day 76, Sinai, Egypt(9)

We are absolutely in awe of all these monuments in Egypt!!

Now Feroz has had enough of all of this and wants to go diving in Sharm el-Sheikh since it has the best diving sites in the world!

Sorry Feroz, we have a really tight schedule.....so we simply have to move on.

Ok, guys let's take a camel ride to the summit of Mount Sinai (2285m), a.k.a. Mount Moses or Mount Horeb. This is identified as the mountain where Moses received the Tablets of the Law from God. The main route to the summit is known as the Path of Moses (Arabic: Sikket Sayidna Musa) and is lined with remains of various chapels.

Wow, can you just imagine being Prophet Moses, standing here, receiving the 10 commandments!

Now we are going to St. Catherine's Monastery, an Orthodox monastery on the Sinai peninsula at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.

Because God spoke to Moses in these places, this area is sacred to three world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The geographical locations of these biblical events are not known and a wide variety of theories have been offered by scholars. No particular evidence supports the site on which the monastery is built nor for the peak identified as Mount Sinai. However, the attachment of early Christian monks to these sites is not without significance.

In the early 4th century, St. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, built the Chapel of the Burning Bush at the site where Moses is supposed to have seen the miracle.

The fortified walls were built around the chapel by the Byzantine emperor and great church-builder Justinian (who also commissioned the Hagia Sophia) starting in 527.

The Church of the Transfiguration was completed by Justinian's workers in the 560s, around the time of his death.

The monastery's actual name is the Monastery of the Transfiguration, but it later became associated with St. Catherine of Alexandria, a 3rd-century martyr whose head and hand were brought here for safe keeping in the 10th century. St. Catherine's Monastery became a major pilgrimage destination in the Byzantine Era and it still is today.

In 623, a document signed by the Prophet Muhammad himself, the Actiname (Holy Testament), exempted the Christian monks of St. Catherine's from the usual taxes and military service and commanded that Muslims provide the community with every help.

In recognition of this gesture, the St. Catherine' s monks permitted the conversion of a small Crusader chapel within the monastery to a mosque between 110 1 and 1106 during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171). This was in regular use until Mameluke rule in the later 13th century, when it was neglected until its restoration in the early 20th century. It is still used on special occasions by the local Muslims.

In 2002, the area centering on St. Catherine's Monastery was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of Mt. Sinai's importance in three major world religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), the natural environment of the area and St. Catherine's historic architecture and art.

Christian symbols, such as crosses and monograms, are carved on the wall in various places. Until the 20th century, access was through a door high in the outer walls. The entrance is now through a smaller gate (also original) to the left of the main gate.

The holiest part of the monastery is the large living shrub that is said to be a direct descendant of the very burning bush that was seen by Moses.

The Chapel of the Burning Bush was built with its altar situated above the roots of the bush and incorporates the 4th-century chapel built by Empress St. Helena. The chapel is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The bust itself was transplanted to permit the construction of the altar and now grows a few meters from the chapel. It is a rare species of the rose family called Rubus Sanctus. The bush is native to Sinai and extremely long-lived, facts that help lend credibility to the site.

The main church of the monastery is the Basilica of the Transfiguration (or Katholikon), which was built of granite by the Byzantine architect Stephanos at the same time as the defensive walls. The church structure, the roof, and the carved cedar doors at the entrance are all originals from 527 AD.

The icons, mosaics and works of art that decorate the interior span many centuries.

The doors of the narthex were added by Crusaders in the 11th century.

The neo-Classical bell tower was built in 1871 by one of the monks, Gregorius. It houses nine bells given by the Tsar of Russia.

A continual supply of fresh water is provided to the monastery by the Well of Moses, which taps an underground spring.
According to tradition, this stands on the very spot where Moses met his future wife, Zipporah, after protecting her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local shepherds (Exodus 2:16-21).

The library at St. Catherine's is the oldest in the Christian world and preserves the second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts in the world (outnumbered only by the Vatican Library). Its collection includes more than 3000 manuscripts and more than 5000 early religious books.

The library also has a precious collection of more than 2000 icons of Christ, Mary and the saints, displayed in a special gallery. These represent almost every school of Byzantine iconography from the 6th to the 18th century.

Outside the walls is the Monastery Garden, created over many years by the monks. Soil was brought here from elsehwere and tanks were made to store water for irrigation. It contains fruit trees including olives, apricots and plums and produces a variety of vegetables.

