypt have been discovered. The ancient 3 km avenue between Luxor and Karnak is currently built over by the modern city. Egypt is trying to buy up the city properties and begin an extensive excavation to discover more of the ancient treasures.
The Karnak Temple was built over two millennia by generations of Pharaohs dedicated to their god Amun. With its Ramses statues, obelisks, and the great Hypostyle Hall including a veritable forest of 164 columns (used in the James Bond film) it could take days to explore.
The Luxor Temple has an avenue of human head sphinx’s leading to the Karnak Temple. Its extensive columns appear in this novice’s eye to be precursors of the famous Greek columns. By the way Athens is our next stop after the Suez Canal.
