This post has been sitting in my unpublished blogs for almost 2 years - I was in hibernation all this while, so thought will show it some light :-)
Our wish of visiting one of the oldest civilizations came true this summer. After the beautiful Greece it was destination Egypt for us. We flew into Cairo for half a day while visiting the Khan-El-Khalili Bazaar which supposedly began operating from the 14th century. The system works like any bazaar in India, where you had to bargain to get the best deal and we not being veterans in this area, were not the best shoppers, but did fair better than some of the tourists from countries where bargaining is unknown.
We had a glimpse of the Pyramids from the car, knowing that we would be coming back to see it, but surprised all the same to know how close to the city the Pyramids were built or how much the city must have expanded! We flew the same day to Aswan where we were to join the Moon Cruise to Luxor. We had a shocking incident at the Airport where our driver was delayed and we spent half hour frantically trying to find some help in a place where everybody seemed so friendly, but no money no help. The Airport was really small and closed 10 minutes after we landed once all the passengers were outside. We forgot all about this incident once we entered our cruise which seemed like a floating 5-Star Hotel. Our guide met with us and explained all the formalities.
The following morning he took us to the Unfinished Obelisk. It lies in a quarry untouched from 3000 years ago because of a crack running through its body. Its estimated weight being 1000 tons, which would have made it the heaviest Obelisk if it were to stand erect. The explanation of how the gigantic stone would have been transported and erected in a temple is an interesting story, considering that they were not technology savvy in those days, yet used their brains in better ways. After this, we went to the High Dam of Aswan, built a few decades ago with the help of Russians. This helped in preventing the flooding of the Nile and also supported irrigation. The Nasser Lake formed by this Dam is 350 square kilometres and is divided between Egypt and Jordan and is full of crocodiles.
We were then taken to a Perfume Factory called the “Essence of Life” where we were demonstrated how the big perfume manufacturers made perfume from a few essential oils. They had a very impressive collection of oils and glass blown bottles. Amazing how the ancient Egyptians paid so much attention to vanity. After this was one of the highlights of the whole trip – a ride on the Falukkah. The Falukkah as such is a boat which has no motor, it drifts in the direction of the wind with the help of its sail. It was so serene and peaceful that I still think about it and makes me feel good.
The same day our cruise moved from Aswan and set sail towards Luxor. The first stop was at the Temple of Kom-ombo. This was an ancient temple for Horus (the Falcon God) and Sobek (the Crocodile God). They had embalmed a crocodile family (mother, father and child) from 3000 years ago and they are still intact. The temple had inscriptions depicting dental surgery and a level to measure the flooding of the river to determine the tax for that year. Once we had finished our tour, we were told that there would be an Egyptian dinner on board the cruise and everybody had to be dressed traditionally in Galabaiyas! That was a beautiful night of good food and great dances by all the crew and the passengers.
The next morning we were woken up early to visit the temple of Edfu. This temple was dedicated to Horus and retained a lot of colours from the ancient paintings, but had deteriorated over the years since it was used as a shelter during the war periods of Middle Age. The day was relaxing as such and later in the afternoon we arrived at Esna which had a Lock. This meant that at a time only two ships could cross the lock, one either way, so we ended up waiting almost 8 hours. The food on the cruise was excellent and I was surprised how much variety they had for a Vegetarian, I went thinking I would be fed grass!
The next morning we arrived at Luxor. Our Guide warned us that it would be a busy day and so it was. Our first stop was to the Valley of Kings where the Kings and Noble Men were buried. They have discovered 62 tombs, the latest being that of Tuth-Ankh-Amun’s. This place is camouflaged very well and is surrounded by 2 sandy mountains. Apparently in those days the Egyptian Kings decided the place they wanted to be buried and had informed Priests and a secret sect of workers about this. They then built his tomb as per his wishes and when he died the Priest led the procession to his tomb and they put him in the Sarcophage and filled his tomb with all his belongings and things he used over the years. We had the luxury of visiting 3 of the 62 tombs and the beauty within was breath taking. If only we had learnt some hieroglyphics to understand the inscriptions. Right next to the Valley of Kings is the Temple of Hatshepsut – the first female ruler of Egypt. The temple is built over 3 levels and shows how much importance the ancient Egyptians gave to women.
After this we visited an Alabaster factory, where they demonstrated how they mage the various figurines. The shop was filled with colourful articles but very expensive. On the way back to the city we stopped over at 2 gigantic statues considered the Mother and Wife of Memnon. The Luxor Temple in the city was huge and resembled an Indian temple in many ways. The Statues of Ramses still stood tall and the Sanctuary (holy place) had the serenity of all the prayers performed centuries ago. The ram-headed sphinxes ran in parallel for 3.2 Kms between the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple. Although, now some of them have been buried or stolen.
The Karnak Temple, believed to be one of the biggest man made monuments because of its size spells grandeur. It was built and rebuilt over 1500 years and every King wanted his signature over the Temple. The entrance is magnificent with 134 pillars, each having inscriptions all around them to the ceiling. In the backyard there is a pool where the Priests used to bathe twice a day before performing the religious rites. Close to this is a pedestal with a huge Scarab Beetle considered a Good Luck charm by the Egyptians. Towards the inner of the temple, there were 2 Obelisks – one for Hatshepsut and one for her father Tuthmosis – I. The story behind the Obelisk of Hatshepsut was pretty interesting. Her half brother Tuthmosis – II was not happy with an Obelisk for his sister and wanted to embarrass her, so he built a wall surrounding it. It turned out that this wall acted as a protection for the Obelisk which is still intact. Just sitting in the Hypostyle Hall (Pillars Room) and imagining the life lived by the Pharoahs and the elaborate ceremonies, was a beautiful feeling.
This was the end of our Nile Cruise and it was time to fly back to Cairo.