Next to the garden is the Cemetery and Charnel House. When the monks die, they are first buried in the cemetery, then after decay their bones are disinterred and deposited in the Charnel House (a crypt beneath the Chapel of St. Trifonio). The bones of the abbot-archbishops are kept in special niches. The Charnel House has both a practical and a spiritual function: it solves the problems of limited space and rocky ground and reminds the monks of the inevitability of death.

We actually saw the great pile of thousands of skulls of past monks.

Hmm, a very interesting UNESCO world heritage site indeed!

l

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/saint-catherine/overview/sphere-flash.html

Day 76, Saqqara, Egypt(8)

Phew, it is a good thing that we made such an early start this morning...you know , it is really hot in Egypt in August!!
Next stop....Saqqara.

Covering a 7km stretch of the Western Desert, Saqqara, the huge cemetery of ancient Memphis, was an active burial ground for more than 3500 years, and is Egypt’s largest archaeological site. The necropolis is situated high above the Nile Valley’s cultivation area, and is the final resting place for deceased pharaohs and their families, administrators, generals and sacred animals.

Old Kingdom pharaohs were buried within Saqqara’s 11 major pyramids, while their subjects were buried in the hundreds of smaller tombs found in the great necropolis. Not surprisingly, the name Saqqara is most likely derived from Sokar, the Memphite god of the dead.

Most of Saqqara, except for the Step Pyramid, was buried in sand until the mid-19th century, when the great French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette uncovered the Serapeum. Since then, it has been a gradual process of rediscovery: the Step Pyramid’s massive funerary complex was not discovered until 1924 and it is still being restored.

Intended to hold his mummified body, Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara began as a traditional, flat-roofed mastaba. But by the end of his 19-year reign, in 2611 B.C., it had risen to six stepped layers and stood 204 feet (62 meters) high. It was the largest building of its time.

Extensive use of stone—here and there carved to resemble wood, reeds, or other softer materials—made the tomb more durable than its mud-brick forebears. Such pioneering techniques led many ancient historians to credit the chief architect, Imhotep, with inventing stone architecture.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/the-pyramids/djoser-s-pyramid-in-saqqara/sphere-flash.html

The Step Pyramid complex was enclosed by a 30-foot (10-meter) wall and included courtyards, temples, and chapels covering nearly 40 acres (16 hectares)—the size of a large town in the third millennium B.C.
As in earlier mastaba tombs, the Step Pyramid's burial chambers are underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels, probably to discourage grave robbers. The tomb was nevertheless plundered, and all that remains of Djoser, the third king of Egypt's 3rd dynasty (time line), is his mummified left foot!!

Day 76, the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt (7)

We feasted with Mo last night...but now we must make an early start this morning...we are now going to the Great Pyramids of Giza.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/the-pyramids/giza-necropolis/sphere-flash.html

This is totally awesome!!

There are about eighty (80) surviving pyramids in Egypt, the three largest and best preserved of these being at Giza.

They were built at the beginning of what is called the Old Kingdom, starting around 2560BC (over 4,500 years ago!)

The largest of the Pyramids at Giza is the "Great Pyramid" constructed for the pharaoh Khufu. It is 146 metres high and covers more than 52,609 square metres.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/the-pyramids/cheops-pyramid/sphere-flash.html

Amazing isn't it??

Historians believe that it took over 100,000 workers and an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks about 20 years to built this pyramid.

Many modern historians think that the Pharaoh Khufu employed people for three months of each year during the time of the Nile's annual flood which made it impossible to farm the land and most of the population was unemployed.

By working on Khufu's "Great Pyramid" the people had food and clothing during these periods of inactivity.

So, yes, Marti, the Pyramids can almost be seen as an ancient job-creation scheme, with the flood waters also making it easier to transport building stone to the site.

This is supported by the discovery of a pyramid-builders' settlement, complete with areas for large-scale food production and medical facilities. Ongoing excavations on the Giza Plateau are providing more and more evidence that the workers were not the slaves of Hollywood tradition, but a highly organised workforce of Egyptian farmers.

The pyramids were built as tombs or burial places for the Egyptian pharaohs or kings.

It was very important to the ancient Egyptians to protect the bodies of their phar aohs as they believed in an after-life when they would climb into the sky and join the gods. To keep the mummified body safe the insides of the pyramids were like mazes, with secret doors, dead-end passages and booby-traps.

To help the pharaoh in his after-life jewelry, food, clothes, furniture and even servants and pets were entombed with him. Because of this almost all the tom bs and pyramids were ransacked or "burgled" by tomb robbers many thousands of years ago who stole most of the treasures.

Oh, there is a "ship of the desert"

and so let's mount our individual camels for a short ride across the sands of Giza...towards the Sphinx

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/the-pyramids/in-front-of-the-sphinx/sphere-flash.html

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/the-pyramids/beside-the-sphinx/sphere-flash.html

ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR!!!!!!

By the way, did you know that Giza is the most important site on earth for many New Age followers, who are drawn by the pyramids' mysteries and ancient origins?

An interesting observation is that the Great Pyramid is perfectly aligned to true north, south, east and west. This has led to speculation about an astrological meaning to its position. A number of theories have been advanced concerning occult meanings, secret codes or prophecies derived from the pyramid's dimensions.

Is it a gateway to the stars??

Day 76, Cairo(6)

Mohammad, why are the children swinging colourful lanterns and singing Wahawi ya Wahawi everywhere?? What is going on??

Ramadan is the main ritual for all Muslims in the world, but to the Egyptians it's the magical month that, accompanied with all the mysterious traditions that have become associated with Ramadan, often has no intrinsic link to religion!! Some believe that many of the traditions are even incompatible with Islam.

One of these magical traditions are Ramadan lanterns (Fawanees, sg. Fanoos or Fanus), which are now frequently made from recycled tin cans or plastic lanterns that play the latest popular music. Lanterns and lamps of various kinds, hues and degrees of brightness, have always been special to the Egyptians. Many stories of their origins have been told.

One story has it that the Fatimid Caliph Al Hakim Bi-Amr Illah wanted to light the streets of Cairo during Ramadan nights, so he ordered all the sheikhs of mosques to hang Fa wanees that could be illuminated by candles. As a result, the Fanoos became a custom that has never been abandoned.

Another story states that, during the time of the Caliph Al Hakim Bi-Amr Illah, women were not allowed to leave their houses except during Ramadan,but even then they had to be preceded by a little boy carrying a copper Fanoos. The Fanoos was then used as a tool to announce the arrival of a woman to caution men in the street to move away. As the laws against women softened, women were allowed to go out as they wished but people liked the idea of the Fanoos, and so it became a tradition that little children carry them in the streets everyday to play.

A third story even relates that the lanterns came from a completely different religion. Some believe that the use of lanterns was originally a Coptic Christian tradition celebrated during Christmas time (Coptic version), when people used to celebrate with colorful candles. This story explains that, as many Christians converted to Islam, they took this tradition with them in the form of lanterns made of tin and lit with candles.

Regardless of the validity of these stories, the Fanoos remains a very unique symbol of Ramadan to Muslims and Christians alike. It has passed from generation to generation, and is today explicitly associated with children. It's popular image is children playing out in the streets during Ramadan, happily swinging their Fawanees and singing a nonce rhyme in colloquial Egyptian Arabic which was composed by Ahmed Sherif, who is one of the renowned music writers and composers. The song goes like this:

Wahawi ya Wahawi (metaphorically meaning the light of fire).Iyuha (an unknown word which is used to rhyme in between).Ruht ya Sha'ban (you have gone, O Sha'ban referring to the month before Ramadan).Wi Gheet ya Ramadan (You have gone, O Ramadan).Iyuha..Bint el Sultan (The daughter of the Sultan).Iyuha.Labsa el Guftan (Is wearing her caftan).Iyuha.Yalla ya Ghaffar (For God the forgiver).Iduna el Idiya (Give us this season's gift)..Yalla ya Ghafar.

Well, we love it.....sort of like Diwali in Islamic Cairo!!!

Hey Mo, why are these date sellers sreaming " Obama"

Hahaha, for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Egyptian fruit sellers have named their best dates of the year after President Barack Obama in a sweet tribute to the American leader for his outreach to the Muslim world!
Apparently in previous years they named their worst dates after George Bush!!

Dates are a traditional food for Ramadan since the Prophet Muhammad is said to have used them to break the month's sunrise-to-sunset fast each evening.

Thanks for the tour of Cairo Mo, and now we are going to eat with Mo after his day long fast......and we expect quite a feast!

Day 76, Islamic Cairo, Egypt(5)

We have just met my dear friend Mohammad who greets us...."As-Salāmu `Alaykum". This is an Arabic spoken greeting used by Muslims as well as Arab Christians and Jews. The greeting may be transliterated "Peace Be Upon You".
The traditional response is wa `Alaykum As-Salaam, meaning "and Upon You Be Peace".
Its Hebrew counterpart greeting is Shalom aleichem
Ramadan Mubarak Mo.

He has offered to give us a quick tour of the city tonight....thanks Mo.

Look, there is Ibn Tulun Mosque, a huge and historic mosque built by Ahmad Ibn Tulun in the 9th century AD.

Mo says that this is the oldest intact functioning Islamic monument in Cairo, and oldest mosque in Egypt!
It is famous for its lovely architecture. The entire complex of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun is surrounded by a wall and covers more than 6 acres.
With an area of 26,318 sq m, the mosque itself is the third largest in the world. The arches of the courtyard galleries are decorated with beautifully carved stu cco, the first time this medium was used in Cairo.

And there is the awesome Al-Azhar Mosque, built between 970 AD and 972 AD. This mosque was built under the orders of Gohar As-Saqlabi.

The style of the mosque is considered to be Fatimid type. Many are of the opinion that the Mosque was named to commemorate Fatima Az-Zahira, the daughter of the Prophet. The Al Azhar mosque was finished on the occasion of Ramadan on 361 H or the Muslim year.

The Al-Azhar mosque had a very organized planning of the layout of the entire structure. The mosque complex comprised an open court along with three hall ways. The largest of the three hallways is a sanctuary and it is about five aisles deep. The mosque originally consisted of three domes of which two are now completely destroyed.

The Al-Azhar mosque had undergone significant additions during the 15th century, when Sultan Qayt Bay ordered the same. The additions included large hallways, which were positioned behind the Mirhab and also a new roof and floor. Also a dome, the Bah Al Shurba, Bab As- Saaida entrance, a wooden mirhab and a marble enveloped Mirhab were part of the new constructions.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/cairo/el-azher-mosque-inside-court/sphere-flash.html

Absolutely breathtaking!!!

Last stop for tonight.......we are going shopping in the Khan El halili Bazaar!!

Yippee!!

The souk dates back to 1382, when Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a large caravanserai in Cairo under the Burji Mamluk Sultan Barquq; the eponymous khan is still extant. By the time of Barquq, the first Circassian Mamluk Sultan (1382- 1399 A.D.) much reconstruction needed to be done within the walls of the city in order to repair the damage incurred as a result of the Black Death.

When Barquq started his madrassa in Bayn el-Qasrayn, markets were rebuilt, and Khan el-Khalili was established.It was also known Turkish bazaar during the Ottoman Empire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fOkfYOL9aQ

Day 76 , Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt(4)

Wow, Egypt has been mind blowing thus far......now we have arrived in Cairo.

Upon arrival, the choreographed chaos here just hits you like a ton of bricks!!! It doesn't take long, however, to acclimatise to Cairo's wall of noise, snarl of traffic, cry of hawkers and blanket of smog, and get drawn into the hypnotising charm of this pulsating metropolis. Known to its nearly 20 million residents as Um ad-Dunya (Mother of the World), modern Cairo is a hotchpotch of recent growth barely superimposed on a dense bed of history.

Our first stop is the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

......we want to see King Tut!

The majority of the world has come to know the tomb of King Tutankhamun better than any royal tombs because unlike the others, it was found mostly intact.

Inside the tomb, there is a large collection of artifacts used throughout the King's life.

These artifacts range from a decorated chest, which was most likely used as a closet or suitcase, to ivory and gold bracelets, necklaces, and other decorative jewelry, to alabaster vases and flasks.

The tomb is also home to many weapons and instruments used by the King.

Although the tomb holds over 3,500 artifacts, it should be noted that this tomb was not found completely intact.

In fact, there have been at least two robberies of the tomb, perhaps soon after Tutankhamun's burial.

Are there it is , the most well known artifact in King Tutankhamun's tomb, the famous Gold Mask, which rests over the bandages that wrap around the King's face.

The mask weighs in at 24.5 pounds of solid gold, and is believed to represent what the King's face really looked like.

Many features of the mask the eyes, nose, lips and chin are all represented very well.....he was kind of cute, dont you think?

day 76, Luxor Temple, Egypt(3)

Ok my dear friends our next stop is Luxor Temple, a great temple complex in modern Luxor dedicated to Amun, a creator god often fused with the sun-god Ra into Amun-Ra. The concentration of monuments is extraordinary: they tower incongruously above the buzz of everyday life and make this a most compelling destination.

Construction work on the temple began during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. Horemheb and Tutankhamun added columns, statues, and friezes, and Akhenaten had earlier obliterated his father's cartouches and installed a shrine to the Aten.

However, the only major expansion effort took place under Ramses II some 100 years after the first stones were put in place. Luxor is thus unique among the main Egyptian temple complexes in having only two pharaohs leave their mark on its architectural structure.

Each year, to ensure the flooding of the Nile that was necessary to national prosperity, the statues of Amun, Mut (goddess of war), and Khons (the moon god) were sailed down the river to Karnak for a great festival.

The temple fell into disrepair during the Late Period. Alexander the Great claimed to have undertaken major reconstruction work "to restore it to the glory of Amenhotep's times" in the 320s BC. During Rome's domination of Egypt it was converted into a centre for the Roman emperor cult.

By the time of the Arab conquest, the temple was largely buried underneath accumulated river silt, to the extent that the Mosque of Abu Haggag was built on top of it in the 13th century (much reworked since, but one of the minarets dates back to the original construction).

Luxor Temple is huge in scale — it once housed a village within its walls. It has several pylons (monumental gateways) that are some 70 yards long. The first pylon is over 70 feet high, fronted by massive statues and several obelisks. There are several open areas, once used for various forms of worship but now empty. Later additions include a shrine to Alexander the Great, a Roman sanctuary, and an Islamic shrine to a 13th-century holy man.

Entrance to the temple was – and still is – from the north, where a causeway lined by sphinxes that once led all the way to Karnak begins.

This road, known as the Sacred Way or Avenue of Sphinxes, was a later addition, dating from the time of Nectanebo I in the 30th Dynasty.

The temple proper begins with the 24-metre high First Pylon, built by Ramesses II. The pylon was decorated with scenes of Ramesses's military triumphs (particularly the Battle of Qadesh); later pharaohs, particularly those of the Nubian and Ethiopian dynasties, also recorded their victories there.

This main entrance to the temple complex was originally flanked by six colossal statues of Ramesses – four seated, and two standing – but only two seated statues have survived.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/luxor/temple/court-of-rameses-ii/sphere-flash.html

Also surviving is a 25-metre tall pink granite obelisk. It was one of a matching pair until 1835, when the other one was taken to Paris where it now stands in the centre of the Place de la Concorde.....yes, we remember that don't we?

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/luxor/temple/pylon-the-missing-obelisk-is-found-on-the-place-de-la-concorde-in-paris-france/sphere-flash.html

Through the pylon gateway leads into a peristyle courtyard, also built by Ramesses II. This area and the pylon were built at an oblique angle to the rest of the temple, presumably to accommodate the three pre-existing barque shrines located in the northwest corner.

It is atop the columns of this courtyard that the Abu Haggag Mosque was built: on the eastern side, a doorway leads out into thin air some 8 meters above the ground.

After the peristyle courtyard comes the processional colonnade built by Amenhotep III – a 100-metre corridor lined by 14 papyrus-capital columns.

Friezes on the wall describe the stages in the Opet Festival, from sacrifices at Karnak at the top left, through Ammon's arrival at Luxor at the end of that wall, and concluding with his return on the opposite side. The decorations were put in place by Tutankhamun: the boy pharaoh is depicted, but his names have been replaced with those of Horemheb

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/luxor/temple/colonnade/sphere-flash.html

Beyond the colonnade is another peristyle courtyard, which also dates back to Amenhotep's original construction. The best preserved columns are on the eastern side, where some traces of original colour can be seen. The southern side of this courtyard is made up of a 32-column hypostyle court that leads into the inner sanctums of the temple.

The inner sanctums begin with a dark antechamber. Of particular interest here are the Roman stuccoes than can still be seen atop the Egyptian carvings below; in Roman times this area served as a chapel, where local Christians were offered a final opportunity to renounce their faith and embrace the pagan state religion.

Further in stands a Barque Shrine for use by Amun, built by Alexander, with the final area being the private quarters of the gods and the Birth Shrine of Amenhotep III. The latter features detailed wall paintings depicting the pharoah's claim to have been fathered by Amun, and therefore of divine descent.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/luxor/temple/court-of-amenhotep/sphere-flash.html

A cache of 26 New Kingdom statues was found under the floor in the inner sanctum area in 1989 – hidden away by pious priests, presumably, at some moment of internal upheaval or invasion. These splendid pieces are now on display at the nearby Luxor Museum.

Wow, another amazing, breathtaking, dramatic, remarkable, sensational, striking, wondrous Egyptian monument!

Day 76, Abu Simbel, Egypt(2)

Abu Simbel is an archaeological site comprising two massive rock temples, which both date back to the reign of King Ramses II (1290-1223 BC), in southern Egypt along the Nile about 290 km southwest of Aswan.

It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Nubian Monuments" which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae.

Unfortunately these unique Temples suffered from the raising water of Lake Nasser while the High Dam was being built. Other countries, with the help of UNESCO, assisted Egypt to help save them. Thank goodness!

The Great Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel consists of four seated colossal statues of Ramses II carved into the mountain, forming one of the boldest temple facades in the world. It is aligned so the sun's rays travel through the mountain and illuminate Ramses' sanctuary twice a year -- on October 22 and February 22.

There are two temples at Abu Simbel. The larger one, generally know n as the Temple of Ramses II, is dedicated to Ra-Harakhty, Ptah and Amun, Egypt's three state deities of the time. It features four large statues of Ramses II in the facade. The smaller temple, referred to as the Temple of Nefertari, is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, personified Ramesses's most beloved wife Nefertari ( the pharaoh had some 200 wives and concubines total).

This place is totally overwhelming!!!! Stupendous! Awesome!

A monument of untellable splendor!

I am speechless!

The Temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel is generally considered the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt. The facade is 33 meters high, and 38 meters broad, and guarded by four statues, each of which is 20 meters high. They were sculptured directly from the rock in which the temple was located before it was moved.

All statues represent Ramses II, seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The statue to the left of the entrance was damaged in an earthquake, leaving only the lower part of the statue still intact. The head and torso can still be seen at the statue's feet.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/nubia/abu-simbel-outside/sphere-flash.html

Several smaller figures are situated at the feet of the four statues, depicting members of the pharaoh's family. They include his mother Tuya, Nefertari, and some of his sons and daughters. Above the entrance there is a statue of a falcon-headed Ra-Harakhte, with the pharaoh shown worshipping on both sides of him. Below the statue there is an ancient rebus, showing the prenomen or throne name of Ramesses: Waser-ma'at.

The facade is topped by a row of 22 baboons, their arms raised in the air, supposedly worshipping the rising sun. Another notable feature of the facade is a stele which records the marriage of Ramesses with a daughter of King Hattusili III, which sealed the peace between Egypt and the Hittites.

The interior of the temple has the same triangular layout that most ancient Egyptian temples follow, with rooms decreasing in size from the entrance to the sanctuary. The first hall of the temple features eight statues of the deified Rameses II in the shape of Osiris, serving as pillars. The walls depict scenes of Egyptian victories in Libya, Syria and Nubia, including images from the Battle of Kadesh. The second hall depicts Ramesses and Nefertari with the sacred boats of Amun and Ra-Horakthy.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/nubia/abu-simbel-inside/sphere-flash.html

The sanctuary contains four seated statues of Ra-Horakhty, Ptah, Amun and Ramesses. The temple was constructed in such a way that the sun shines directly on all four statues during two days of the year, February 20 and October 20. These dates are allegedly the king's birthday and coronation day respectively, but there is no evidence to support this. Due to the displacement of the temple, it is widely believed that this event now occurs one day later than it did originally.

The Temple of Nefetari is located north of the Great Temple of Ramses II. It was carved in the rock by Ramses II and dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, and also to his favorite wife, Nefertari, for "whose sake the very sun doeth shine." The façade is adorned by six statues, four of Ramses II and two of Nefertari. Most unusually, the six are the same height, which indicates the esteem in which Nefertari was held.

http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/north-africa/egypt/nubia/abu-simbel-temple-of-nefertari/sphere-flash.html

Impressive, breathtaking, fabulous, fantastic, grand, magnificent, staggering, stunning .....I still cannot find the appropriate adjectives to describe this place!!

Day 76, Aswan, Egypt (1)

We have arrived in Aswan, Egypt.

Despite being the regional capital and administrative centre, this ancient ivory-trading post has quite a laid-back atmosphere

We are going to take a short ride on a felucca, a typical Egyptian sail boat around the area........aaaah, this is so relaxing........

Now we going to take a short flight to Abu Simbel......yippeee....we are going to see the temples of Ramses II and his queen Nefertari.